FAQ

Questions

1. What is the mission of the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative?

   The mission of the NSF Tech Accelerators is to accelerate the transformation of research outputs emanating from basic research into scalable, market-ready technologies that strengthen the U.S. economy and security.

2. What is the vision of the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative?

   The vision of the NSF Tech Accelerators is to be the driving force for innovations by removing commercialization barriers, accelerating breakthroughs and delivering technologies that address market needs.

3. What are the goals of the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative?

   The initiative seeks to speed the path from discovery through deployment to advance key technologies by:

   1. Designing, building and scaling novel technologies for the market.
   2. Catalyzing partnerships across sectors, bringing together expertise and resources to advance market-driven technologies.
   3. Increasing industry engagement earlier to generate "market demand/pull."
   4. Eliminating ecosystem gaps and barriers preventing technologies from advancing to the point of market adoption and uptake.

4. Why are NSF Tech Accelerators important?

   The NSF Tech Accelerators initiative is responsive to Sec. 10389 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, delivering a new innovation model that unites government, industry, academia and others to fill critical gaps in the U.S. innovation enterprise. Traditional research often experiences challenges traversing from lab-to-market leaving promising ideas and technologies too risky for private capital investments or otherwise stranded before entering the market. NSF Tech Accelerators provide a flexible technology-first framework that funds promising technologies with the goal of unleashing new technological advancements and creating new markets for them. NSF Tech Accelerators will remove commercialization barriers, address ecosystem gaps and de-risk deep-tech innovations to the point of market uptake and ultimate impact.

   Each NSF Tech Accelerator will serve as a central connector linking researchers, entrepreneurs and private industry, focused on a specific key technology topic. This includes securing significant amounts of industry cost-share, engaging investors who can identify gaps in the technology ecosystem and identifying potential end-users. This initiative aligns with the Administration's mandate to revitalize and strengthen America’s science and technology ecosystem by exploring innovative models for funding and sharing high-value scientific research infrastructure and results.

5. Why is each NSF Tech Accelerator focused on a specific deep technology area?

   NSF is investing in deep technology (“deep-tech”) topics critical to national security and economic growth that are underinvested in the pre-seed, seed and Series A stages and demonstrates viability for these areas by, in part, “crowding in” investment from venture and other funders over time. Specific topics are determined based on the current technology landscape, including market need and saturation, projected technological growth, current industry investment and NSF Directorate Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP), NSF and administration priorities. Reducing barriers to adoption for early-stage innovations will catalyze further venture capital and private sector investment, creating economic opportunities for innovators and end-users alike. Each NSF Tech Accelerator will focus on the removal of commercialization barriers, address ecosystem gaps and foster collaboration—ensuring breakthrough technologies move swiftly to the marketplace and reach Americans faster.

6. What are the initial deep technology topics that are supported by the NSF Tech Accelerators?

   In its inaugural year, NSF is launching NSF Tech Accelerators focused on deep technology areas. Specific topics are determined based on the current technology landscape, including market need and saturation, projected technological growth, current industry investment and TIP, NSF and administration priorities. Reducing barriers to adoption for early-stage innovations will catalyze further venture capital and private sector investment, creating economic opportunities for innovators and end-users alike.

   As a first step to establishing the initiative, NSF has published a request for information (RFI) on SAM.gov to initiate the identification of prospective organizations to lead NSF Tech Accelerators aligned to the four initial topics—agricultural technology (AgTech), materials technology (MaterialsTech), ocean technology (OceanTech) and scientific instrumentation (SciTech)—and collect input from the community on the suitability of other topics ripe for the NSF Tech Accelerators framework.

   Visit the Technology Portfolio to learn about the current NSF Tech Accelerators.

7. What funding opportunities are offered from the NSF Tech Accelerators?

   As of May 2026, NSF TIP is seeking request for information (RFI) responses from prospective organizations to lead and operate the first set of NSF Tech Accelerators aligned to the four initial topics—agricultural technology (AgTech), materials technology (MaterialsTech), ocean technology (OceanTech) and scientific instrumentation (SciTech)—and to collect input from the community on the suitability of other topics ripe for the NSF Tech Accelerators framework.

   NSF will publicly announce selected NSF Tech Accelerators, who will then seek research and technology proposals from teams to accelerate their ideas from the lab to market. Learn more about the initiative's program model by visiting the NSF Tech Accelerator Program Model.

8. How do I stay up to date on the NSF Tech Accelerators?

   To receive the latest program updates, subscribe to the NSF Tech Accelerators email list.