Our mission
Unmanned systems are reshaping nearly every part of modern life, from agriculture and public safety to infrastructure, logistics, energy, defense, and science. The technology is advancing faster than people can learn it, and the path into the field is expensive, fragmented, and invisible to most of the people who would be good at it.
The Unmanned Futures Institute exists to close that gap. We are an education nonprofit with the goal of expanding access to education on unmanned systems, supporting technologies, and STEM across all ages. We believe that anyone with the interest and aptitude should be able to access regardless of their ability to pay, from students to working adults changing careers.
We fund teaching, because a field this important should not be open only to those who can already afford the door.
Unmanned Futures Institute is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, EIN: 41-3641601. All contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
How We Teach
Discovery (K-12 Education). We introduce unmanned systems and technology outreach to young students through robotics, drones, coding, and autonomy concepts. Our long-term model places fully funded courses directly into schools. We provide the curriculum, the equipment, and the instruction at no cost; a school provides the classroom and the students.
Entry (Emerging Professionals). We train college students, recent graduates, career-changers, and transitioning service members in real, job-relevant skills. Offerings include FAA Part 107 certification, training on ground robotics, maritime systems, payload operations, and data analysis. All training is free to the learner.
Validation (Applied Learning). Our competitions turn study into practice. Learners form teams and solve real problems drawn from working sectors, such as precision agriculture, search and rescue, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring, under realistic conditions. Our goal is for participants to master STEM skills through active participation in these events.
Infrastructure (Hands-On Facilities). Education in this field needs space to fly, drive, and operate. We are working toward shared range and airspace where students and programs can train in real operating conditions, the long-term foundation for everything else we teach.
Leadership Team
UFI is led by a team with experience across technology, government, public safety, and education.
Jason Bowers
Executive Director;
Director, Strategy & Partnerships
24-year Marine Corps officer with an extensive background in unmanned systems testing, development, and program management across the defense industry and early-stage technology companies. Founded UFI out of a conviction that this field should be teachable, and open, to anyone willing to learn it.
Justin Anderson
Director,
Government & Public Safety Partnerships
20+ year law enforcement officer with experience across SWAT, K9, and tactical operations, certified drone operator and department instructor with firsthand perspective on unmanned systems deployment in public safety.
Kelly Bowers
Director,
Communications and Media Outreach
Background in healthcare with experience translating complex programs into clear, accessible learning for diverse audiences, the same skill UFI brings to teaching a technical field to newcomers.
Our Roadmap
Phase 1: Launch
Launch the first teaching programs as founding support is secured. Begin with professional certification and an applied-learning competition, and pilot a K-12 Discovery course.
Goal: first cohorts taught, first competition held, first school partnership established.
Phase 2: Expand
Expand offerings beyond the first certification. Grow Discovery into a repeatable in-school program. Add new competition tracks, including precision agriculture.
Goal: hundreds of learners reached across multiple pillars.
Phase 3: Establish
A national footprint across multiple domains and sectors. Establish or partner with industry for shared training facilities.
Goal: a self-sustaining, multi-pillar education institution.