NSF Advancing M-SPIRE
Partnerships advancing plastics circularity
Join us in our mission to advance sustainable plastics in our regional innovation ecosystem! We assembled an incredible foundation in the proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation for a Midwest Sustainable Plastics Innovation Regional Engine (M-SPIRE). After reaching one of sixteen finalists during the inaugural competition in 2023, our group was awarded an NSF Engines Development Award ($1 M / 2 years) to continue strengthening the ecosystem and lay the groundwork for a successful submission during the upcoming NSF Engine Opportunity.
Development Phase
Programmatic Goals
01 Engine Ecosystem
Maintain and establish partnerships with companies that represent the entire plastics ecosystem, organizations that support workforce development, firms that support entrepreneurs and their startups, and non-profits to amplify their work.
02 Workforce Development
Define the workforce supporting sustainable plastics and forecast needs. Support agreements across education institutions and support recruitment and training for a diverse workforce pipeline.
03 Translation of Innovation
Support connectivity between entrepreneurial and startup community with strategic partners and investors to enable growth and scale. Publish a landscape and market analysis. Map partnerships across the ecosystem.