Competition/Prize

TechConnect Innovation Challenge 2025

Launch your electrifying journey into the future of innovation! Join the world’s largest multi-sector commercialization program for emerging deep technologies. Pitch your groundbreaking innovations and connect with top-tier corporate, investment, military and federal leaders for partnering, licensing and investment opportunities. Whether you’re a startup, university TTO, federal lab, or federal awardee, seize the moment. Submit your commercially viable innovation now and connect with the largest gathering of tech-scouts and funding offices worldwide.

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Fourth Revolution Awards (Chicago)

The Fourth Revolution Awards celebrates regional manufacturing for its leadership and innovation as the industry stands on the brink of a new technological revolution.
Winners Receive: Two 3-month shared workspace memberships to mHUB; Visibility across mHUB’s network of more than 50,000 manufacturing and innovation stakeholders; Opportunities to connect with local industry leaders; Bespoke marketing promotional video.

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HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize Round 2

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Clean Energy Education Prize Round 2 Inspire Track aims to advance clean energy programming opportunities for younger students and clean energy connections for historically Black Colleges and Universities. The goal is to inspire HBCU-hosted summer or academic break educational programs that engage K–12 and community college students in clean energy topics. The Inspire Track supports the development or expansion of HBCU-hosted clean energy summer or academic break programs for K-12 and community college students. These programs will help explain basic concepts of clean energy technologies and illuminate possible clean energy educational and career pathways for students.

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2025 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition

The 2025 competition offers $75,000 to $150,000 in prize awards during two stages to organizations to accelerate the growth and maturity of innovation ecosystems. Stage One offers $75,000 in cash prizes to organizations that identify challenges within their innovation ecosystems and propose unique solutions. The SBA encourages submissions from a broad range of organizations with a collaborative vision to nurture a national ecosystem for equitable access to entrepreneurship. Applicants are asked to align their application with one of the following GAFC Theme Areas: Lab-to-Market and Capital Formation.

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FY 2025 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Technology Transfer (T2) Program

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for a total of $5,000,000 from Fiscal Years (FY) 2022, 2023, and 2024 in Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. § 5312) funds for a competitive cooperative agreement to develop and manage a new FTA Technology Transfer (T2) Program.

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2025 Renew America’s Schools Prize

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the $500 million Renew America’s Schools Program to promote the implementation of energy improvements at K-12 public schools across the country. This is a first-of-its-kind investment made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program supports the implementation of infrastructure improvements in schools, with a focus on local educational agencies (LEAs) that qualify as rural and/or high poverty.

The 2025 Renew America’s Schools Prize consists of three phases. During Phase 1, competitors will build teams and curate lists of at least 10 schools and school facilities that demonstrate compelling need and eligibility for investment. Up to 14 Phase 1 Winners will earn a cash prize of $300,000 for successfully building teams and submitting compelling applications identifying need. DOE will down select to identify winners who may move on to Phases 2 and 3, wherein they will enter and execute Cooperative Agreements with DOE.

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IdeaFunding 2025 (Arizona)

Applications for the 2025 IdeaFunding pitch competition are now live. Entrepreneurs will need to submit applications before January 15, 2025. IdeaFunding is Southern Arizona’s largest and longest entrepreneurial conference and pitch competition, where this year over $50,000 in prizes will be awarded to Arizona-based companies on March 27, 2025, as part of the 2025 TENWEST Festival. IdeaFunding is co-led by Startup Tucson and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) and presented by the Arizona Commerce Authority. This year’s pitch competition will support startups with a wide variety of available prizes valued from $1,000 to $25,000 which include a mix of cash and services. Main-stage first and second-place prize winners will receive a sponsored year in the UACI incubator program, a prize valued at $10,000. There will also be four vertical stages, each awarding prizes, along with specialty prizes like the Adelante Arizona prize for diverse founders sponsored by Community Investment Corporation.

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Geothermal Heat Pumps PATHs Prize

The American-Made Partnerships to Accelerate Training & Hiring for Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP PATHs) Prize is a $3 million-dollar prize competition designed to hire, certify, and train the current and next generation of geothermal heat pump workers. In Phase 1, competitors submit a narrative describing their vision for building a sustainable pathway to training and hiring in their defined region. Up to 20 winning teams will receive $40,000 each in cash and will be eligible to compete in Phase 2.

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Industrial Energy Storage Systems Prize

The Industrial Energy Storage Systems Prize is a $4.8 million challenge sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO). The prize seeks cost-effective energy storage concepts for industrial facilities that enhance energy efficiency and industrial decarbonization and are applicable across industrial sectors.

This prize supports the acceleration of market adoption for cost-effective thermal energy storage technologies that can be charged by thermal or electrical sources, and provide heating, cooling, and/or power to industrial facilities. 

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Promoting Registration of Inverters and Modules with Ecolabel (PRIME) Prize

The American-Made Promoting Registration of Inverters and Modules with Ecolabel (PRIME) Prize is a two-phase, $2.7 million competition aimed at increasing EPEAT registration of solar PV modules and inverters. The goal is to help manufacturers meet the high bar for EPEAT product standards and make their products more attractive to purchasers with sustainability goals. The prize incentivizes the registration of PV module and inverter products through the EPEAT ecolabel. EPEAT is an ecolabel operated and maintained by the Global Electronics Council (GEC) for certain electronic products, including solar PV modules and inverters.

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National Small Business Week Awards

As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Every day, they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness. And in recognizing the changing face of America, the SBA’s National Small Business Week awards honor individuals and businesses that reflect our nation’s rich diversity.

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Pitch Competition – NREL 2025 Industry Growth Forum (IGF)

The IGF builds on decades of technical expertise and market analysis accumulated at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the nation’s only federal lab dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency research. We are strongly committed to our mission of connecting cutting-edge startups with motivated investors. Presenting companies are chosen from applicants vetted by a selection committee of more than 150 climate tech and cleantech investors and industry experts. This rigorous screening process provides beneficial feedback to startups that apply. The top 40 companies are invited to present.

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