Ongoing areas of cooperation as well as future areas of potential cooperation could include:
- Implementing pathways for sustained growth of regional innovation ecosystems.
- Training and educating diverse technicians, researchers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs based on regional workforce needs.
- Forming trusted partnership networks across industry, academia, government, nonprofits, civil society, and communities of practice to foster scientific innovation and the exchange of proposals or personnel.
Still, each agency has its own focus. The NSF Engines program harnesses the nation's science and technology research and development (R&D) enterprise and regional-level resources. NSF Engines aspire to catalyze robust partnerships to positively impact the economy within a geographic region, address societal challenges, advance national competitiveness, and create local, high-wage jobs.
Tech Hubs program investments leverage existing R&D and technology deployment capacities but do not directly fund R&D. The program is intended to advance the capacities of places to manufacture, commercialize and deploy these technologies.