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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

  • PEO Digital will change global AF software acquisition

    Dr. Will Roper, the Air Force's senior civilian acquisition leader, redesignated Program Executive Office Battle Management as PEO Digital, to be headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, Sept. 17.

  • Pilot Training Next cadre discuss lessons learned, way forward

    NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland - Air Education and Training Command officials announced the second iteration of Pilot Training Next would begin in January 2019 during a panel at the 2018 Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference here.To refine the curriculum for the next class, the PTN cadre

  • eFAILution Wall: Failure + Learning = Successful Evolution

    Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company and captain of industry once said, “Failure is the only opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”One Air Force organization is taking Ford’s words to heart. The Air Force Technical Applications Center, the sole agency within the Department

  • 557th WW Airmen find innovative cyber solutions

    Innovation is more important than ever. The 2018 National Defense Strategy has called for rapid innovation and to “deliver performance at the speed of relevance.” 557th Weather Wing Airmen have a history of finding ways to innovate, working smarter to save money and deliver new capabilities and

  • Air Force Senior Leaders announce 2019 Spark Tank Competition

    Enlisted, officer and government employees may now submit their innovative ideas for the 2019 Air Force Spark Tank Competition.The competition calls for Airmen to pitch their innovative ideas to the Air Force’s senior leaders through the the IdeaScale Ideation platform at usaf.ideascalegov.com, and

  • XPX team innovates solar power comm system

    With the help of 3-D printing and community partnerships, the Plans and Programs innovation team here at McConnell have created a portable, solar-powered communications system.

  • 340th Flying Training Group develops strategic direction, priorities

    JOINT-BASE SAN ANTONIO-Randolph, Texas – During a strategic alignment event conducted here Aug. 27-29, 340th Flying Training Group leaders and key stakeholders developed the group’s strategic direction, intended to guide the group over the next several years. Key stakeholders included group staff,

  • Secretary of the Air Force urges innovation in software acquisition model

    The process used by the Air Force to acquire software is archaic and needs to modernize now if the service is to win in a peer-to-peer conflict, said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson.The secretary made those observations and gave a glimpse into the future of software acquisition during her

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.