NSF Announces First Winners of Major ‘Engine’ Awards

On Monday, the National Science Foundation announced the 10 inaugural Regional Innovation Engines, each of which will receive up to $160 million over a decade to catalyze regional ecosystems for R&D.

Selected from among 16 finalists, the awardees are:

• The Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine,
• The Colorado - Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine,
• The Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine,
• The Louisiana Energy Transition Engine,
• The North Carolina Textile Innovation and Sustainability Engine,
• The North Dakota Advanced Agriculture Technology Engine,
• The Paso del Norte Defense and Aerospace Innovation Engine,
• The Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine,
• The Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine, and
• The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine.

The regenerative medicine and sustainable textiles Engines were announced separately last Friday at an event with First Lady Jill Biden. Among the finalists that did not make the cut is the only quantum-focused proposal: the University of Chicago’s “Quantum Crossroads.”

In announcing the awards, NSF said that some of the remaining finalists and semifinalists will be invited to apply for Engines Development Awards, grants of up to $1 million that aim to help refine applications for future Engine awards. NSF has already provided 44 such grants.

The White House also highlighted how other agencies will support Engine awardees in a press release.