June 26, 2026
The Interagency Advanced Power Group (IAPG) Energy Collection and Conversion Working Group (ECCWG) Marine Energy Panel, in partnership with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), invite you to join a virtual “engagement session” dedicated to the NSF Tech Accelerator initiative.
This event will take place on Friday, June 26, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Eastern) where participants will explore the NSF’s Tech Accelerators and discuss how this program is advancing innovative, market-ready technologies in marine energy and related fields. The meeting will be hosted virtually on MS Teams.
Meeting Goals
The IAPG emphasizes program coordination and dissemination of technical information to increase the effectiveness of government programs, avoid duplication, identify technology gaps, and maximize success in research efforts.
The NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) announced the launch of NSF Tech Accelerators. The initiative transforms research outputs emanating from basic research into scalable, market-ready technologies that strengthen the U.S. economy and national security. For additional information, please visit NSF Tech Accelerators RFI Webinar Recording.
Goals of the interagency discussion include:
- Introduce the NSF Tech Accelerators program
- Explain the purpose of the accelerators—to focus on under‑invested deep‑tech areas, remove commercialization barriers, strengthen ecosystems, and attract outside investment.
- Share that NSF has released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input on the program model, structure, and priority tech areas (AgTech, MaterialsTech, OceanTech, and SciTech), as well as suggestions for additional areas.
- Invite organizations such as accelerators, incubators, venture capital groups, and other private-sector partners to consider applying to lead one of the four accelerators and to respond to the RFI.
- Clarify eligibility and process, noting that:
- Organizations must be U.S.-based and can apply to only one topic.
- Only organizations responding to the RFI will be eligible to submit proposals.
- Encourage broader community feedback through selected sections of the RFI.
Meeting Attendees – Please Review Carefully
Attendance is limited to U.S. citizens from the following groups:
- U.S. government employees, including Intergovernmental Personnel Act employees.
- Employees of Federally Funded R&D Centers (FFRDC). This only includes employees of the FFRDC, not the administering entity. View the master list of FFRDCs.
- Captive government contractors – those currently holding grants or contracts with a U.S. government agency. This includes contractors employed at DoD STRLs.
Meeting Registration
Pre-registration is required.
Registration coming soon.
The deadline for registration is June 22, 2026.
Overall Agenda
While the agenda is preliminary and subject to change, we have planned the following overall agenda:
- Welcome and Introductions
- Overview of the New NSF Tech Accelerator Opportunity
- High‑level summary of the program and the Request for Information (RFI)
- Planned Ocean Technology Accelerator
- Goals, scope, and focus areas
- Marine Energy Discussion
- How energy from waves, tides, currents, and gradients may fit within the OceanTech accelerator
- How IAPG Federal Participants Can Engage
- Ways to provide feedback through the RFI
- How feds can engage once the OceanTech accelerator is established
- Requested Input from IAPG Federal Members
- What specific feedback NSF is seeking
- Future Opportunities for Federal Participation
- Possibility for federal employees to serve as merit reviewers
- Q&A Session
- Closing Remarks and Thanks
Contact
If you have additional questions, please contact one of the leaders below:
Kevin Archibald
U.S. National Science Foundation
NSF Tech Accelerators Team
karchiba@nsf.gov
Bill McShane
U.S. Department of Energy
Hydropower and Hydrokine
william.mcshane@doe.gov