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Welcome!

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What can we do to help you?

  • In-House  
    Assist and collaborate with your Airmen to identify a problem set (generate problem statement) & develop solutions in-house.
     
  • Collaborative Research  
    Connect Airmen with AFWERX, DoD, or consultant to further develop/accelerate project to solutions. 
     
  • Knowledge Exchange   
    Furnish your Airmen with academic opportunities for individual or organizational learning. 
     
  • SIF Management 
    Provide guidance to squadrons to meet CSAF intent and assist with squadron innovation funds supporting projects. 
     
  • SBIR Collaboration  
    Partnering with AFWERX to pair up your pain points with startups who can provide the solutions. 

Elevate Office

Educate explore exploit


INTRO TO 3D PRINTING
Are you interested in 3D printing and looking for a practical and compact entry-level course, but don't feel like reading or searching for information? Then this course is well suited for you! In this workshop you will learn all the basics you need to know in order to operate a 3D printer and create your own 3D printed objects. Start now with this professional, descriptive and step-by-step 3D printing tutorial, made by Elevate’s Chief Maker!  Sign up now!

 

Air Force Innovation ARticles

  • US senior research materials engineer wins international award

    WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - The Jaap Schijve Award is an international award presented by The Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR and Delft University of Technology to promote the disciplines of fatigue and damage tolerance for aerospace applications. Dr. Adam Pilchak of the Air Force

  • RAF partners with PTN to innovate pilot training pipeline

    After a visit in May 2018 to the Pilot Training Next facility in Austin and facing a pilot shortage, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force is taking innovation to the next level with the inclusion of a student and an instructor pilot in the second iteration of the class.

  • 2nd WXG innovations: Task Force Bat Phone delivers data Airmen need

    This is the second part of a series highlighting innovations by the 557th Weather Wing’s 2nd Weather Group.Using off-the-shelf components, new processes and a little inspiration from Batman, a group of innovative Airmen from the 557th Weather Wing’s 2nd Weather Group are changing how information is

  • Around the Air Force: SECAF visits Offutt AFB / Spark Tank 19

    On this look Around the Air Force, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visits Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, to survey flood damage and Lt. Col. Dave Harden talks about how Spark Tank has grown and become more effective. Hosted by Staff Sgt. Braden Anderson.

  • 552nd ACW Fuel Systems Creates New Tool in 12 Hours

    TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – “What’s the game plan,” said the Accessories Flight Chief. “Well sir I do not think you are going to like it… we are going to have to do something that has never been done before,” replied Tech. Sgt. Marquis Gaines.This was the conversation that led to the creation of

  • Fraud training focuses on prevention and remediation

    HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Fraud counsel here and at Air Force Materiel Command invite all government employees to attend two different fraud training events in Massachusetts the first week of April. The first training is at Hanscom, April 3 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in building 1604, room 242. This

  • Fuel Tank: Airman-powered innovation

    To award Air Force’s Squadron Innovation Fund dollars, leadership from the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, hosted the second annual Fuel Tank competition March 15, 2019, where Airmen pitched their innovative ideas to improve processes, training, and equipment, and thus,

  • Air University Press releases Autonomous Horizons: The Way Forward

    Air University Press announces the release of Autonomous Horizons: The Way Forward, by Dr. Greg Zacharias, former chief scientist of the Air Force. Zacharias, who served as chief scientist from 2015 to 2018, explores the next steps in autonomous systems development, fielding and training. Rapid

  • Institute celebrates 100 years of defense-focused education

    The Air Force Institute of Technology kicked off its centennial anniversary celebration March 5 at the Sinclair Ponitz Conference Center in Dayton, highlighting the institute’s rich journey since its beginning Nov. 10, 1919.Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force Dr. Richard J. Joseph was the

  • 86th AES wins big with innovation

    Airmen assigned to the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron received two checks totaling $71,200 dollars from the 86th Airlift Wing Innovation Office on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, March 11, 2019.

Motivation

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

TED Radio Hour: Failure Is An Option

Difference Between Innovation and Invention

Why Innovation is Crucial to Your Organization

What Really Makes Something Innovative?

How Leaders Inspire Innovation

 

Leader's inspiration

"...We have to think about the technology and the innovation that we need 10 to 15 to 20 years from now. We have to start thinking about it and start building it right now." - CMSAF Kaleth O. Wright 

"Innovative Airmen find better ways of doing the mission... Their intrapreneurship makes us more lethal, more efficient — they must be supported by leaders who not only remove unnecessary barriers to success, but who also lift up and champion their ideas... And because we’ve shown them we believe in their ideas, I want them to keep swinging until we find the answer." - Gen David L. Goldfein 

"Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It is fueled from a spirit of experimentation and driven by Airmen with the best training, the right tools, and a workplace environment that promotes innovation. The threat and environmental challenges presented by our adversaries require that we aggressively investigate mission-focused ideas involving machine learning, artificial intelligence, autonomy, big data analytics... AMC will make bold investments in innovation that increase readiness and posture AMC forces to remain effective in a fast-paced and challenging future." - Gen Maryanne  Miller 

“We are at the beginning of a big culture shift in the government. We woke up and said we are not the only funder or inventor of new technology anymore…we are a partner with those who do.” – Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics 

Take a 3D printing class!

 

Newsletter

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CONTACT US

Chief Innovation Officer
(vacant) 

Deputy Chief Innovation Officer
Mike Martinez

SEL/Lead Engineer
Master Sgt. Matthew Sabo

Innovation Specialist
Staff Sgt. Brad Vickers

Contact Us
Email: 375amw.safb.elevate@us.af.mil
Phone: 618-256-4802

Where are we located?
The lab is located on the second floor of the Warmer Fitness Center.


Elevate is an Airmen-led innovation office focused on connecting our Airmen's problems to those in industry, academia or government. 
We work closely with AFWERX, the Secretary of the Air Force's innovation arm, and the main conduit for executing Small Business Innovation
Research, or SBIR, funds for the Air Force.

Elevate is a grassroots innovation program whose mission is to bring tomorrow’s tools to the warfighter today while inspiring a bottom‐up culture of innovation. We create unique opportunities for external partners to work directly with military on interesting problems, which also allows for rapid fielding solutions. 

Have an idea?

Please send any innovative ideas or service requests to us via our intake form found at the below QR Code & link.