September 22-24, 2026 | NATIONAL HARBOR, MD
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Enabling Domestic Energy Security through Next-Generation Nuclear Power
Diverse stakeholders including policymakers, utilities, and industry leaders are interested in energy sources that are reliable, scalable, carbon-free, secure, and domestic. Nuclear power is one of the few technologies capable of meeting all those requirements simultaneously.
Advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), microreactors, and next-generation reactor designs diverge from stereotypical nuclear power plants, massive structures, built decades ago, generating electricity for millions of homes. The next generation of nuclear technologies aim to provide reliable, carbon-free energy in a form that can be manufactured, deployed, and operated more efficiently.
The Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology Challenge seeks to identify technologies that make nuclear energy smaller, smarter, faster to deploy, and easier to integrate into modern energy systems. These innovative new systems could power military installations, industrial facilities, data centers, manufacturing plants, remote communities, and electric grids that increasingly need around-the-clock energy.
This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators, and startups to contribute to one of the largest industrial and energy transitions currently underway, one that sits at the intersection of energy security, economic competitiveness, advanced manufacturing, and technological leadership.
Submit Deadline: July 31
| ⊙ | Application Closes: July 31 |
| ⊙ | Semifinalist Notification: Early August |
| ⊙ | Semifinalist Virtual Pitch: August 20 |
| ⊙ | Finalist Notification: Late August |
| ⊙ | Live Finalist Pitch: September 23 |
| ⊙ | Winner Announcement and Reception: September 23 |
| First Place: | $25,000 |
| Second Place: | $15,000 |
| Third Place: | $10,000 |
Up to ten (10) finalists will present their solutions live at the Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit on September 23 in National Harbor, MD, where government, energy, defense, and industry leaders will evaluate technologies with the potential to strengthen domestic energy security, advance next-generation nuclear capabilities, and support critical national infrastructure.
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Full conference pass |
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Visibility to industry, government, and ecosystem leaders focused on deployment |
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Eligibility for a $50,000 total prize pool |
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Connection to a growing ecosystem advancing U.S. energy security through next-generation nuclear technologies |
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Receive one free year of engineering software from MathWorks |
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