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Attend Virtually

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET
July 27 – 28, 2022

Agenda Track Focus

35+ innovative solutions focused on societal impact

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Get your questions answered

JOIN US. IT’LL BE WORTH IT.

Welcome to the Convergence Accelerator Expo 2021. Hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator, this exciting virtual exhibition event is your chance to check out novel solutions across four convergence research topics addressing national-scale societal challenges.

During the event you will have the opportunity to connect with our funded research teams and see live solution demos, as well as network with other researchers, innovators, and business and technical practitioners from academia, industry, government, non-profit, and other communities of practice.

Expo 2021 Takeaways

ABOUT THE
CONVERGENCE ACCELERATOR

Research is often driven by a compelling societal or scientific challenge, but often developing solutions can take years. To deliver tangible solutions that have a nation-wide societal impact and at a faster pace, the NSF launched the Convergence Accelerator program, designed to leverage a convergence approach to transition basic research and discovery into practice. Using innovation processes like human-centered design, user discovery, and team science; and integration of multidisciplinary research and cross-cutting partnerships the Convergence Accelerator is making investments to solve high impact societal challenges through use-inspired convergence research.

Agenda

Expo 2021 highlights the NSF Convergence Accelerator’s portfolio in an exhibition format, like a big science fair. You choose which track topics and team booths you want to visit. Every 15 minutes teams will be demoing their solutions in their exhibition booth, but will be available to connect and answer your questions anytime during the event. Also, be sure to check out the Convergence Accelerator booth (001) to learn more about the program’s unique aspects, meet the team, and ask questions.

Download Full Agenda
Track A

Open Knowledge Networks

Knowledge networks correlate data to create new understandings. The Convergence Accelerator is funding the creation of nonproprietary infrastructure for building Open Knowledge Networks.

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Track B

Future of Work

AI, machine learning, and robotics are shifting the future of work. The Convergence Accelerator is funding solutions to train, reskill, upskill the current and future workforce with industry needs and jobs of the future, as well as build a talent pipeline to stimulate the U.S. workforce.

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Track C

Quantum Technology

Quantum technologies can improve the U.S. industrial base, create jobs, and provide significant progress toward economic and societal needs. The Convergence Accelerator is funding solutions for a diverse set of applications.

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Track D

AI-Driven Data Sharing & Modeling

AI research and development requires access to high-quality datasets and environments, and testing and training resources. The Convergence Accelerator is funding solutions to address data and model-related challenges and data types.

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Future of Manufacturing

EcoManufacturing Team

The EcoManufacturing team, funded by the NSF Directorate of Engineering, participated in the Convergence Accelerator’s innovation curriculum to speed their research toward major science advances sustainable manufacturing practices.

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FAQ
Add Settings
Expo 2021 is a pilot exhibition event to test the use of the vFairs platform. Closed caption support for the vFairs event platform and Whereby (where the live booth demos will be presented) are provided using Google Chrome’s captioning feature. Event attendees requiring caption support must login to the event through the Chrome web browser. To turn on live caption in Chrome, click here or follow the directions below. Additionally, we welcome any feedback about these event platforms to ensure the virtual event solution is ideal for all stakeholders.

Enabling Live Caption in Chrome

  1. On your computer, open the Chrome web browser
  2. At the top right, click on the three dots , then click on settings
  3. At the bottom of the Settings page, click Advanced
  4. Under “Accessibility,” turn on Live Caption.
Expo 2021 is free, but you’ll need to register to attend the event. Simply click on “Register” and fill out the registration form. You will then receive an email confirmation for the event. We will also provide information on how to log into the event platform.
Expo 2021 is open to the public, but we are encouraging researchers, innovators, and tech and business practitioners from academia, industry, government, non-profits, and other communities to attend. Convergence requires the merging of ideas, approaches, and technologies from diverse fields of knowledge to stimulate innovation and discovery. Although our funded teams are well on their way to speeding their solutions into practice, collaborating with Expo 2021 attendees will push their solutions forward even more.
Launched in 2019, the NSF Convergence Accelerator builds upon basic research and discovery to accelerate solutions toward societal impact. Using convergence research fundamentals and integration of innovation processes, the program brings together multiple disciplines, expertise, and cross-cutting partnerships to solve national-scale societal challenges.

Stop by our booth (001) to learn about us or visit our website.
The Convergence Accelerator program is comprised of two cohorts, 2019 and 2020, but we are preparing for the 2021 – 2023 cohorts. Expo 2021 attendees will see innovative solutions from 2019 and 2020 cohorts research track topics. To learn more about these cohorts, refer to the agenda or learn more about our portfolio.

The 2019 cohort teams are in phase two (solution implementation) focusing on Open Knowledge Networks (Track A) and Future of Work (Track B).

The 2020 cohort teams are in phase one (solution planning) focusing on Quantum Technology (Track C) and AI-Driven Data and Model Sharing (Track D).
vFairs requires a standard web browser and a stable internet connection. You do not need to download or install software to participate. You only need an internet connection.