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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

  • Hanscom supports innovative NSIN program

    Digital Directorate and 66th Air Base Group personnel here are partnering with the National Security Innovation Network to support the first Hacking for Defense, or H4D, course at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

  • Operations Airmen “Accelerate Change” in ACC

    In an effort to “Accelerate Change” within Air Combat Command, Airmen from the Operations Division, Command and Control shop have effectively used automation to cut the time required to complete manning forecasts and deployment processes to seven minutes.

  • DAF seeks to modernize energy infrastructure through energy campaigns

    To address these challenges, the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability, or AFWIC, [now AF Futures] Disruptive Technology Team, in partnership with AFWERX, launched the Reimagining Energy for the DoD Challenge Sept. 2, 2020. The Energy Challenge, an open crowdsourcing initiative, sought

  • Registration now open for virtual AETC Tech Tuesday April 6

    AETC leadership will host AETC Tech Tuesday, April 6 between 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. central time. This Tech Tuesday will focus on database and information sharing. Airmen interested in attending the virtual event can find out more by emailing aetc.A9A.workflow.2@us.af.mil.The event is a coordinated

  • Proven accelerator program welcomes second cohort

    With a tested model in place, organizers of The U.S. Air Force Lab with MassChallenge program, a two-year pilot project designed to increase non-traditional participation in Small Business Innovative Research program opportunities, announced its second cohort March 30.Atomic-6, BoatBox Technologies,

  • Process underway to modernize power production CDCs

    The Air Force stays ahead by always seeking to improve, upgrade or innovate the way we do things. Stagnation is the killer of excellence and members from the 366th Training Squadron’s electrical power production apprentice course are working on a new innovation to modernize training.

  • 60th Maintenance Group takes page from Delta Air Lines

    Airmen collaborated with the Air Staff Logistics Directorate’s Tesseract team and key partners from the C-5 program office to implement commercial maintenance practices in scheduling and completing maintenance around flying demands.

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

How to Create a Culture of Innovation 

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
Capt. John Kornahrens

Deputy Chief Innovation Officer
Mike Martinez

SEL/Lead Engineer
Master Sgt. Matthew Sabo

Innovation Officer
1st Lt. Carolyn Spotts

NCOIC
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Signoretti

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.