Turning Data into action for Community Resilience
Request for Proposals Now Open
Apply for ASCEND Engine Funding:
The United States National Science Foundation ASCEND Engine is accepting proposals for up to $750,000 in funding for projects advancing environmental sensing and AI in Colorado and Wyoming. Letters of Interest due May 14.
Region of Service
Over the past two decades, Colorado and Wyoming (the CO-WY region) have experienced intensifying wildfires, droughts, soil degradation, and air quality concerns. The region's varied conditions, ranging from high-desert plains to mountain ecosystems, present a unique opportunity to develop, test, and scale next-generation technologies. Such technologies will empower communities to better monitor, protect against, and adapt to the impacts of these natural hazards.
The ASCEND Engine is strategically concentrated along the I-25 Innovation Corridor, which spans from the cities of Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming in the north through Fort Collins, Boulder, and Denver, down to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the south. This corridor is home to a highly connected hub of leading research institutions, national laboratories, startups, and industries that fuel ASCEND-related technical innovation. While anchored in this corridor, ASCEND’s impact extends across Colorado and Wyoming, actively engaging rural and Tribal communities via targeted research, workforce, and deployment programs.
World Class Innovators and Partners
The ASCEND Engine was recently awarded continued funding for 2026-2029. Over the next three years, the ASCEND Engine will deploy two flagship R&D programs that tackle urgent regional and national challenges: ARID will accelerate solutions to protect critical power and water systems from increasing wildfire risk. SHIELD will establish a first-of-its-kind network of field test sites to advance next-generation agricultural measurement technologies. These programs bring together advanced sensing, AI, and real-world deployment to turn breakthrough science into solutions that matter now.
The NSF ASCEND Engine is undertaking a coordinated strategy to translate breakthrough science into economic growth, resilient infrastructure, and scalable solutions. Alongside our R&D efforts, we are building workforce pathways that connect both degreed and non-degreed talent to the jobs of the future—ensuring communities across Colorado and Wyoming benefit from this momentum.
Strategic Partnerships
Research & Development
Translation of Innovations
Workforce of the Future
10 Year expected outcomes aim to generate significant economic impact:
PRODUCT BOOST
FOR WORKFORCE
Tech. Science. Accelerated.
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Our partners in innovation
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