The U.S. National Science Foundation announced on July 14, 2026, that it awarded 12 new NSF Regional Innovation Engines across 20 states. Each team will receive an initial $15 million over two years to scale regional technology clusters aimed at accelerating critical technologies, preparing workers for emerging jobs, and expanding regional economies.
Teams that reach established milestones can eventually receive up to $160 million each from NSF over the next decade. Led by regional coalitions of universities, non-profits, and private industry, the projects target key applications such as energy grid security, critical mineral mining yields, and quantum computing.
"These new NSF Engines will be transformational for America's innovation infrastructure — helping secure our national competitiveness in technologies and future industries that will be critical to our economic and national security for decades to come," said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director.
The program links regional strengths into a connected national network designed to build domestic supply chains and accelerate technology adoption. According to NSF, its initial $135 million investment across nine inaugural engines launched two years ago generated over $2 billion in matching commitments from state and local governments, philanthropy, and private industry. That first cohort focused on advanced chipmaking, next-generation artificial intelligence, agriculture, disaster preparedness, and energy storage. NSF also released another funding round this summer for inaugural engines demonstrating progress.
Award Recipients
The 12 newly funded regional engines and their leading organizations are:
- NSF BRIDGES Engine in Alabama and Tennessee, led by the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.
- NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine in the Kansas City Region, led by the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
- NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska, led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
- NSF FAST Engine in Oregon, led by Oregon State University.
- NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas, led by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
- NSF IMPACT Engine in Indiana, led by Indiana University.
- NSF NEO-SMART Engine in Northeast Ohio, led by Case Western Reserve University alongside more than 70 regional partners.
- NSF Quantum Technologies Engine in Connecticut, led by the University of Connecticut.
- NSF RETI Engine in West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, led by West Virginia University in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the U.S. Research Impact Alliance.
- NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine in Iowa and Nebraska, led by Iowa State University.
- NSF Seafood Engine in New England, led by the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems.
- NSF STELLAR Engine in the Rochester/Finger Lakes Region of New York, led by the University of Rochester.
The NSF Engines initiative is administered through the agency's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships.
