Join us to learn how to advocate for these vital assets and integrate their unmatched capabilities into your local economic strategy to turn global science into local growth.

Colorado is home to one of the nation’s most concentrated research ecosystems, with 30+ federally funded labs—including NOAA, NIST, and NCAR—generating a $2.6 billion annual economic impact. While these institutions are the backbone of our state’s stability in aerospace, quantum, and clean energy, they face unprecedented challenges in an era of shifting federal priorities. The key to Colorado’s future lies in “Access to Assets”: ensuring that the intellectual property, specialized equipment, and world-class expertise housed in these labs reach every zip code, from the Front Range to the Western Slope.

In this session, CO-Labs reintroduces their mission to unify the state’s response through CO|Align. They will demonstrate how a coordinated, statewide framework is the primary engine for winning massive federal designations and streamlining how entrepreneurs and economic developers—from Grand Junction to our rural agricultural counties—can discover and leverage the power of these laboratories.

Guest Speaker:

Dan Powers, Executive Director, CO-LABS