NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing coastal resiliency in the Caribbean (PR, VI, FL)

NSF区域创新引擎发展奖的重点是重新定义沿海地区的复原力，开发新技术以确保子孙后代的复原力，并催化加勒比地区基于创新的经济发展。该项目解决了沿海脆弱性增加的问题，提高了复原力和可持续性，并为政策提供信息，同时将该地区转变为一个充满活力的绿色经济区，专注于与气候相关的知识产权、制造业和劳动力发展。波多黎各位于服务区的中心，是探索和数据驱动创新的“活实验室”；拥有制造业基础设施的历史，拥有11个校区和关键军事基地的大学系统，是一个理想的位置。该地区的关键伙伴关系形成了一个强大的网络，包括专业知识、研究能力、学生交流和投资。研究和创新的多学科方法将建立一个重要的发现生态系统，以应对加勒比地区的气候威胁，并促进新的经济，以满足沿海复原力的需求。该项目的活动将组织在六个网络中，侧重于沿海脆弱性的各个方面，包括强有力的数据收集、减轻海岸侵蚀的新设计、增加生物多样性、可再生和可持续能源以及支持复原力的政策。每个网络将支持四大支柱的增长：(I)R&amp；D)沿海适应性，以更好地了解主要飓风、气候变化和其他因素的变量；(Ii)推动就业、创业活动和所有制经济的创新；(Iii)与弹性可再生能源、可持续制造和联邦承包相关的、具有高度竞争力、包容性和多样化的工程劳动力的劳动力发展(利用关键战略领域的微观资质)，以及培训能够提供关键服务的急救人员；以及(Iv)战略伙伴关系：学术合作伙伴、行业团体、政府实体、孵化器和现有的合作伙伴将在加快新技术从实验室推向市场的过程中发挥关键作用。该项目将基于可再生能源-水网络、微电网和数据驱动的系统集成，促进技术转让和与可持续发展和沿海弹性相关的新技术的创建，基于研究成果培育初创企业队列，并与致力于该地区经济发展的区域和国家早期投资者和风险慈善家协调，确保研究的最大影响，支持经济增长和扩大所有制经济的包容性-从而为全面建设NSF项目铺平道路。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 Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on redefining resiliency for coastal regions, developing new technology to ensure resiliency for future generations, and catalyzing economic development based on innovation in the Caribbean. This project addresses the increased coastal vulnerability, increases resiliency and sustainability, and informs policy while transforming the region into a vibrant green economic zone focused on climate-related intellectual property, manufacturing, and workforce development. At the heart of the region of service, Puerto Rico serves as a "living laboratory" for exploration and data-driven innovation; with a history of infrastructure for manufacturing, a university system with eleven campuses, and key military bases, the island is an ideal location. Key partnerships in the region form a robust network of expertise, research capabilities, student exchange, and investment. The multi-disciplinary approach to research and innovation will build a significant ecosystem for discovery to address climate threats in the Caribbean and catalyze a new economy to meet the need for coastal resiliency. The project's activities will be organized in six networks focused on facets of coastal vulnerability, including robust data collection, new designs to mitigate coastal erosion, increased biodiversity, renewable and sustainable energy, and policies to support resiliency. Each network will support the growth of four pillars (i) R & D on Coastal Resiliency for a better understanding of the variables of major hurricanes, climate change, and other factors, (ii) Innovation to drive employment, business start-up activity and an ownership economy, (iii) Workforce Development for a highly competitive, inclusive and diverse engineering workforce (leveraging micro-credentials in key strategic areas) related to resilient renewable energy, sustainable manufacturing, and federal contracting, as well as train first responders who can provide vital services, and (iv) Strategic Partnerships academic partners, industry groups, government entities, incubators and an existing will play critical roles in accelerating new technologies from the lab to the market. This project will promote technology transfer and the creation of new technologies related to sustainability and coastal resiliency based on the renewable energy-water nexus, microgrids, and data-driven system integration, seed cohorts of startups based on research outcomes and coordinate with regional and national early-stage investors and venture philanthropists committed to economic development in the region, ensuring maximum impact of research, supporting economic growth and expanding inclusion in the ownership economy--- and thus setting forward the path toward a full NSF Engine.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.