NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing climate resilient food technologies (HI, USAPI)

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

This Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on catalyzing an ecosystem for translational research that increases sustainable food production and economic expansion in Hawaii's aquaculture, fisheries, and agriculture sectors. This Development Award integrates Indigenous knowledge systems and scientific technologies to generate food products and services to respond to the challenges of food insecurity among underserved communities, an over-reliance on food imports, and the burgeoning effects of climate change. The team's partners represent the strongest possible contributors in the region to achieve the proposed work - a diverse group of innovators and entrepreneurs, academic institutions, businesses, governments, and investment organizations that provide a significant influence within the multibillion-dollar regional food industry and support activities that contribute to national and global economic impacts. This Development Award will enable a regional effort in food system innovations that promotes a robust culture of innovation, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Novel approaches to food production from agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture, including indigenously-managed land and aquatic resources, are supported to directly supply markets to address issues of equity and justice and provide working implementations of food system models for regional economic development and diversification. The region currently houses numerous talented, early-stage food system start-ups and research activities, which are anticipated to expand in the scope of innovation, the scale of activity, and the number of businesses through the Development Award. To fuel this expansion, building a workforce for resilient food systems is critical for sustained growth. The team will engage with a collective of 18 Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) that serve Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders to identify existing programs, fill current gaps in the education landscape, train a skilled labor force, and launch future waves of entrepreneurs for long-term growth in food production. The Development Award will enable the team to prepare for an NSF Engine by supporting a two-year process to assess, plan, and coordinate activities among partners that allows a comprehensive evaluation of resources, opportunities, and challenges to inform the goals, structure, and operations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.