Innosphere, Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance, and Headwaters Tech Hub Sign MOU to Build a Unified Mountain West Innovation & Test Facilities Network

Agreement links the NSF-funded ASCEND Engine in Colorado and Wyoming with the EDA-funded Headwaters Tech Hub in Montana, aligning work in advanced sensing, photonics, quantum technologies, autonomous systems, and environmental intelligence

Fort Collins, CO, Aug. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innosphere, on behalf of the National Science Foundation ASCEND Engine, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance (MPQA) and the Headwaters Tech Hub (HTH). The agreement lays the foundation for a larger Mountain West innovation and test facilities network, connecting two federally supported regional innovation initiatives and providing the three organizations a framework to pursue opportunities that no single organization could accomplish alone. 

The MOU brings together the NSF ASCEND Engine in Colorado and Wyoming, and the Headwaters Tech Hub, a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) operating across Montana. A consortium member of the Headwaters Tech Hub, MPQA, leads the Tech Hub’s Integrated Photonics Ecosystem component project. MPQA is a Montana-based hub for the state's optics, photonics, and quantum companies, entrepreneurs, laboratories, and universities. Together, MPQA and the Headwaters Tech Hub represent two closely aligned organizations within the same Montana ecosystem, now formally connected to Innosphere's NSF ASCEND Engine platform in Colorado and Wyoming.

“We’ve seen first-hand that collaboration, not competition, strengthens our innovation networks, brings technologies to market more rapidly and enhances U.S. competitiveness in critical industries,” said Mike Freeman, CEO of Innosphere. “This MOU is another step in formalizing the Mountain West region as a leader in critical technologies such as quantum sensing that can have a profound positive impact not only in the region, but also across the country.”

  The partnership aligns the three organizations around a shared set of technology priorities, including advanced sensing, photonics, quantum technologies, autonomous systems, environmental intelligence, resource management, and national security applications. The importance of these priorities for the region were detailed in the recently published report “Quantum Technologies in the Mountain West.”

"This partnership with Innosphere and the NSF ASCEND Engine expands the reach of the Headwaters Tech Hub and our work to grow a strong regional ecosystem in photonics technologies and their cross-sector applications. Increasing coordination and collaboration on our testbeds, workforce strategies, capital access and other initiatives will accelerate innovation across the Mountain West.”
— Tim VanReken, Executive Director and Regional Innovation Officer, Headwaters Tech Hub

Under the agreement, the organizations intend to explore collaboration across a range of activities, including:

• Cross-referral of startups and technology companies between the two regions, including potential referral of Montana startups into NSF ASCEND Engine accelerator opportunities such as ARID (Asset Resilience through Intelligent Digital Twins) and SHIELD (Soil Health Innovation, Evaluation, and Demonstration), and reciprocal referral of Colorado and Wyoming companies into Montana programs and project opportunities

• Shared support across accelerator programs and innovation networks

• Joint promotion of the NSF ASCEND Engine and Headwaters Tech Hub testbeds for technology evaluation and demonstration

• Coordination of competitive funding programs, workforce development, industry and investor engagement, and regional innovation policy

"We are thrilled to be part of this broader Mountain West network. This partnership marks a pivotal step in strengthening our innovation ecosystem. By aligning with Innosphere, we are creating robust commercialization pathways for emerging technologies and significantly accelerating our ability to translate regional photonics and quantum research into real-world, scalable solutions through initiatives such as the ASCEND Engine accelerator and MPQA's PhotonIQ commercialization platform."
— Jason Yager, Executive Director, Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance

These innovation ecosystems are joining forces to accelerate the commercialization of technologies that help communities better manage wildfire, water, agriculture, natural resources, infrastructure, and national security challenges across the Mountain West. 

About Innosphere and the NSF ASCEND Engine

Innosphere is a Colorado-based nonprofit innovation ecosystem organization and venture fund operating across the Colorado Front Range. Innosphere serves as the lead organization for the NSF ASCEND Engine, a Regional Innovation Engine funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operating across Colorado and Wyoming, focused on advanced sensing and computation for environmental decision-making.

About the Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance (MPQA)

The Montana Photonics Industry Alliance, d.b.a. the Montana Photonics and Quantum Alliance, is a Montana-based nonprofit organization headquartered in Bozeman that serves as a hub for Montana's optics, photonics, and quantum companies, entrepreneurs, laboratories, and universities. MPQA supports commercialization, workforce development, and ecosystem growth for globally competitive photonics and quantum organizations in Montana.

About the Headwaters Tech Hub

The Headwaters Regional Technology and Innovation Hub, d.b.a. the Headwaters Tech Hub, is a Montana-based nonprofit organization and a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub formally designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. Accelerate Montana currently acts as its fiscal sponsor. Anchored in smart optical sensing systems and their applications in key sectors for Montana, the Headwaters Tech Hub represents a multi-partner consortium working to drive innovation, spur entrepreneurship, and ensure equitable access to high-quality jobs across the region. 

Kristen Tatti
Innosphere
970-295-4481
Kristen@innosphere.org