Bringing Breakthrough Technology to Market
‍for Corporates

As part of the FedTech10 countdown, we’re highlighting key milestones that demonstrate the measurable outcomes of FedTech’s first decade of impact. Since its founding, FedTech has connected federally funded research with entrepreneurs, corporations, and government partners to accelerate technology deployment and strengthen the national innovation ecosystem. The results are clear: new companies, new jobs, and new opportunities emerging from public-sector innovation.

Over the past decade, FedTech has catalyzed the transition of university research into scalable deep-tech ventures, targeting urgent challenges across energy, health, infrastructure, and security.

FedTech is accelerating innovation across regions of the U.S. and abroad, turning lab-developed R&D into new ventures, jobs, and economic growth. Here’s how our regional work is driving measurable outcomes while aligning with security, energy, and technology priorities.

FedTech is conducting a Market Demand Assessment in partnership with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in an effort to foster a symbiotic relationship between the nation’s top nuclear security experts and the private sector. We are seeking industry experts to refine the trajectory of our technological efforts.

As FedTech celebrates a decade of building bridges between federal R&D, entrepreneurs, and industry, we’ve gathered eight powerful reflections from our leaders and advisors. These insights highlight the lessons learned and trends shaping the future of deeptech: from federal innovation policy and global market entry to defense innovation, climate tech deployment, and commercialization strategies. Together, they tell the story of how FedTech has grown over the past ten years and offer a vision for the breakthroughs and collaborations that will define the next decade.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, launched in 1982, has fueled U.S. innovation by funding high-risk, high-reward ventures and launching companies like Qualcomm and iRobot. As Congress considers reauthorization in 2025, the U.S. faces a new challenge: China’s dominance in critical technologies. The proposed INNOVATE Act introduces reforms to expand funding access, tighten security, and curb “SBIR mills,” but risks excluding breakthrough startups. FedTech recommends pairing these reforms with greater funding, streamlined processes, and expanded support programs to ensure SBIR remains a vital engine of U.S. technological leadership and national security.