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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!

102 PAINSTORMING SESSION
Combining the best of Stanford University’s D-School, the Think Wrong system, and US Military doctrine, this session will lead a small group through topic selection, context mapping, problem identification, and operational approach planning in a classroom environment in order to empower mission space owners to innovate from within. Attendees should expect to propose topics to tackle and to actively work through a process to tackle it. Leaders should expect to get back “solutioneers” able to lead painstorming sessions at the unit level, both formally and informally, to drive innovation to the point of mission accomplishment. Sign up now!

HACKING FOR DEFENSE
We want to solve your toughest challenges during the fall 2021 semester of Hacking for Defense (H4D). This program is sponsored by the DoD's National Security Innovation Network. We will match your problem with the university best suited to work for you. Graduate student teams will spend 500 hours leveraging innovative techniques from the private sector to solve your complex and critical problems at no cost to you. Past solutions have addressed challenges ranging from a soldier family readiness app, to an F/A-18E Super Hornet (jet fighter) predictive maintenance model, and even a software/hardware test bed for nuclear detection systems. The deadline for challenge submissions is June 4, 2021.  Apply here: www.h4d.us/submit-a-problem  Background: www.h4d.us/

Air Force Innovation ARticles

  • PRIME Students Sacrifice Summer to Study STEM

    The 412th Test Wing’s STEM program has wrapped up another successful year of its PRIME outreach program. PRIME, short for Promoting Relevance and Interest in Mathematical Experiences, is a four-week summer math class specially designed to empower incoming freshmen by strengthening their math skills

  • ACC opens new Better Research Better Results Data Lab

    The Air Combat Command Directorate of Intelligence opened a new data lab, called the Better Research Better Results or BRBR Shop, July 20, 2023. The renovated building pays tribute to the previously housed barber shop, which now aims to enhance collaboration efforts both virtually and in-person with

  • AFMC Spark Tank open through Aug. 27

    Air Force Materiel Command uniformed and civilian Airmen and Guardians are invited to submit their game-changing ideas now to compete in the AFMC Spark Tank: Integrated Capabilities Challenge, with the submission window open through Aug. 27.

  • AFREP pushes for self-sufficient base

    The 366th Fighter Wing’s Air Force Repair Enhancement Program utilizes innovative solutions for difficult repairs or items that are marked for disposal.The Gunfighter AFREP intends to help MHAFB be self-sufficient and maintain mission readiness at all times. The program works with base entities and

  • Mission success for experiments in Mobility Guardian 23

    Mobility Guardian 23 is giving U.S. and coalition forces an opportunity to experiment in the theater that matters. “Experimenting in the Pacific is important because we’ve spent the last 20 plus years focused elsewhere in the world,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Novotney, MG23 Exercise Control Group

  • 377th MDG Mobile Expeditionary Readiness Clinic

    Since 2019, the 377th Medical Group has been using a Mobile Expeditionary Readiness Clinic (MERC) to provide medical readiness services off-location to Airmen at Kirtland Air Force Base.

  • Automated scheduling could alleviate a huge burden for Airmen, Guardians

    JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Master Sgt. Michael Olsen, maintenance training manager for the 325th Maintenance Group, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, created a mission readiness training scheduler to eliminate manual input required to schedule formal training courses. The hybrid

  • PACAF hosts first-ever Engineer Theater Posture Summit

    Stakeholders from over 45 organizations and across multiple services traveled to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, May 16-18, 2023, to participate in the first ever Pacific Air Forces Engineer Theater Posture Summit.

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 class!

Sign Up here 

CONTACT US

Chief Innovation Officer
Maj. David Z. Tolbert

Deputy Innovation Officer
1st Lt. Meghan Brunnemer

NCOIC
TSgt. Corey Mason

Chief Maker
TSgt. Brandon Barnes

Contact Us
Email: Elev8scott@gmail.com 
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?

Send us an email with the information below, and we'll take a look at your idea!"

  • Name 
  • Rank 
  • Mil email 
  • Phone number 
  • What is your idea?