Dozens of organizations throughout the Midwest comprise one of 10 inaugural Regional Innovation Engines in the United States, as designated by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
On Monday, the NSF established its first
NSF Engines program, awarding 10 teams spanning 18 states with up to $15 million in initial funding over the next two years. With a potential NSF investment of nearly $1.6 billion over the next decade, NSF Engines represent one of the largest broad investments in place-based research and development in the nation's history.
Several Wisconsin entities, including
A.O. Smith,
Marquette University,
Rapid Radicals,
Whirlpool, the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and
WRTP | BIG STEP, are partners in the Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine.
This cohort will search for new ways to extract valuable minerals and toxic forever chemicals from wastewater. Organizations from Illinois and Ohio help round out the group. The Great Lakes engine is anchored by Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub.
NSF's initial $150 million investment in the 10 regions is being matched nearly two to one in commitments from state and local governments, other federal agencies, philanthropy and private industry.
Engines that demonstrate progress toward well-defined milestones could receive up to $160 million each from NSF over 10 years.
"The inaugural NSF Engines awards demonstrate our enduring commitment to create opportunity everywhere and enable innovation anywhere," said
Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of NSF. "Through these NSF Engines, NSF aims to expand the frontiers of technology and innovation and spur economic growth across the nation through unprecedented investments in people and partnerships. NSF Engines hold significant promise to elevate and transform entire geographic regions into world-leading hubs of innovation.”
The Regional Innovation Engine is a separate initiative from one currently being worked on by
The Water Council. Last spring, the Milwaukee-based nonprofit was
awarded $1 million to help establish a separate innovation engine here in eastern Wisconsin focused on climate issues. After two years, The Water Council and its partners working to create this climate-focused regional innovation engine will apply for a Launch Award of up to $160 million over ten years.
