The American Southwest region of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona is highly vulnerable to climate change due to extreme aridity and heat coupled with rapid population growth. However, the Southwest also has significant potential to unleash the power of STEM discovery and translation to lead the transition to a green economy.

The overarching goal of the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine (SWSIE) is to connect and institutionalize a regional sustainability innovation ecosystem - researchers, innovators, investors, decision-makers, and community and industry leaders - who have common goals for a thriving, net zero economy at low water cost. To achieve this goal, SWSIE will:

1. Catalyze co-innovations in technology and governance to overcome limitations to community and economic development and facilitate just and equitable water and energy futures;

2. Expand infrastructure and capacity for inclusive knowledge translation through startups and IP licensing, enabling continued and sustainable economic and population growth, and

3. Prepare a diverse, STEM-enabled sustainability innovation workforce that creates new businesses, meets the needs of existing employers, and provides inclusive access to high wage STEM jobs by leveraging innovations in education and training at scale.