Kentucky, Tennessee GAME Change secures commitments from key regional partners

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2024) — Key businesses and organizations in Kentucky and Tennessee are showing their commitment to the University of Kentucky-led effort to create economic, societal and technological growth in the region through the creation of an innovation hub for the circular economy.

The work is part of the Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change (GAME Change) project, which received one of the first-ever U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, Development Awards in 2023.

The NSF Engines program was established to advance transdisciplinary, collaborative, use-inspired and translational research and technology development in critical and emerging technology focus areas for national security and global competitiveness.  

NSF announced that 71 teams across the country, including the UK-led GAME Change, are advancing to the next stage of the NSF Engines proposal competition. If selected, each NSF Engine can receive up to $160 million to support research and development aimed at creating solutions with significant economic and societal impacts.

As part of GAME Change’s current $1 million development award, the team has built a coalition of research, education, economic development, industrial and manufacturing partners across Kentucky and Tennessee in the Southeastern Commerce Corridor (SCC). This team is working toward developing circular economy-enabling technologies for sustainable advanced manufacturing and supply chain resilience.

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products.

“We have seen enormous interest from across the Kentucky and Tennessee region spurring rapid growth in our momentum,” said Ian McClure, associate vice president for research, innovation and economic impact at UK. He serves as principal investigator and executive director for GAME Change. “We just hosted our third GAME Change Summit with a record crowd, where we unveiled design plans and first renderings of facilities we plan to activate in the region for GAME Change manufacturing and community partners. This momentum has led to new commitments from partners that are working with us to establish this innovation ecosystem.”

As part of its goal, GAME Change is investing in technology scaling infrastructure — GAME Change Technology & Talent Scale Centers (TTSCs) — filling a critical gap in the region’s ability to advance new innovations in advanced manufacturing and industrial sustainability.

Space has been identified and dedicated in Lexington and Louisville to host TTSCs, with two more underway in Knoxville and Nashville. A video with initial design renderings unveiled at the Summit is available on GAME Change’s website.

“The TTSCs are the catalyst for enabling a circular economy in our region, providing dedicated space for startups, researchers, communities and corporations to scale up critical new technologies and train the future workforce in new fields that will result from circular economy economic growth,” said Landon Borders, senior associate director for economic development and industry partnerships, UK Innovate and deputy director of GAME Change.

The models for the TTSCs (shown in the video above) include high-bay test-bed facilities that will house state-of-the-art flex space for use-inspired technology scaling and demonstration projects, workforce training, startup incubation activities through the GAME Change Venture Studio and event space for technology showcasing and networking with the circular economy community.

Lexington’s proposed space is on the campus of GAME Change partner Lexmark International. A global technology leader founded and headquartered in Lexington, Lexmark focuses on innovation in printing and IoT solutions, software and environmental sustainability.

“Since our founding, Lexmark has supported technology growth, workforce development and innovation in Kentucky and around the world,” said Billy Spears, Lexmark's senior vice president overseeing sustainability and product delivery. “We’re excited about the potential of hosting the Lexington GAME Change Technology & Talent Scale Center on our campus. The hub’s location would be a testament to efficient reuse, occupying a 60,000-square-foot space that previously housed an actual manufacturing line. The TTSC will be key to accelerating our region’s transition to a circular economy and inspiring the next wave of sustainable manufacturing solutions.”

GAME Change will soon announce founding alliance members that include commitments from some of the largest manufacturers and supply chain companies in the region.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the U.S.National Science Foundation under Award Number 2302947. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.