Request for Information for U.S. National Science Foundation to establish NSF Tech Accelerators

The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) introduces the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative to enhance the process of transforming research outputs emanating from basic research into scalable, market-ready technologies that strengthen the U.S. economy and enhance American national security.

NSF Tech Accelerators are new or existing organizations comprising a range of stakeholders (e.g., researchers, innovators, founders and entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other investors, leading industry experts, government funders and beyond). They in turn invest in teams to advance their deep-technology ("deep-tech") ideas from the lab to the market. NSF Tech Accelerators focus on deep-tech areas currently under-invested at the pre-seed, seed and Series A stages and they demonstrate viability for these areas by, in part, "crowding in" investment from venture and other funders over time (note that a requirement of successful NSF Tech Accelerators will be significant cost-sharing on the part of the proposing teams especially in the later stages of technology development and commercialization). 

NSF TIP envisions the new partnerships necessary for each NSF Tech Accelerator to comprise: (i) strong technical domain expertise in a deep-tech area, facilitated by high-value collaborations with experts in that area; (ii) understanding of the existing investment landscape, commercially-viable research directions and barriers hindering technological advancement along with pathways to address these challenges; and (iii) operational capability and agility to support teams aiming to accelerate their ideas from the lab to the market, including by creating opportunities for new thinkers from science and business to take risks and approach problems differently. 

The novel organizational structures that can bring together a wide range of stakeholders in new partnerships, patiently invest in early-stage deep-tech teams and accomplish the lab-to-market outcomes described above are key foci for the NSF Tech Accelerator initiative. Consequently, this RFI seeks input from potential NSF Tech Accelerator applicants as well as the teams that would benefit from the NSF Tech Accelerators on the following topics:

1. The NSF Tech Accelerator program model – the needs in the deep-tech lab-to-market ecosystem not currently being met and how to overcome these with an eye toward impact and speed;
2. Organizational structures – the key stakeholders necessary to engage in this effort, along with the novel partnership modalities to foster that engagement; and
3. Suitable deep-tech areas – the key technologies where investment by NSF will be uniquely catalytic, complement existing efforts from deep-tech venture capital, other private sector and philanthropic investment and unlock matching commitments particularly for scaling. Note that NSF has identified four initial topics through prior stakeholder engagement, namely agricultural technology (AgTech), materials technology (MaterialsTech), ocean technology (OceanTech) and scientific instrumentation (SciTech) (refer to Appendix A for details) and seeks input on these topics and other areas ripe for this framework.

This RFI contemplates a competitive, multi-step Other Transaction (OT) contract formation process for the first set of NSF Tech Accelerators. NSF intends to select four organizations, one for each NSF Tech Accelerator topic. A prospective NSF Tech Accelerator organization must be a domestic entity and can only respond to one of the initial topics. Organizations interested in the NSF Tech Accelerator role are encouraged to fill out the RFI response form in its entirety. Organizations that do not submit a response to the RFI will not be eligible to be invited to submit a proposal.

Individuals and organizations interested in providing feedback on the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative are encouraged to respond to the Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the RFI response form.

To learn more about the NSF Tech Accelerators program model, initial topics, and role of an NSF Tech Accelerator, including qualifications, capabilities and expertise, refer to the RFI.

Informational Webinar for the NSF Tech Accelerators RFI

June 5, 2026 | 1 - 2:30 p.m. ET

Join the NSF Tech Accelerators for a webinar to learn about the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative and RFI. The webinar will include a 60-minute presentation covering the initiative’s program model, details about the RFI opportunity and essential submission information and deadlines and the role of an NSF Tech Accelerator. A 30-minute Q&A will follow the presentation.

Webinar registration: https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_jx8Kl1zFREyZOSMiNJ9DmQ#/registration