Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research- Research Alliance (PFI:AIR-RA)

The NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) is an umbrella for two complementary subprograms, Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) and Building Innovation Capacity (BIC). Both programs are concerned with the movement of academic research discoveries into the marketplace, although each focuses on different stages along the innovation spectrum. The PFI:AIR program has two additional subprograms: the PFI:AIR-Technology Translation (See NSF 14-569) and PFI:AIR- Research Alliance (this solicitation). This PFI:AIR-Research Alliance (RA) solicitation is intended to accelerate the translation and transfer of existing research discoveries into competitive technologies and commercial realities by leveraging the investments NSF has made in research consortia (e.g., Engineering Research Centers, Industry University Cooperative Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, Centers for Chemical Innovation, and others) and catalyzing academic-based innovation ecosystems. The goal is that these synergistic partnerships and collaborations between government, academia, and other public and private entities will result in new wealth and the building of strong local and regional economies.

WEBINAR: A webinar will be held within 6 weeks of the release date of this solicitation to answer any questions about this solicitation. Details will be posted on the PFI:AIR-RA website (http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/pfi/air-ra.jsp) as they become available.