The Insider: Researchers, Inventors and Creators Edition—May 2026

Friday, May 8 (deadline) | —An annual executive immersion program that helps develop leaders ready to succeed in the advanced energy landscape.

May 12-14 | —A series of free, virtual events that connect entrepreneurs with the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program, the country's largest source of early-stage research and development (R&D) funding.

*Wednesday, May 13 (deadline) | U.S. Department of War (fmr. Defense) Solicitations—24 topics now available for submission through this 2025 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). |

*Thursday, May 14 (deadline) | —Accepting proposals for up to $750,000 in funding for projects advancing environmental sensing and AI in Colorado and Wyoming.

Thursday, May 14, Virtual | —For entrepreneurs out of academic institutions, this session will demystify key concepts, highlight practical considerations and help you approach fundraising with greater confidence.

*Tuesday, May 19, Sept. 15 (deadlines) | —Supporting projects that build on early translational work to refine ideas, improve solutions and reduce barriers to moving research from the lab into real-world use.

*Tuesday, May 19, Sept. 15 (deadlines) | —Supporting translational efforts that demand one or more partnerships for technology development and deployment.Ìý

*Thursday, May 21 (deadline) | NASA Solicitations—49 SBIR Phase I subtopics and 11 STTR Phase I subtopics now available for submission through this 2026 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), Appendix A and Appendix B.

Monday, May 25 (deadline) | —Bringing together innovators and industry to guide early-stage companies toward pilot readiness.

*Friday, May 29Ìý(pre-solicitation deadline), Tuesday, July 7Ìý(solicitation deadline) | —10 research topics are now available to review and ask questions during the pre-solicitation timeline.

*Friday, May 29 (deadline) | —ARPA-E funding for early career scientists with projects across five priority technical areas: energy, supply chain security, critical minerals, grid reliability and security and American manufacturing competitiveness with awards up to $500,000.

*Wednesday, June 3 (deadline) | U.S. Department of War (fmr. Defense) Solicitations—91 topics, spread across SBIR, STTR and Commercial Solutions Opening (CSOs) in this 2026 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). | |

June 22-July 2 | —Connect with investors, learn from founders and refine the skills and tools needed to kick off fundraising or complete a round.

*Monday, June 29 (deadline) | —Three solicitations are open for submission, offering up to $250,000 for 9-month Phase IA and IB projects to develop or enhance education technology prototypes, and up to $1,000,000 over two years for Direct to Phase II projects to scale evidence-based innovations and prepare for commercialization.

*Need support with your translational funding grant? Contact our Center for Translational Research.