ACE Manufacturing Innovation, Regional Innovation Cluster and TAP FAQs

updated August 22, 2011

What is the ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park?

The ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park will be a multi-tenant development that can house up to 70 clean energy and aerospace companies.  Through a public/private partnership including federal, state and local entities, business tenants will have access to NASA, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and other partner technologies and expertise, as well as CAMT resources such as consulting and technical assistance.

The initial project will include shared services including testing, labs and other services needed to accelerate the process of developing and delivering new technologies to market. The unique collaborative focus of the campus will connect businesses with many of the shared services, education programs and resources necessary to reduce the time between development and production of clean energy and aerospace technologies.

A NASA Technical Advisor will be stationed on the campus to help companies apply NASA technology to commercial products and to help link companies with NASA resources. By collaborating and sharing ideas and technology, the Space Act Agreement and TAP will help Colorado companies launch new products, use new technology, and succeed in the global marketplace.

The ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park is a part of the ACE Regional Innovation Cluster, an economic development initiative of CAMT and many partners across Colorado.

What is the ACE Regional Innovation Cluster?

Regional innovation clusters are geographic concentrations of interconnected innovation suppliers, businesses, service providers and coordinating organizations such as government, and associated research and academic institutions. The ACE Regional Innovation Cluster is a strategic state and region-wide approach to promote innovation and global competitiveness, leverage federal funds and attract private capital investment in Colorado.

The ACE Regional Innovation Cluster is supported by a network of organizations including, but not limited to CAMT, NASA, National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Governor’s Office, Metro Denver Economic Development Council, the Colorado Space Coalition, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Colorado Renewable Energy Economic Development organization.

This initiative contains many components designed to promote economic growth, productivity, wages and jobs, including, but not limited to, the CAMT Technology Acceleration Program (TAP).

Who are the partners of the Regional Innovation Cluster?

Colorado is home to a variety of agencies and programs that support businesses and economic development growth at different stages. Organizations such as the NREL’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center and eSpace assist early stage innovation and entrepreneurship. Universities, such as CU, CSU and the Colorado School of Mines, will assist in prototype development and early commercialization efforts. Economic development agencies across the state provide existing businesses with support to keep businesses and jobs in Colorado, and our workforce centers and community colleges ensure our workforce attains essential skills to help our businesses and economy grow and succeed. We also have many industry groups dedicated to meeting industry needs for excellence and growth.

What are the benefits of the ACE Regional Innovation Cluster for Colorado?

Through the ACE Regional Innovation Cluster, CAMT is connecting private and public enterprises, government entities and universities to focus on rapid commercialization of aerospace and clean energy technology. CAMT projects that 10,000 jobs will be created across the state as a result of the ACE Regional Innovation Cluster, which is also anticipated to create a $8 billion economic output over the next five years.

What is the Technology Acceleration Program (TAP)?

TAP was initially developed by CAMT to provide technical assistance, shared services, commercial space, rapid deployment manufacturing space and consulting to Colorado companies focused on clean energy and aerospace. Through its collaborative approach to commercialization, TAP aims to increase companies’ capacity to innovate and manufacture technology by significantly reducing the time between product development and production (from an average of five years to 18 months). Key to TAP is the NASA Space Act Agreement.

Programs available or under development include:

  • Workshops such as Rapid Cycle Product Introduction and Technology Driven Market Intelligence
  • Industry Programs Office
  • Supplier Asset Map and Supplier Development
  • Supplier Scouting
  • Technology Matching

What is the NASA Space Act Agreement?

The Space Act Agreement is a public-private partnership between NASA and the Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology (CAMT) designed to strengthen Colorado’s clean energy and aerospace manufacturing industries. The agreement was signed in December 2010 and signified the creation of CAMT’s Technology Acceleration Program (TAP). TAP aims to shorten the time between development and production of new clean energy and aerospace technologies by helping Colorado companies leverage existing resources, share services and technology, engage business leaders, and strengthen Colorado’s clean energy and aerospace workforce.

What programs are included in this initiative? What is NASA providing? What is CAMT providing?

NASA Contribution:

  • Identify Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Research Program and other companies that can benefit from CAMT assistance.
  • Facilitate an "InnoTech" Forum once a year to generate ideas for technologies available and technologies needed by this regional Aerospace and Energy Cluster.
  • Offer "TechFusion" Forums to interested large businesses in Colorado to facilitate commercial development of NASA-funded SBIR/STTR technologies.
  • Provide access to NASA technologies that are available for licensing through web access, RSS feeds, and by offering CAMT partners subscriptions to NASA TechBriefs for the duration of the pilot initiative.
  • Provide CAMT with a NASA Regional Innovation Ambassador,  to assure direct links to NASA and its available resources.
  • Provide CAMT with NASA's Technology Roadmaps in Year 2 or when they are complete to assist companies in identifying emerging opportunities generated by NASA's need for core technologies.

Among other things, CAMT will:

  • Provide technical assistance to SBIR/STTR companies to identify gaps in commercialization, e.g., manufacturability and distribution· Identify opportunities for collaboration among aerospace and energy technology companies and existing manufacturers to reduce the need for increased capital and accelerate time to market.
  • Identify and aggregate the needs of the aerospace and energy cluster to prioritize technology required to advance industry, advance the NASA mission, promote sustainable manufacturing, and reduce the carbon footprints, as appropriate.
  • Provide research on global markets to encourage aerospace and energy companies to explore partnership and export opportunities.
  • Develop a map of current assets (suppliers and other key resources) and communicate opportunities to promote aerospace and energy-related suppliers and supplier services within the state.
  • Provide scouting services to companies looking for technologies or innovations.
  • Assist NASA in helping companies bridge the "valley of death" to successfully enter the commercial marketplace.
  • Convene stakeholders in common collaboration space to accelerate commercialization.
  • Provide a comprehensive network of consultants, contract engineering, testing, certification companies to aid in the technical and business details of commercialization and manufacturing scale-up.

What type of companies can participate in TAP?

Any company interested in advanced product development, supply chain development and innovation management can participate. The program is initially focused on enrolling growing aerospace and clean energy companies.

What are the benefits of TAP for Colorado businesses?

TAP links Colorado aerospace and clean energy companies with the resources necessary to reduce the time between technology development and production. By providing technical assistance and connecting companies with commercial space, manufacturing resources, shared testing and validation, education and consulting, TAP aims to reduce the time to bring a new technology into the market from an average of five years to 18 months. TAP will help Colorado launch new products and provide a collaborative space for up to 100 Colorado companies to thrive and expand.

What are the projected economic benefits of TAP?

We expect TAP, along with other activities in ACE Regional Innovation Cluster and the ACE Park, to create approximately 10,000 jobs, $8B in five years, plus multiplier or spillover effects in other industries.

Why is the ACE Regional Innovation Cluster focused on aerospace and clean energy?

There exists economic development and job growth opportunity by pairing the established industry of aerospace with the growing industry of clean energy. Both industries continue to grow and change and have the potential to thrive and create thousands of jobs in the coming decades. The pairing of these industries is rooted in their similar manufacturing base, materials, supply chain and resources, which make them a natural fit for collaboration. Many of the technologies that have been employed by the aerospace industry for years are applicable to developing clean energy. Colorado has a strong aerospace and clean energy technology research industry and is now looking to build commercialization of both industries.

What kind of companies will be located at the Park?

We are currently recruiting tenants who have prototypes, or are at the prototype stage, and wish to accelerate getting their new products to market.  The ACE Park addresses scaling up for manufacturing and the commercialization of new technologies for global markets. Tenants can be companies looking to locate operations in the region or companies expanding and looking to locate new product development and commercialization activities at the Park.

Is the Park a business incubator?

No. The ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park is fundamentally different from an incubator. An incubator seeks people with ideas and then provides seed funding and basic consulting. The acceptable output of an incubator is proof-of-concept. These organizations traditionally have high turnover rate, and commercial products may reach the market in five years. The ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park will focus on more established companies and solutions. These companies should have working prototypes or be building them, and be willing to make the investment in resources to leverage the park’s tools and framework to move a product to market within 18 months.

What are the key benefits to Park tenants?

  • Collaboration and networking with like-minded growth companies in aerospace and clean energy industries
  • Campus access to shared services and much needed equipment
  • Attractive utility rates
  • Access to NASA Technical Advisor and other on-site resources
  • Direct interaction with CAMT and its programs

Are companies outside of the Park able to participate in the TAP Programs and Shared Services?

Yes, the TAP programs are available to manufacturers across the state and the region. CAMT will develop a business plan that accommodates shared services for companies not located at the Park.

How can I get involved in the ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park?

If you are a business owner or manager interested in becoming a tenant of the ACE Manufacturing and Innovation Park, please contact Cynthia Christie via emailor 970.222.9134

If you are a business owner, manager, contractor or other service provider who would like to discuss your products or services with ACE tenants or CAMT, please submit your information to the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation at dmckinney@ncedc.com.

If you are a person seeking a job please submit your contact information and resume to the Larimer County Workforce Center here.

Colorado manufacturing companies may also register online at the CAMT.COM Portal, to receive updates and postings from CAMT. Go to CAMT.com for more information.

For other inquiries, please contact info@camt.com.