Innovators to Transform Federal Permitting with New Solutions.
The Council on Environmental Quality, in collaboration with NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, has launched the Permitting Innovators Call for Solutions. This initiative invites technology companies, startups, researchers, and non-profits to contribute to the modernization of federal permitting processes for the 21st century. The Call for Solutions will remain open until June 2, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET.
“America’s innovators have solutions to enhance how Federal agencies conduct environmental reviews and permitting — and this program offers a direct route to implement those solutions,” stated Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Katherine Scarlett. “The Trump Administration is focused on delivering results: quicker reviews, smarter systems, and a government that leverages the best available technology. We are excited to kick off the Permitting Innovators program and anticipate impressive contributions from the industry.”
Enhancing Systems for Economic Growth and National Security
Federal permitting impacts every American, influencing the construction of roads, bridges, energy infrastructure, data centers, and national security installations. The Trump Administration has actively worked to streamline and expedite federal permitting, removing unnecessary delays that hinder economic growth and national security projects nationwide.
Although agencies currently utilize technology for environmental review and permitting, many systems are still fragmented, outdated, and largely manual.
Updating these processes can speed up essential projects and enable agencies to concentrate their environmental analyses on the most critical issues. Leveraging existing technology solutions will help agencies operate more efficiently and serve the American public more effectively.
Linking Federal Decision-Makers with Promising Solutions
The Council on Environmental Quality is encouraging innovators to share technological solutions that can speed up and modernize federal environmental review and permitting. Key areas for innovation include business process modernization, workflow automation, digital-first documents, and tools that enhance timeline predictability.
A panel of experts will assess submissions using the program’s evaluation criteria. The top 50 solutions will be invited to showcase their innovations at the Permitting Innovators Expo in July 2026 in Washington, D.C. There, participants will present their solutions to federal agency leaders and explore potential partnerships with key agencies.
Solutions that meet the program’s criteria will also be included in the Permitting Innovators Solutions Catalog, a curated resource that assists agencies in evaluating vetted solutions as they implement the Permitting Technology Action Plan.
Attend the May 14 Informational Webinar
The CEQ’s Permitting Innovation Center, in collaboration with Luminary Labs, will hold an informational webinar on May 14, 2026, to discuss the program timeline, submission process, and Expo details.
To register for the webinar and find more information about the program, visit permittinginnovators.com.
