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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

  • Reimagining Headquarters AETC empowers NAF Commanders

    JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas--At the direction of the Commander of Air Education and Training Command, Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast, AETC took on a bottom-up mission review to examine how it commands and controls its operations and respond to the changing pace of today’s dynamic national security

  • VCSAF highlights speed, innovation as keys to victory in future war

    Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Stephen Wilson emphasized Airmen will continue leading the way in preparing for the future of war and highlighted the importance of speed, connectivity and innovation during the 2018 Future of War Conference April 9, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

  • 9 IS “hacks” into defense challenges with Stanford

    Airmen from the 9th Intelligence Squadron are working withStanford University students to gather ideas on how to make the Optical BarCamera mission more effective.Hacking for Defense, a non-profit organization working to generateproblem solving cooperation between academia industry and Department

  • 35th Contracting Squadron: The power of the pen

    As master negotiators, stewards of taxpayer dollars and professional shoppers, the saying “the pen is mightier than the sword,” resonates heavily with the 35th Contracting Squadron at Misawa Air Base.

  • Artificial Intelligence and Design Thinking Seminar

    The 526th Intelligence Squadron hosted a seminar on AI & Design Thinking. The workshop, held at AFWERX Las Vegas, discusses big-picture Intel ideas and themes to provide Airmen with an advantage in their career field.

  • Robotic wheelchair competition unleashes student creativity

    WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – AFRL researchers are looking to tap into the creativity of the next generation of researchers through a project that turns an ordinary motorized wheelchair into a robotic security guard.As part of the Robotic Sentry Challenge, the Materials and Manufacturing

  • Collaborators meet during Innovation at the Edge

    Members from Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command, AFSPACE, 55th Wing, 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, 480th ISRW and 363rd ISRW attended the fourth Innovation at the Edge Summit on February 27 to March 1, 2018 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia and Old Dominion

  • When failure leads to success: 365th TRS wins AETC Adapt Award

    The 365th Training Squadron at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, was received the Air Education and Training Command Continuum of Learning Innovation Adapt Award for failing at a concept but developing lessons learned to one day reach their desired result.

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

Click HERE for Elevate's monthly newsletter

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.