NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing photonics technologies (NJ, DE, PA, NY).

NSF区域引擎发展奖致力于通过整合该地区丰富的光电子研发、制造和劳动力资源，推动大西洋中部地区的合作、劳动力机会和经济发展。光子学-光子的使用和控制-是我们日常依赖的许多现代技术的基石。医疗保健、电信、清洁能源、先进制造、国防和无数其他行业都依赖于启用光子技术来使应用程序更清洁、更智能和更安全。服务地区包括新泽西州、纽约州、德州和宾夕法尼亚州，这些州聚集了大量的光电子公司和研究人员/教育工作者。其中包括普林斯顿大学、罗文大学、罗格斯大学、新泽西理工学院、苏塞克斯县社区学院、特拉华州立大学、利哈伊大学和其他高等教育机构的项目合作伙伴，以及埃德蒙光学公司、ThorLabs、Horiba、Hamamatsu等公司，以及VentureWell、NJ制造业扩展计划、SOSV/HAX加速器、新泽西州科学、创新和技术委员会和新泽西州经济发展局等技术支持组织和投资者。该项目将协调这些资源，并制定一项连贯的战略，以推动受使用启发的研究和区域内外的长期经济增长。该项目的主要目标是促进能够引领创新和经济增长的联系。该项目团队致力于创建一个区域创新生态系统，该生态系统将扩大应用驱动的基础研究和技术转换，并整合教育和劳动力发展，从一开始就强调多样性、公平和包容。将制定通过让所有利益攸关方提高对光子学在当前和新兴技术中的关键作用的认识来建设社区能力的战略，重点是以强调公平、可获得性和该地区广泛的社会利益的方式增加工业和学术参与者的渠道。该项目将侧重于以下主要活动：战略规划与经济发展、应用驱动研究、技术转化与创业、教育与劳动力发展、外联和评估。该项目利用高度一体化和多样化的组织结构，欢迎并鼓励所有团队成员、专家和社区成员通过有针对性的工作组、公共讲习班/会议和一系列深入研究做出贡献。这一发展奖为团队建立未来的NSF引擎奠定了基础，以改变建立在光子学创新基础上的区域经济格局。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Regional Engines Development Award is focused on driving collaboration, workforce opportunity, and economic development in the mid-Atlantic region by uniting the rich array of photonics R&D, manufacturing, and workforce resources the region holds. Photonics - the use and control of photons - is a cornerstone of many modern technologies we rely on daily. Healthcare, telecommunications, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, defense, and countless other industries depend on enabling photonic technologies to make applications cleaner, smarter, and more secure. The region of service includes the states of NJ, NY, DE, and PA, home to a dense collection of photonics companies and researchers/educators. Among them are the project partners of Princeton University, Rowan University, Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Sussex County Community College, Delaware State University, Lehigh University, and other institutes of higher education, along with companies such as Edmund Optics, Thorlabs, Horiba, Hamamatsu, and technical support organizations and investors including VentureWell, NJ Manufacturing Extension Program, SOSV/HAX Accelerator, NJ Commission on Science, Innovation, and Technology, and the NJ Economic Development Authority. This project will align these resources and develop a coherent strategy for driving use-inspired research and long-term economic growth within the region and beyond.The project's primary goal is to facilitate connections that can spearhead innovation and economic growth. The project team is committed to creating a regional innovation ecosystem that will amplify application-driven fundamental research and technology translation and integrate education and workforce development that, from its inception, emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Strategies to build community capacity by engaging all stakeholders in raising awareness of the key role that photonics plays in current and emerging technologies will be developed with a focus on increasing the pipeline of industrial and academic participants in ways that emphasize equity, accessibility, and broad societal benefit for the region. The project will focus on the following main activities: Strategic Planning & Economic Development, Application Driven Research, Technology Translation & Entrepreneurship, Education & Workforce Development, Outreach, and Assessment. The project utilizes a highly integrated and diversified organizational structure that welcomes and encourages contributions of all team members, experts, and community members through targeted working groups, public workshops/conferences, and a series of deep dive studies. This development award lays the foundation for the team to establish a future NSF Engine to transform the regional economic landscape built on photonics innovation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.