July 8, 2025 - The U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program announced the 29 semifinalists advancing to the next stage of the second competition – spanning critical technologies and applications ranging from energy grid security to maximizing the yield of critical minerals mining to advanced optical sensors. The semifinalist teams, many of whom have been building their regional coalitions for a year or longer, are led by universities, nonprofits, private industry and other organizations from across the United States. View a map of the NSF Engines semifinalists.
"This outstanding cohort of semifinalists clearly demonstrates that America’s technology competitiveness will depend as much on expanding our ability to unlock innovation capacity in every part of our country — from the rural plains and western ranges to cities with rich industrial and manufacturing legacies — as it will on advancing the technologies themselves," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP). "Each team was selected because it brought strong public and private partners to the table and outlined a promising vision for research, innovation and workforce development in their respective regions of service, thereby advancing U.S competitiveness, national security and economic growth."
The NSF Engines program is beginning to see the fruits of the nation’s investment in the inaugural NSF Engines over the last two years. To date, the program has seen a tenfold return on taxpayers' dollars — an initial investment of $135 million across nine NSF Engines has garnered more than $1 billion in matching commitments from private industry, philanthropy and state and local governments.
Now this second wave of NSF Engines will soon follow the initial investments, shoring up innovation ecosystems in new regions across the U.S. The NSF Engines are transformational for the nation, helping ensure the U.S. remains globally competitive in key technology areas for decades to come. Of note, this cohort of semifinalists includes 17 NSF Engines Development Awards teams who received two-year planning grants in 2023 and early 2024 that they leveraged to help build coalitions and refine visions for dynamic innovation ecosystems within their regions.
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