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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

  • AFIMSC I-WEPTAC 2023 MAWG 4 chair spotlight

    Maj. Zachary Schumann, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron Engineering Flight commander, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, D.C., is the chair for Mission Area Working Group 4 at the 2023 Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference. The out-briefs will take place on Oct. 4 with the four

  • Base firefighters innovate confined spaces training apparatus

    Firefighters from Youngstown Air Reserve Station spent several months researching, designing, building and testing an in-house confined spaces training obstacle course, which is now being used to enhance base firefighter safety and capabilities.

  • AFIMSC I-WEPTAC 2023 MAWG 2 chair spotlight

    Maj. Ronda Underwood, chief of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center Expeditionary Engineering Division at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, is the chair for Mission Area Working Group 2 at the 2023 AFIMSC Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference. The conference concludes Oct. 4

  • Duke Field breaks ground on first electric aircraft charging station

    DUKE FIELD, Florida (AFRL) – AFWERX and one of its Prime division partners, BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company, broke ground on the first electric aircraft charging station on a military installation at Duke Field, Florida, Sept. 19, 2023. The expected completion date for the Level 3

  • AFIMSC I-WEPTAC 2023 MAWG 1 chair spotlight

    Lt. Col. Ross Dotzlaf, chief of facility sustainment restoration and modernization in the AFIMSC Installation Support Directorate, is the chair for Mission Area Working Group 4 at the 2023 Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference. The out-briefs will take place on Oct. 4, with

  • Yokota AFWERX spark cell, volunteers fix airfield overrun traffic lights

    After a severe lightning storm in early July rendered traffic control lights on the Yokota runway inoperable, the south airfield overrun has returned to normal operations, thanks to the joint efforts of volunteers from the Yokota AFWERX spark cell, ‘YokoWERX,’ and units across the 374th Airlift

  • AFWERX 'Spark Street' takes over 2023 Air, Space and Cyber Conference

    NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFRL) – AFWERX showcased the innovation from Spark Cells around the world at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 11-13. The aisle of four booth spaces at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center was called "Spark Street" where

  • 3 AF Commander visits 86 LRS, recognizes Airmen

    U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Derek C. France, Third Air Force commander, coins Airmen assigned to the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron and 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, assigned to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 30, 2023. Airmen from the 86th LRS and the 52nd

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.