December 17, 2024

Microsoft helping CO-WY Engine rev up ‘digital twins’ accelerator program

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FORT COLLINS — With $50,000 from its TechSpark initiative, Microsoft Corp (Nasdaq: MSFT), will help the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine launch its Digital Twins Accelerator program.

“Microsoft’s involvement will provide critical resources and bolster the accelerator’s capacity to support startup ventures that are poised to make a significant impact on the digital twins ecosystem,” CO-WY Engine administrator Emily Wilson said in a prepared statement. “The $50,000 investment from Microsoft will advance digital twin technology and contribute significantly to regional economic development.”

The goal of the Digital Twins Accelerator program “is to help early-stage startups that are incorporating digital twinning as a key part of their solutions to accelerate their commercial pathway and company growth,” the CO-WY Engine said in a November news release. 

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A “digital twin” is essentially a computer simulation of a physical object or system that can be used to test the effect of inputs on that object. For example, a digital twin could be created for a wind turbine to test its efficiency under various weather conditions. 

Microsoft’s TechSpark program works closely with local community organizations to develop digital skills, support nonprofits and create jobs,”  Microsoft TechSpark senior director Mike Egan said in a statement. “Working with organizations like the CO-WY Engine will help realize the potential of technology and foster greater economic opportunity in Colorado, Wyoming and beyond.”

The accelerator program will run from next March to August. Applications are open through Jan. 24, 2025. For more information, visit the accelerator’s website.

The CO-WY Engine was designated a Regional Innovation Engine this year by the National Science Foundation, making the collaborative effort eligible for as much as $160 million in federal funding over the next 10 years. 

The CO-WY Engine initiative, led by Fort Collins-based accelerator program Innosphere, with participation from Colorado State University and the University of Colorado, will “create technologies and tools needed to combat global climate changes, and develop a new climate economy, locally and nationally, through: 1) identifying climate challenges, including needs in measurement, standardization, and barriers to equitable technology adoption and implementation; 2) funding and providing strategic partnering for the selected technologies, developed via use-inspired and translational research; and 3) implementing new programs that align the regional workforce,” according to CO-WY Engine documents.

With $50,000 from its TechSpark initiative, Microsoft Corp (Nasdaq: MSFT), will help the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine launch its Digital Twins Accelerator program.

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Categories: Fort Collins Technology Today's News Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine Microsoft Microsoft Corp.
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