About Us
The Rural Innovation Alliance connects a wide range of partners throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. With funding from National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Development Award #2304299 and in collaboration with domain-specific experts that recognize the many factors impacting residents in this region, the Alliance works to support discovery, innovation, and development of the entrepreneurial solutions necessary to sustainably and equitable transform the regional economy.
In addition to Alliance partners, the initiative brings together community leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, and others committed to the Delta region’s future success together to form councils that focus on specific issues.
Health Council
The Health Council builds upon existing efforts to address healthcare access challenges facing rural communities. Digital health innovations deployed during the pandemic serve as a gateway to improve healthcare access and chronic disease management.
Food Council
The Food Council explores strategies for alternative food sourcing, access, and delivery throughout the region. It leverages members’ regional knowledge and community relationships to explore innovative use-inspired research and development, translation strategies of innovations into practice, and investment into education initiatives necessary for workforce development.
Economic Council
The Economic Council identifies barriers and opportunities to realize a thriving innovative ecosystem at a regional scale. This includes strategies to promote trust, engage diverse perspectives, and share knowledge. This council also identifies limitations in the region’s skilled workforce pipeline and explores alternative educational strategies needed to support the innovation ecosystem.
Leading Alliance partners include:
- Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI)
- Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP)
- Delta Health Alliance
- Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE)
- Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)
- Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center (SUAG)
About NSF Engines
The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program, or NSF Engines, catalyzes and fosters innovation ecosystems across the United States to:
- Boost innovation capacity.
- Create sustainable ecosystems.
- Demonstrate inclusive economic growth.
Participating organizations support the development of diverse regional coalitions of researchers, institutions, companies, and civil society to lead research and development that engages people in the process of creating solutions with economic and societal impacts. Through the process, coalitions will also train and develop the local workforce and grow regional innovation ecosystems.