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5. SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTATION, PROTOTYPING, AND APPLIED R&D INDUSTRIES NOT TARGETED <br />Rationale: Small-batch, high-value instrumentation firms thrive in <br />university-adjacent environments, where prototyping, rapid iteration, and <br />faculty/student collaborations are possible. <br />Regional Fit: CWU's facultyJed applied research programs and student <br />talent pool can support prototyping, testing, and small-run manufacturing. <br />On-Ramp/Launch Pad Role: Old Heat becomes the prototype funnel, <br />helping firms move from design and testing toward scalable production at <br />Bowers Field. <br />Future Opportunity: lnstrumentation firms may anchor collaborations <br />across sectors, serving as technology suppliers to agtech, aerospace, and <br />clean{ech enterprises. <br />ENABLING INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE: THE ACTI PROGRAM <br />A crucial complement to Old Heat's tenant strategy is CWU's proposed Advanced <br />Competitive Technology lnstitute (ACTI). lf funded, ACTI would provide:. Monthly training in advanced technologies (Al, robotics, 3D printing, <br />simulation). <br />TechLift Specialists to deliver on-site technology adoption support to small <br />and mid-sized businesses. <br />A talent pipeline that bridges CWU students, local firms, and regional <br />industries. <br />This advances the larger goal of leveraging Old Heat as an instrument to create <br />accelerative industries through collaboration with the county and CWU to help <br />local businesses integrate advanced technology into their current business <br />models. This increases their competitiveness and transitions the nature of their <br />local economic ecosystem impact towards accelerative rather than retentive or <br />additive models. <br />To preserve Old Heat's mission, the following are explicitly not targeted:. Low-wage service or retail enterprises without multiplier effects. <br />Externally owned firms with minimal local reinvestment. <br />Firms with low technological intensity or innovation potential <br />This ensures Old Heat functions as a strategic inflection point, shifting <br />Kittitas County's economy toward accelerative industries while lifting <br />existing firms onto higher-value pathways, <br />42 | Old Heat CERB Feasibility Study