This is a collaborative project across the following institutions: Columbus State Community College (CSCC) and Onondaga Community College (OCC). The two colleges share regional environments that have seen a revitalization of former industrial regions through new emerging industries, with specific synergy currently underway in high-volume advanced manufacturing and recent developments in the semiconductor industry. The growth of emerging industries in both regions will be a workforce catalyst, and CSCC and OCC aim to increase research and training opportunities to address industry needs and better serve their communities. CSCC and OCC share gaps in finding qualified and available faculty, in collaborating with other four- and two-year institutions, in the need to engage employer partners more deeply, and in a desire to increase capacity for resource development aligned to emerging technologies. The cohort goals will grow partnerships for the regional innovation ecosystem to create a more diverse workforce to meet the talent demand. The cohort will expand the research development capacity of each college and help other institutions with similar goals to pursue new opportunities and better engage in large-scale collaborations. Activities include creating an expanded partnership model for engaging industry, developing a benchmark partnership model for instructor sharing, creating in-residence models for industry instructor sharing, and increasing capacity to engage in grant initiatives for larger scale partnerships. The cohort will become a resource for grant development partnerships that focus on increasing underserved participation in emerging pathways. Equity-focused strategies will be incorporated throughout the design and guide how diverse populations are engaged. Through this project, the cohort will develop a blueprint for other institutions with similar challenges and needs to effectively engage with their regional innovation ecosystem to in emerging technology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.