Northwest Aerospace News — Issue No. 31 February | March 2023 | Page 28

About the NSF Regional Innovation Engine program :
In Summary
In addition to grant applications and the organization of events , Space Northwest exists to solve a problem . They believe , “ The bones of a powerful innovation engine exist today in our region in a disconnected fashion , with good talent , expertise , and resources , but they tend to exist in silos . Our purpose is to provide programs that build the connective tissue and muscle that will enable the community to reach its fullest potential .” ( www . spacenorthwest . com / about ).
Space Northwest will work to cover gaps within and between the space community , associations , and technology companies . They also hope to facilitate the development of the STEM workforce , including manufacturing technicians , AI researchers , and space entrepreneurs . Another goal for the group is to foster diversity , equity , inclusion , and accessibility ( DEIA ) by representing these groups in STEM careers .
Maloney reflected that their ecosystem mantra is “ Space is for everyone .” She said that DEIA “ has to be foundational , building our system from the ground up ; we will have the diverse , most connected workforce for all pieces of the ecosystem .” Doyle added , “ This is the future of humanity ; we all need to contribute to a part of that future .”

About the NSF Regional Innovation Engine program :

Type-1 awards are development awards that provide seed funding to enable awardees to lay the groundwork for establishing a new NSF Engine for catalyzing an innovation ecosystem for a specific topic area . Type-1 awards allow teams to prepare for successful Type-2 proposal submissions . The duration of a Type-1 award is up to 24 months , with a maximum proposed budget of $ 1 million .
Find more at : www . nsf . gov / awardsearch /
Finally , they intend to tell the story of the region ’ s space economy . Maloney stated that history is being made now , with innovations and technologies on the horizon . She added that a big part of telling the story is establishing the brand of the space economy in the Pacific Northwest . Maloney asked , “ What is our brand as a region with an expanding space economy , and how do we communicate that ?” She observed that from there , Space Northwest would define messaging and key audiences and implement a marketing strategy to spread the word about the region ’ s space economy and opportunities .

In Summary

The Space Northwest board of directors has deep experience and well-defined goals . They plan to work with many of the region ’ s aerospace and manufacturing companies to define a new space future for the Pacific Northwest . Are you one of the space dreamers who will join them in reaching for the stars ?
Contact : Michael Doyle , info @ spacenorthwest . org

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