The NSF Engines Development Award: FARTHER
In May 2023, The Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ was selected to lead one of the first-ever Regional Innovation Engine awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF). UM’s project, Forest and Rangeland Technology Hub for Economic Resilience (FARTHER), is designed to advance precision forestry and rangeland technologies in communities in Montana and Idaho.
As with the 43 other awardees selected across the country, UM received an initial $1 million over two years. These funds have supported and developed a team of partners that submitted a pre-proposal in August 2024 to the NSF to be considered to apply for a full award which could lead to as much as $160 million in additional regional economic investment over 10 years.
FARTHER, formerly PFRT, is an economic engine developing the restoration economy in forest and rangeland communities in Montana and Idaho. We drive innovations in response to natural disasters and risks from fire, flood/drought, and biodiversity loss.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Scott L. Whittenburg, Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship
Please reach out to Zia Maumenee, NSF Engines Project Director; zia.maumenee@umontana.edu; 406-243-6676 with questions.