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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

  • AFWERX and NASA strengthen interagency partnership

    NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER, Calif. – After a series of capability site visits, AFWERX and NASA have strengthened their partnership to better reach advanced air mobility goals.As a research institution, NASA first partnered with AFWERX in 2020 to gain access to military resources for their projects,

  • AFWERX hosts first in-person Collider event since COVID-19 pandemic

    AUSTIN, Texas (AFRL) – More than 20 industry partners attended the first in-person AFWERX Collider event in over three years at Fed Supernova in Austin, Texas. Colliders went virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic but the return of face-to-face interaction gave Air Force leaders the opportunity to

  • 461st Spark Cell sparks game-changing ideas

    ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – An Airman with the 461st Air Control Wing Liberaiders at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, hopes a new device will make work safer and quicker for aircraft maintenance teams.

  • Offutt maintainer’s innovation saves time, money

    Tech Sgt. Justin Boettger, 55th Maintenance Squadron aircraft structural maintenance section chief at Offutt Air Force Base, recently created a rivet set adapter to be used with a slotted drive shaft rotary hammer.

  • AFWERX kicks off Fed Supernova with 22 minutes of wellness

    Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force, kicks off Fed Supernova with 22 minutes of wellness at Capital Factory in Austin, Texas, Aug. 23, 2023. Leigh encourages everyone to take 22 minutes each day to focus on something that brings

  • AFIMSC hosts final combat support training range evaluation

    The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center closed out its combat support training ranges proof of concept exercises by hosting six days of unit-led training and a senior leader visit here Aug. 13-18.The CSTR initiative expands multi-functional training opportunities for installation and

  • AFWERX Spark hosts Crossflow events

    WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFRL) – AFWERX Spark held five Crossflow events at strategically situated locations throughout the world in 2023, all focused on the development, collaboration and growth of Spark Cells in each region.Spark is an AFWERX division that fosters and encourages

  • New platform IGNITEs defense innovation

    WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (AFRL) – AFWERX has launched IGNITE, a platform where defense users can search for and easily interact with thousands of small businesses that have secured previous Department of the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer awards.

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.