NSF Tech Accelerators_Request for Information.pdf

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).

In 2025, more than 80 percent of venture capital invested in artificial intelligence and quantum information science, with a further focus on software-based systems. NSF Tech Accelerators explicitly aims to move beyond these areas, growing the technological capability and funding infrastructure to develop deep-tech innovations requiring patient capital to the point of follow-on investment and scaling.

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 https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/tech-accelerators 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.

Specific questions pursuant to the four topics above are laid out in Appendix B;

respondents must use the RFI response form for their submissions.

While this RFI is focused on the design and implementation of NSF Tech Accelerators, the eventual NSF Tech Accelerators will in turn seek proposals from individual research teams in these and other deep technology areas aiming to accelerate their ideas from the lab to the market.

Researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and others can learn more about the NSF Tech Accelerator initiative on NSF.gov, which includes information about the initiative's program model, services and frequently asked questions.

1. Motivation for the NSF Tech Accelerators Initiative

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. Notably, traditional research often experiences challenges traversing from the lab to market; the so-called "valley of death," leaving promising ideas and technologies too risky for private capital investments or otherwise stranded before entering the market.

To address this gap, the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative intends to fund organizations leveraging partnerships across government, industry, academia and philanthropy, that will invest in promising technologies with the goal of unleashing new technological advancements. 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 deep 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.

2. About the NSF Tech Accelerators Initiative

The NSF Tech Accelerators initiative seeks to speed the path from discovery to commercialization by:

1. Designing, building and scaling novel technologies to de-risk and prepare them for market adoption;

2. Catalyzing partnerships across key technologies, bringing together expertise and resources to advance market-driven outcomes;

https://nsf.box.com/s/ijsttarblkya13g1i3lmv85xsa83d3sp https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/tech-accelerators https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/1201E1CA-73CB-44BB-ADEB-E69634DA9BB9 https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/1201E1CA-73CB-44BB-ADEB-E69634DA9BB9 https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-202 https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-202 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf

3. Increasing industry engagement (e.g., potential customers, suppliers and/or investors), earlier to generate "market demand/pull"; and

4. Eliminating other ecosystem gaps and barriers preventing technologies from advancing to the point of market adoption and uptake.

Each NSF Tech Accelerator will focus on one specific deep-tech area and will invest in a portfolio of teams committed to advancing breakthrough technologies toward market adoption and tangible outcomes to address market needs.

a. NSF Tech Accelerators Program Model

The initiative is built on a flexible program model that enables the NSF Tech Accelerators to support the full lab-to-market lifecycle. Using the program model, the NSF Tech Accelerators will assess the maturity of a given research topic and align it to the appropriate program model stage. The program model comprises three stages outlined below.

Stage 1: Design: The Design stage provides an up to 12-month planning effort supported by up to $500,000 per team. NSF Tech Accelerator-funded teams are guided to create strong multidisciplinary collaborations with deep expertise in each technical topic area, form partnerships and develop their ideas into low-fidelity prototypes. Each NSF Tech Accelerator is anticipated to award up to 10 teams per Design topic.

Stage 2: Build: The Build stage offers an up to 24-month growth phase supported by up to $5 million per team. NSF Tech Accelerator-funded teams advance from early proofs-of-concept to minimum viable products and the development of market-ready commercialization strategies. Individual teams refine prototypes, validate market opportunities and develop the elements needed for successful technology translation. Each NSF Tech Accelerator is anticipated to award up to five teams per Build topic.

Stage 3: Scale: The Scale stage provides an up to 36-month effort supported by up to $10 million per team. NSF Tech Accelerator-funded teams work to accelerate operational scalability by strengthening long-term commercialization strategies, expanding strategic partnerships and building the operational capacity necessary for broad market adoption.

Each NSF Tech Accelerator is anticipated to award up to three teams per Scale topic. This stage requires the NSF Tech Accelerator to secure significant amounts of cost-share investment (non-federal entities) for funded teams.

All NSF funding is non-dilutive. To maximize flexibility, an earlier-stage topic may begin in the Design stage, while a more mature topic may only be offered in the Scale stage.

b. NSF Tech Accelerators: National Resources to Accelerate Outcomes

Funded innovators are expected to specify fast-paced, clear milestones and deliver actionable outcomes and impacts (e.g., patents, licenses, entity formation, partnerships with industry and customers, pilots, demos and other scaling methods), replacing traditional research outputs such as publications and conference proceedings. To assist the teams that they fund, the NSF Tech Accelerators will provide comprehensive guidance and support throughout the entire lab-to-market pathway. This includes entrepreneurial services, such as mentorship, to help teams take their technologies to the next level.

https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/tech-accelerators/tech-accelerator-program-model https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/tech-accelerators/entrepreneurial-services https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/tech-accelerators/entrepreneurial-services

3. NSF Tech Accelerator Qualifications and Performance Expectations

Each NSF Tech Accelerator will provide day-to-day engagement to support the teams they fund in accelerating use-inspired research into practical technologies.

a. NSF Tech Accelerator Required Capabilities and Expertise

NSF seeks agile, capable organizations with the following characteristics to operate an NSF Tech Accelerator:

• Willingness to become a strategic NSF collaborator with readiness to adapt and grow competencies to drive impactful change.

• Domain and commercial expertise specific to one of the technology topic areas noted in

Appendix A to support the following requirements:

o Proven track record of tech scouting promising novel technologies and bringing them to the market, including de-risking technology so that it is well positioned for follow-on investment, market adoption and uptake.

o Excellence in identifying and addressing gaps and barriers impeding technological and commercial advancement.

• Robust business management expertise and capabilities to execute the following critical operational requirements:

o Comprehensive organizational and leadership skills and capabilities to ensure a strong, collaborative and productive team structure and environment suitable to manage required milestones and deliverables from funded teams.

o Proven ability to issue and manage sub-contract awards to teams, including robust capabilities in contracting, legal and finance.

o Key competencies in evaluation methodologies to drive evidence-based decision making and continuous improvement.

• Strong communication, marketing and outreach expertise, including familiarity of the research and innovation ecosystem and broad set of stakeholders (e.g., industry, nonprofit, academia, governments, private investment, philanthropic) to support the following requirements:

o Strong creative capabilities to develop key engagement strategies, compelling messaging, products and activities.

o Proven ability to grow the NSF Tech Accelerator audience, including increasing proposal applications to funding opportunities.

• Lead strategic partnerships to identify, negotiate and manage high-impact, long-term alliances that drive the NSF Tech Accelerator’s expertise and growth, including securing a significant cost-share investment (from non-federal entities) for funded teams aligned to the Scale stage.

• Robust entrepreneurial expertise and services, including facilitation and familiarity with innovation processes (e.g., customer discovery, pitching, product-market-fit, IP management) aimed to reduce uncertainty and risk.

b. NSF Tech Accelerator Role, Performance Objectives and Deliverables

NSF aims for a collaborative relationship between the NSF TIP program team and NSF Tech Accelerators. NSF TIP anticipates providing NSF Tech Accelerators with programmatic guidance, templates and tools for implementing the program model and ensuring consistency across NSF Tech Accelerators. NSF Tech Accelerators are expected to share best practices and collaborate with one another to support program goals and priorities.

The NSF Tech Accelerators will be required to produce and deliver a range of performance deliverables to NSF to demonstrate progress. For example:

• A Project Execution Plan (PEP) containing a schedule of activities and milestones aligned to the implementation of performance objectives and deliverables.

• A staffing management plan to include NSF Tech Accelerator management structure, personnel roles, staffing strategy and training plan.

• Deep technology roadmap plan to include gaps and opportunities to accelerate technological advancement, along with predictions of future investment by industry.

• Intellectual property management plan to include strategies, including licensing and commercialization pathways, to support technology translation.

• Impact report to include methods to measure the impact of the NSF Tech Accelerator investment.

• Monthly reports, including research sub-contractor progress.

4. NSF Tech Accelerator: Funding Mechanism, Approach, Duration and Eligibility

a. Other Transaction

NSF will use its Other Transaction Authority to issue an Other Transaction (OT) contract per 42 U.S.C. § 19116(1). An OT is neither a FAR-based procurement nor financial assistance, but another contracting mechanism available to NSF. The OT Agreement will include dispute resolution procedures, compliance expectations and reporting obligations to ensure transparency and accountability.

b. Approach

This RFI contemplates a competitive, multi-step OT contract formation process for the first four NSF Tech Accelerators. NSF intends to select four organizations, one for each NSF Tech Accelerator topic specified in Appendix A. An organization can only apply to be the NSF Tech Accelerator for one of these topics. As additional topics are surfaced through this RFI and other future work, NSF will release a separate follow-on solicitation.

Step 1: Respond to the RFI: NSF welcomes responses to the RFI from both organizations only interested in providing feedback on the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative as well as organizations interested in becoming an NSF Tech Accelerator. Organizations interested in providing feedback are encouraged to respond to Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the RFI response form presented in Appendix B and published with this RFI on SAM.gov.

Organizations interested in becoming an NSF Tech Accelerator 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 submit a proposal to the four initial topics specified in Appendix A.

RFI responses will assist NSF in understanding prospective NSF Tech Accelerator capabilities, qualifications and expertise and will be used to shape the program.

Step 2: Invitation to Submit Formal Proposals: NSF will assess the capabilities, qualifications and expertise, including technical and commercial expertise, aligned to the NSF Tech Accelerator topic and other information presented by the prospective applicant in the RFI response form. Based on that assessment, NSF will invite identified organizations to submit formal proposals to an Other Transaction Agreement Solutions Offering (OTASO).

https://nsf.box.com/s/ijsttarblkya13g1i3lmv85xsa83d3sp https://nsf.box.com/s/ijsttarblkya13g1i3lmv85xsa83d3sp

NSF will then evaluate technical proposals and may invite proposers for oral/pitch presentations. Based on that assessment, NSF will create a listing, in order of preference, of the prospective organizations most qualified to perform the work for each NSF Tech Accelerator.

It is important to note that a prospective NSF Tech Accelerator is not required to provide a cost estimate to operate the NSF Tech Accelerator, unless invited to the formal proposal stage (step 2).

Step 3: Negotiation of an OT Contract: In the last step, NSF will provide an Other Transaction Agreement to the most preferred organization(s) (i.e., the highest ranked) per topic and begin negotiations. If a mutually satisfactory OT contract cannot be negotiated and finalized with the most preferred organization(s), then the Agreements Officer will notify that organization and initiate negotiations with the next most favored prospective organization. That process will continue until a satisfactory NSF Tech Accelerator OT contract is negotiated and finalized per topic.

c. Period of Performance

NSF anticipates a performance period for each NSF Tech Accelerator of up to 6 years, incrementally funded, with a subsequent option period at the discretion of the government and contingent upon satisfactory performance, the specific technology topic being addressed, need for continued support of this topic and availability of funds.

d. Eligibility

Any responsible source (excluding foreign entities) may submit to the RFI for consideration.

All NSF Tech Accelerators applicants invited to Step 2 must be registered in the Federal Government’s System for Award Management (SAM; sam.gov) prior to submitting a formal proposal. An NSF Tech Accelerator can involve multiple organizations, but the RFI response and invited proposal must be submitted by a lead organization with sub-contracts to other participating organizations. The applicant is not required to have sub-contracts in place at the RFI submission time. The lead organization must be able to provide more than 51% of the required capabilities, expertise and services.

An eligible organization can submit a maximum of one response as a lead or partner as part of this RFI.

5. Market Intelligence RFI Reponses

This RFI effort is an opportunity for NSF to receive feedback from potential NSF Tech Accelerator organizations and other interested parties.

a. Prospective Expertise and Capabilities

Organizations interested in the NSF Tech Accelerator role are encouraged to fill out the RFI response form in its entirety. The RFI response form consists of questions to help NSF understand potential applicant’s expertise, capabilities and qualifications. A response per question is highly encouraged and must be concise with a range of 1–4 sentences with a maximum of 400 characters without spaces. When developing responses to the RFI response form questions, refer to the information in this RFI. Do not include hyperlinks in your responses, except for providing your company website in the RFI response form.

b. Feedback https://sam.gov/

Feedback (e.g., questions, areas of concern, suggestions), are to be written into the RFI response form’s Section 6: Feedback. This feedback will assist NSF in improving the NSF Tech Accelerators framework.

c. Other Information

This posting shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a request for quotations or proposals. The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this market intelligence will be solely at the interested party’s expense.

Any information received becomes the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or program sensitive information contained in their response. As desired, interested parties may also specify any restrictions on how their response may be shared or disclosed.

d. Submission Details

RFI responses, using the RFI response form, must be submitted via the Other Transaction submission system at nsfgov.my.site.com/ot/s/, no later than 4 p.m. ET on July 14, 2026.

e. Agency Contacts

Ben Patterson, Contracting Officer tech-accelerators@nsf.gov https://nsfgov.my.site.com/ot/s/ mailto:tech-accelerators@nsf.gov

6. Appendix A: Initial NSF Tech Accelerators: AgTech, MaterialsTech, OceanTech and SciTech

NSF is investing in deep technology topics critical to U.S. national security and economic growth. Specific topics are determined based on the current technology landscape, including market need and saturation; projected technological growth; current industry investment (at 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); 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.

Based on the above factors, NSF has identified four potential topics for the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative, as outlined below. As part of this RFI and as outlined above, NSF TIP seeks input on these topics as well as others that may be suitable for the NSF Tech Accelerators framework. NSF may move forward with all or a subset of these topics, in addition to potential others, based on responses to the RFI.

a. NSF AgTech Accelerator

The NSF AgTech Accelerator aims to harness expertise across the agricultural and technological sectors to commercialize deep technologies that bolster a resilient food system. A thriving agriculture sector is essential for the health, security and prosperity of the U.S., especially considering the research and development (R&D) efforts by other countries that are challenging American agricultural dominance and national security.

Advances in key technologies, including biotechnology, AI and robotics, have the potential to propel U.S. production of food, feed and fuel to new frontiers. Such advances can be leveraged to enhance productivity and yield, optimize nutritional content and food quality, strengthen domestic agricultural supply chains and expand high-value export markets for U.S. products and technologies.

Venture capital funding for AgTech has stalled over the past few years, creating a growing chasm between technological advancement and widespread adoption, with investors prioritizing later-stage startups. The NSF AgTech Accelerator will fill this gap by capitalizing on Administration investments in key technology areas, de-risking early-stage technologies and prioritizing implementation and adoption across the entire food and agriculture system.

b. NSF MaterialsTech Accelerator

The NSF MaterialsTech Accelerator focuses on reducing the time to market for materials with superior or tailored properties beyond conventional options. Advanced and next-generation materials and their application are critical to U.S. leadership in competitive sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotechnology and nuclear energy. This is a deep-tech field with longer R&D cycles and limited short-term return-on-investment (ROI) due to combined technological and commercialization challenges. Thus, the NSF Tech Accelerators' model is ideally suited for focused intervention, positioning technologies for market adoption and future private investment.

The scope of the NSF MaterialsTech Accelerator encompasses the commercialization of entirely new materials, including nanomaterials, composites, metals and metamaterials https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/farm-security-nat-sec.pdf https://www.biotech.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NSCEB-Future-of-Science-Nov-2025.pdf https://www.agtechnavigator.com/Article/2026/01/05/will-ai-lead-to-a-vc-rebound-in-agtech-in-2026/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=06-Jan-2026 https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/a459e229-ecf0-44f2-b5ce-3459f72a561a/content https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/WHOSTP-2025-Wins.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2588031 https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2588031 https://www.nae.edu/341009/Accelerating-Materials-Innovation-Lessons-Learned-and-Opportunities-Ahead and innovative modification, optimization and/or cross-sector use of existing materials that unlock new performance capabilities and rapid market expansion. The application of physics-aware and domain-informed AI and/or digital twins may be appropriate. Initiatives spearheaded by NSF and other federal agencies, such as the Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future program, are generating a large volume of research projects primed for translation, thereby positioning this topic for a NSF Tech Accelerator.

c. NSF OceanTech Accelerator

The NSF OceanTech Accelerator focuses on the commercialization of novel technologies that advance key economic and national security-related ocean operations in the U.S.

Exclusive Economic Zone and the Great Lakes. Covering 71% of Earth's surface, the ocean is a vast reservoir of potential economic development. Increasing global demand for seafood, critical minerals and other marine resources and the emergence of maturing sectors, such as marine biotechnology, create opportunities to strengthen U.S. global leadership in the development and export of novel ocean technologies.

The scope of the NSF OceanTech Accelerator encompasses ocean sensors, advanced modeling and digital twins, marine biotechnology and autonomous/remote systems. The oceanographic research community has a track record of creating new technologies for scientific applications that could be translated for market adoption by ocean-based industries, providing significant opportunities to leverage existing federal research investments and maximize the economic benefit of each dollar spent. The NSF OceanTech Accelerator will de-risk early-stage ocean technologies and advance multi-use solutions that will further ocean exploration and deep-sea mapping for seabed minerals and other resources, grow shipbuilding, marine robotics and other ocean-based U.S. industries and support data-informed decision making. In addition to supporting economic growth, these technologies will bolster national security by enabling threat detection and marine intelligence and safeguarding food security through restoring seafood competitiveness.

d. NSF SciTech Accelerator

The NSF SciTech Accelerator focuses on the commercialization of novel scientific instruments, tools and technologies to support breakthrough discoveries. American leadership in science and technology is pivotal for U.S. competitiveness, national security and the nation's position at the vanguard of scientific progress. To date, scientific progress is constrained by limitations in the precision, resolution and speed of instruments affecting repeatability and reliability of measurements. Critical sensing and manipulation capabilities remain out of reach and the instruments that do exist are largely proprietary, closed systems with little capacity for adaptation or interoperability. Data processing, including algorithms and AI, also require updating. The result is a fragmented instrumentation ecosystem across incompatible platforms not architected for the pace and interconnectedness of modern scientific inquiry.

The scope of the NSF SciTech Accelerator is intentionally broad to drive impact across a range of research fields through the development of cutting-edge scientific instruments built on open standards, modular architectures and shared tool chains, along with associated analytics capabilities. Tools and applications developed and brought to market via the NSF SciTech Accelerator will lower barriers to access, promote cross-disciplinary adaptation, generate data that are interoperable and reusable by design, facilitate https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/unleashing-americas-offshore-critical-minerals-and-resources/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/unleashing-americas-offshore-critical-minerals-and-resources/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-americas-maritime-dominance/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-american-seafood-competitiveness/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/11/launching-the-genesis-mission/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M-25-34-NSTM-2-Fiscal-Year-FY-2027-Administration-Research-and-Development-Budget-Priorities-and-Cross-Cutting-Actions.pdf https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.10001836/v1 precision manipulations and enable emergence of fully autonomous laboratories.

Ultimately, the outcomes of the NSF SciTech Accelerator will change the way all sectors of America's scientific enterprise interact, improve precision and expedite results, while co-creating new markets for tools and technologies with the research and private sectors.

https://www.biotech.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NSCEB-Future-of-Science-Nov-2025.pdf

7. Appendix B: RFI Response Form

All individuals and organizations are invited to respond to the below questions using the RFI response form.

Organizations only interested in providing feedback on the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative are encouraged to respond to Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.

Organizations interested in becoming an NSF Tech Accelerator should respond to all sections.

The RFI response form consists of questions to help NSF TIP refine the NSF Tech Accelerator program model and also to understand potential applicants’ expertise, capabilities and qualifications. A response per question or sub-question is highly encouraged and must be concise with a range of 1-4 sentences with a maximum of 400 characters without spaces. When developing responses to the RFI response form questions, please refer to the information in this RFI. Please do not include hyperlinks in your responses, except for providing your organization website in Section 1 of this form.

RFI responses must be submitted via the Other Transaction submission system at https://nsfgov.my.site.com/ot/s/, no later than 4 p.m. Eastern on July 14, 2026.

Section 1: Responder identification

1) Respondent name (first and last)

2) Respondent position/title

3) Respondent email address

4) Respondent phone number

5) Organization name

6) Organization address

7) Organization website

8) Is your organization a domestic entity (Y/N)

9) Sam.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI) Number (e.g., C1234567890A)

Section 2: NSF Tech Accelerator Program Model

1) Having reviewed the NSF Tech Accelerators RFI, provide your understanding of the gaps, needs and opportunities 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) How would you change the program model described in the RFI, if at all?

3) What level of cost-sharing is appropriate, especially for the later stages of technology translation?

Section 3: Organizational Structures

1) Who are the key stakeholders necessary to engage in an NSF Tech Accelerator?

2) What are the optimal structures for bringing these stakeholders together?

3) What are the barriers to doing so presently that the NSF Tech Accelerator initiative could overcome? How best would the program overcome these barriers?

https://nsfgov.my.site.com/ot/s/

Section 4: Suitable Deep-Tech Areas

1) What are deep technologies where investment by NSF will be uniquely catalytic and likely to unlock matching commitments particularly for scaling?

2) 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). For each of these areas where you have relevant expertise, describe whether you believe it is ripe for this framework and why.

Section 5.a: Your Own Organization: General Information

1) Broadly describe your organization, capabilities, services offered, ownership and size

(e.g., number of employees, number of locations).

2) Describe your organization experience over the last 5 years providing the capabilities and expertise identified in the RFI.

a. Was the previous work performed as a lead organization or partner (sub-contractor)? If as a partner, provide context on your role.

3) Besides the teams that will eventually comprise the NSF Tech Accelerator’s portfolio, would your organization need to partner/subcontract any of the capabilities, expertise and services required of the NSF Tech Accelerator? (Y/N)

a. If yes, please describe?

Section 5.b: Your Own Organization: Technical Expertise and Domain Competence

1) To which of the four NSF Tech Accelerators topics, listed in the RFI, is your organization interested in applying, understanding that NSF may solicit for additional topics depending on the responses to the RFI (*Select either AgTech Accelerator, MaterialsTech Accelerator, OceanTech Accelerator or SciTech Accelerator from the drop-down list).

2) Describe your strategic vision for an NSF Tech Accelerator within this domain topic; list 2-3 potential research topics and the specific barriers to be addressed.

a. Research topic 1:

b. Research topic 2:

c. Research topic 3:

d. Specific barriers:

3) Describe your organization’s technical expertise and specific key capabilities in this domain.

4) Does your organization have experience conducting technology landscape analyses to identify key technologies and marketplace challenges hindering technology advancement or adoption? (Y/N)

a. If yes, describe this experience and provide specific examples.

5) Does your organization have experience in cross-cutting key technologies that are likely to contribute to the NSF Tech Accelerator topic (e.g., AI, robotics, biotechnology and quantum)? (Y/N)

a. If yes, describe this experience.

Section 5.c: Your Own Organization: Innovation Management Expertise and Capabilities

1) Within the topic/domain you have selected (Section 5.b of this form), does your organization have expertise in managing technology in any of the following stages noted in the RFI? Indicate "Yes" or "No" for each of the 3 stages below. If yes, describe your organization’s experience.

a. Stage 1: Design

b. Stage 2: Build

c. Stage 3: Scale

2) Does your organization have a proven track record of scouting novel technologies in this domain and bringing them to the market? (Y/N)

a. If yes, list up to 10 technologies brought to market within a 5-year period.

b. What role(s) did your organization play?

c. How successful were these activities in terms of market adoption (e.g., units, revenue, profits, jobs created)?

3) Describe your organization’s expertise in the management of intellectual property (IP) in this domain (e.g., protection of IP, licensing, negotiation).

4) Describe your organization’s domain-relevant experience with identifying, establishing and managing strategic partnerships.

a. Which of the following organization types does your organization have experience partnering with to support technology translation (e.g., academia, industry, investment, non-profit / philanthropic and/or government)?

b. Does your organization have experience in developing cost-share investment partnerships? (Y/N)

c. Has your organization ever formed and managed an advisory board? (Y/N)

i. If yes, please describe this experience.

5) Describe your organization’s expertise in evaluating innovation activities with respect to performance, impact and progress towards goals and objectives?

a. Provide examples of quantitative performance metrics that your organization has leveraged to evaluate success.

Section 5.d: Your Own Organization: Business Management

1) Describe your organization’s experience with coordinating and issuing sub-contracts or other legal agreements with academic institutions, industry, investors or nonprofit entities.

2) Does your organization have the following internal capabilities to support an NSF Tech Accelerator?

a. Contracting (Y/N)

b. Finance/Billing (Y/N)

c. Legal Counsel (Y/N)

d. People Management (Y/N)

e. Project Management (Y/N)

3) Describe your organization’s experience managing proposal review process, including the recruitment and use of external subject matter experts.

4) Describe your organization’s expertise in post-award sub-contract management, including programmatic and financial monitoring, milestone and deliverable tracking and oversight and accountability.

a. Provide 2-3 recent examples that demonstrate your organization’s ability to manage multiple complex projects.

5) Describe your organization’s experience in communications, outreach and marketing, including the development of engagement strategies, compelling messaging, products and activities.

a. Provide 1-3 recent examples of how your organization grew audiences or increased applications to funding opportunities.

Section 5.e: Your Own Organization: Entrepreneurial Services

1) Describe your organization’s experience providing structured entrepreneurial support

(e.g., pitch events, IP support, resources, tools/platforms) to teams pursuing technology translation?

a. Did your organization develop and/or deliver the entrepreneurial services and resources in-house? (Y/N)

i. If no, who did your organization partner with?

2) Rank your organization’s familiarity (1-9) of the following topics with 1 being the most familiar and 9 being the least familiar.

a. Customer discovery, market research

b. Pitching

c. Human-centered design

d. Business model design

e. Go-to-market strategies

f. Product-roadmap development

g. IP strategies and challenges

h. Market readiness

i. Team science

3) Describe your organization’s experience providing mentorship or coaching support to research and/or technical teams navigating the lab-to-market pathway (e.g., type of support, best practices, meeting cadence).

Section 6: Feedback

NSF welcomes any feedback (e.g., questions, areas of concern, suggestions) not covered in the above section to be included in the response form. Each item of feedback must be short and concise, limited to 1-4 sentences with a maximum of 400 characters without spaces. Please select the type of feedback that is being provided in the drop-down list as well. This feedback will assist NSF TIP in improving the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative.