Activate Global Inc

NSF ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR INCREASED DIVERSITY AND IMPACT -THIS EFFORT SEEKS TO LAY THE PROGRAMMATIC UNDERPINNINGS FOR A LARGER-SCALE NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM TO SUPPORT AND MENTOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO LAUNCH NEW HIGH-IMPACT VENTURES BASED ON DEEP TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL DIRECTLY EMPOWER A RACIALLY, GEOGRAPHICALLY, AND GENDER DIVERSE SET OF NEW TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING LEADERS ADVANCING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS ACROSS SECTORS CRITICAL TO ECONOMIC SECURITY AND COMPETITIVENESS, INCLUDING AGRICULTURE, BUILDINGS, CHEMICALS, COMPUTING, DEFENSE, ELECTRICITY, MANUFACTURING, AND TRANSPORTATION. SUCCESS IN THIS EFFORT MAY VALIDATE A NATIONAL MODEL FOR DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING A STRONG TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TALENT POOL WHILE ADVANCING EMERGING INDUSTRIES, ADDRESSING CRITICAL SOCIETAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, ENHANCING U.S. COMPETITIVENESS AND ECONOMIC AND NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ENABLING MORE PARTICIPATION FROM THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING INNOVATION ENTERPRISE. THIS INITIATIVE WILL ALSO ENABLE SYNERGIES WITH, AND BE STRENGTHENED BY LEARNINGS FROM, FLAGSHIP NSF TRANSLATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING THE NSF LAB-TO-MARKET PLATFORM COMPRISING PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION, SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH/SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, AND INNOVATION CORPS. THE INTELLECTUAL MERIT OF THIS EFFORT STEMS FROM PILOTING AND EVALUATING THREE NEW CRITICAL APPROACHES TO INCREASE ACCESS AND FURTHER EMPOWER SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ACROSS THE NATION. THE FIRST APPROACH IS THE CREATION OF A NEW MODALITY FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT: A COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWS THAT ALLOWS ANY QUALIFIED SCIENTIST OR ENGINEER ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO BENEFIT FROM THE CORE FELLOWSHIP SUPPORT AND LEVERAGE THE CONCENTRATED RESOURCES OF TRADITIONAL INNOVATION CENTERS WITHOUT HAVING TO RELOCATE TO SUCH CENTERS. THE SECOND APPROACH IS THE CREATION OF A NEW IN-PERSON COMMUNITY THAT WOULD EXPAND THE EXISTING MODEL BEYOND THE MOST ESTABLISHED ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS, A CRITICAL TEST TOWARD ENSURING THAT REGIONAL HUBS CAN BE CREATED ACROSS THE NATION TO SUPPORT FELLOWS IN AN IN-RESIDENCE FORMAT. THE THIRD APPROACH IS AN INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON INCREASING DIVERSITY IN SCIENECE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY SUPPORTING PRE-DOCTORAL SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS FROM TRADITIONALLY UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS, EXPOSING THEM TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND POTENTIAL CAREERS IN TECHNICAL INNOVATION. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE THREE INITIATIVES SEEK TO MULTIPLY THE IMPACT OF A LARGER SCALE NATIONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM, AND PROVIDE KEY LEARNINGS THAT WILL ALLOW CONTINUED SCALING AND EVEN GREATER NATIONAL IMPACTS. THOSE WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE PROGRAM WILL CONSTITUTE THE NATION?S ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERS WELL INTO THE FUTURE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIPS TO ENHANCE U.S. COMPETITIVENESS -THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES A CRITICAL GAP IN THE UNITED STATES INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION ECOSYSTEM AS IT ENABLES TOP SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO MAKE THE LEAP FROM LAB TO MARKET MORE QUICKLY. THE PROJECT PROVIDES TWO-YEAR ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIPS AT THE EARLIEST STAGE OF THEIR COMMERCIALIZATION JOURNEY. FELLOWS ARE SELECTED TO ADVANCE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS IN SECTORS CRITICAL TO ECONOMIC SECURITY AND COMPETITIVENESS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SEMICONDUCTORS, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING, ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, ADVANCED MATERIALS, AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. SUCCESS IN THIS EFFORT WILL SUSTAIN A STRONG TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TALENT POOL WHILE ADVANCING EMERGING INDUSTRIES, ADDRESSING CRITICAL SOCIETAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, ENHANCING U.S. COMPETITIVENESS, AND INCREASING ECONOMIC AND NATIONAL SECURITY. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES A COMMERCIALIZATION GAP FOR EARLY-STAGE RESEARCH AND STRENGTHENS THE NATIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM. THROUGH A TWO-YEAR FELLOWSHIP MODEL, PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE FUNDING, TRAINING, AND ACCESS TO A NATIONAL NETWORK WHILE DEVELOPING MARKET-READY SOLUTIONS IN HARD TECHNOLOGY AREAS SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, BIOTECHNOLOGY, ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, AND ADVANCED MATERIALS. FELLOWS WORK FROM QUALIFIED FACILITIES WHERE THEY RETAIN CONTROL OF THEIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, ENABLING THEM TO FOCUS ON ADVANCING SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES INTO PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS. IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL FELLOWS, THE PROJECT INTEGRATES A SUBSET OF PARTICIPANTS FROM FEDERALLY-SUPPORTED REGIONAL INITIATIVES. THESE FELLOWS WILL BE EMBEDDED WITHIN LOCAL INNOVATION INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE BENEFITING FROM NATIONAL PROGRAMMING, CREATING A DYNAMIC EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES ACROSS REGIONS. BY COMBINING NATIONAL REACH WITH PLACE-BASED ENGAGEMENT, THE PROJECT PROVIDES A REPLICABLE MODEL FOR BRIDGING THE LAB-TO-MARKET GAP ACROSS TECHNOLOGICAL DOMAINS. IT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO BROADER ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GOALS BY SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF SCIENCE-BASED STARTUPS AND RETAINING TALENT IN REGIONS ALIGNED WITH FEDERAL INNOVATION PRIORITIES. THROUGH THIS INTEGRATED STRATEGY, THE PROJECT ACCELERATES THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES AND REINFORCES THE COUNTRY?S LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE-DRIVEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT IS TO FUND RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF THE DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA MICROSYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY OFFICE(MTO) FOR THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MICROSYSTEMS RESEARCH PROGRAM: CATALYZING THE CREATION OF NEW U.S BASED TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES PROJECT.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO ESTABLISH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIP PILOT PROGRAM THAT WILL FUND UP TO 10 EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES ("FELLOWS") FOCUSED ON INNOVATIONS IN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES. THE PILOT WILL ESTABLISH A FRAMEWORK FOR OTHER CHIPS-FUNDED BUSINESSES TO INTEGRATE INNOVATIVE SEMICONDUCTOR IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY INTO THE SEMICONDUCTOR R&D ECOSYSTEM.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE CHIPS FOR AMERICA ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIP PILOT PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE NON-DILUTIVE FUNDING, MENTORSHIP EXPERTISE, PROTOTYPING CAPABILITIES, AND FACILITY ACCESS TO EARLY STAGE, ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWS, ENABLING THEM TO DEVELOP THEIR TECHNOLOGIES AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS WHILE IDENTIFYING THE COMMERCIAL STRATEGIES AND MANUFACTURING SCALE-UP OPPORTUNITIES NEEDED FOR SUSTAINED DOMESTIC PRODUCTION. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: CHIPS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (CHIPS R&D) AIMS TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENT OF FOUNDATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES BY ESTABLISHING, CONNECTING, AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO DOMESTIC RESEARCH EFFORTS, TOOLS, RESOURCES, WORKERS, AND FACILITIES. CONSISTENT WITH THIS MISSION, THIS PILOT PROGRAM IS FOR FELLOWS TO FURTHER DEVELOP AND DE-RISK THEIR TECHNOLOGY, IDENTIFY COMMERCIAL STRATEGIES AND DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING SCALE-UP OPPORTUNITIES, BROADEN THEIR NETWORK, AND CREATE A MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT (MVP) WITH A PATHWAY TOWARDS FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY. MORE GENERALLY, THE PILOT PROGRAM EXPECTS TO EXPLORE AREAS TO FURTHER GROW THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING ECO-SYSTEM IN A BROADER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.THIS PILOT PROGRAM AIMS TO FURTHER SUPPORT THE GOALS OF AND DEVELOP LESSONS LEARNED FOR THE NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY CENTER, CHIPS NATIONAL ADVANCED PACKAGING MANUFACTURING PROGRAM, CHIPS MANUFACTURING USA PROGRAM, AND CHIPS METROLOGY PROGRAMS. FOR INSTANCE, FELLOWS MAY BE EXPECTED TO GAIN ACCESS TO AND COLLABORATE WITH THESE PROGRAMS. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES WILL BE THE FUNDED FELLOW COMPANIES AND THE DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR ECOSYSTEM, INCLUDING THROUGH THE BROAD ECONOMIC AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS OF NEW PRODUCTS. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: FELLOWS WILL BE ADDED AS SUBRECIPIENTS FOLLOWING A COMPETITIVE PROCESS.

FIRST-LOOK FUND - AN EARLY-STAGE ALIGNED INTERMEDIARY TO ENHANCE THE FLOW OF PRIVATE CAPITAL INTO ENERGY COMPANIES.

SIMPLE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT FOR ACCELERATING EARLY-STAGE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN STARTUPS AND LARGE CORPORATIONS.

THIS CONSORTIUM WILL DELIVER ACTIVATE OCEANS, A COLLABORATION WHICH INTEGRATES TWO BEST-IN-CLASS PROGRAMS THE ACTIVATE FELLOWSHIP AND PROPELLERS OCEAN MBA INTO ONE COMPREHENSIVE OFFERING THAT IS TAILOR-MADE TO SUPPORT EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS COMMERCIALIZING CRITICAL OCEANS-BASED CLIMATE RESILIENCE TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT STARTUPS DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES IN OCEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY, COAST AND OCEAN CARBON SEQUESTRATION MONITORING AND ACCOUNTING, MARITIME DECARBONIZATION, AND DESALINATION TECHNOLOGIES WITH THE FUNDING, NETWORK, MENTORSHIP, RESEARCH FACILITIES, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY THEY NEED TO CONTINUE BUILDING TOWARD COMMERCIAL SCALE. PHASE I WILL INCLUDE ACTIVITIES RELATED TO SCOPING, PLANNING, AND DESIGNING ACTIVATE OCEANS. PHASE II WILL SUPPORT COMMERCIALIZATION OF APPROXIMATELY 100 OCEAN-CLIMATE STARTUPS OVER FOUR YEARS: ABOUT 25 PER YEAR VIA PROPELLERS OCEAN MBA, OF WHICH ABOUT 10 WILL ALSO RECEIVE FULL ACTIVATE OCEANS FELLOWSHIPS.