Welcome to the NREL 2026 Industry Growth Forum (IGF) Application Portal.
Please review the application guide for more detailed instructions and information about the selection process.
In summary, you must complete the following sections:
- Basic Information
- Eligibility Questions
- Must be a legally registered entity.
- Must be in the process of raising capital by Dec. 31, 2026. If you are selected to present, we will confirm that you will be raising at the time of the event.
- Must have a proven technology and prototype.
- Must not have presented live in the past two IGFs (2025 and 2024).
- Must accept the terms and conditions
- Payment
- In-person IGF (March 31 - April 2, 2026): The application fee is $400 for companies participating in the in-person IGF. This fee includes one complimentary pass to attend IGF 2026 (even if you are not selected to present) and 15% discount for all additional team members. This fee is non-refundable.
- Virtual IGF (Feb. 18, 2026): To boost innovation and connectivity for emerging, international economies and provide companies with access to the advanced energy ecosystem in the United States, we will host a virtual pitch competition in February for startups headquartered in certain geographies. Only companies headquartered outside of United States, Canada, and Europe are eligible for this track. Up to 8 companies from these geographies will be selected to present in this competition. The top winner will be invited to present live at the IGF in March. If your company is headquartered in one of these regions, please reach out to Nik Dworek (Nikulas.Dworek@nrel.gov) for more details as well as a discount on the application fee.
- Application Questions (Sections A-I). Unless marked optional, you need to fill out all the questions. We recommend downloading the application guide and working on responses offline and then copying into the portal.
You can save your application at any time and come back to complete it. Please review your application before submitting. You won't be able to make any changes to it once submitted.
Tips for a Robust Application
A well-written application that conveys information about your product and company in a clear and concise manner has a better chance of catching the investors’ attention. Here are some tips on how you can write a robust application. Note that these tips serve as a guideline and do not guarantee you will be selected.
- Make sure you address all the prompts in the questions. Refer to the rubric on page 18 of the guide to see how your application will be scored.
- Answer all questions to the best of your ability. Investors need to understand your technology and financials to determine investment potential. Note that the investor audience is well-versed in advanced energy issues and markets - take this into consideration to keep your material concise and focused on your value proposition.
- Be sure to supply enough detail regarding your solution for a technical expert to evaluate for technical merit and novelty.
- Take time to understand your competitive landscape and highlight all major competitors. Persuade reviewers why your solution is better than existing technologies.
- When possible, use the bottom-up approach to determine market potential as it uses substantiated assumptions and is more convincing than the top-down approach. Refer to the Market Sizing Guide on the Startup Resource Center to help you with estimation.
- Complete the financial table in section G to the best of your ability. Investors are interested in seeing realistic sales and growth projections for the next four years.
- Be authentic and use your own language. Avoid using AI-generated responses. Make use of bullets to improve readability. To highlight a point, use bold or underline. Do not write in all caps.
- Proofread your application. Invite a colleague or mentor to review your application before submission.
Office Hours
We are hosting office hours to help answer questions about the IGF event or the application process. You can join anytime during the hour and are welcome to attend more than once. Registration is required.
- Thursday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, Oct. 6, 8 - 9 a.m. MT Register here.
- Thursday, Oct. 9, 1 - 2 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, Oct. 13, 2 - 3 p.m. MT Register here.
- Wednesday, Oct. 15, 9 - 10 a.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, Oct. 20, 8 - 9 a.m. MT Register here.
- Friday, Oct. 24, 12 - 1 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, October 27, 2 - 3 p.m. MT Register here.
- Thursday, October 30, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, November 3, 7 - 8 a.m. MT Register here.
- Friday, November 7, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, November 10, 1 - 2 p.m. MT Register here.
- Wednesday, November 12, 8 - 9 a.m. MT Register here.
- Friday, November 14, 9 - 10 a.m. MT Register here.
Please remember to download a copy of your application. Click the three dots next to your application in the portal and click Download.
The deadline to complete your submission is Monday, Nov. 17, at 11:59 p.m. MT.
Please contact igf@nrel.gov with any questions you may have regarding the application process.
2026 - NREL Industry Growth Forum
Welcome to the NREL 2026 Industry Growth Forum (IGF) Application Portal.
Please review the application guide for more detailed instructions and information about the selection process.
In summary, you must complete the following sections:
- Basic Information
- Eligibility Questions
- Must be a legally registered entity.
- Must be in the process of raising capital by Dec. 31, 2026. If you are selected to present, we will confirm that you will be raising at the time of the event.
- Must have a proven technology and prototype.
- Must not have presented live in the past two IGFs (2025 and 2024).
- Must accept the terms and conditions
- Payment
- In-person IGF (March 31 - April 2, 2026): The application fee is $400 for companies participating in the in-person IGF. This fee includes one complimentary pass to attend IGF 2026 (even if you are not selected to present) and 15% discount for all additional team members. This fee is non-refundable.
- Virtual IGF (Feb. 18, 2026): To boost innovation and connectivity for emerging, international economies and provide companies with access to the advanced energy ecosystem in the United States, we will host a virtual pitch competition in February for startups headquartered in certain geographies. Only companies headquartered outside of United States, Canada, and Europe are eligible for this track. Up to 8 companies from these geographies will be selected to present in this competition. The top winner will be invited to present live at the IGF in March. If your company is headquartered in one of these regions, please reach out to Nik Dworek (Nikulas.Dworek@nrel.gov) for more details as well as a discount on the application fee.
- Application Questions (Sections A-I). Unless marked optional, you need to fill out all the questions. We recommend downloading the application guide and working on responses offline and then copying into the portal.
You can save your application at any time and come back to complete it. Please review your application before submitting. You won't be able to make any changes to it once submitted.
Tips for a Robust Application
A well-written application that conveys information about your product and company in a clear and concise manner has a better chance of catching the investors’ attention. Here are some tips on how you can write a robust application. Note that these tips serve as a guideline and do not guarantee you will be selected.
- Make sure you address all the prompts in the questions. Refer to the rubric on page 18 of the guide to see how your application will be scored.
- Answer all questions to the best of your ability. Investors need to understand your technology and financials to determine investment potential. Note that the investor audience is well-versed in advanced energy issues and markets - take this into consideration to keep your material concise and focused on your value proposition.
- Be sure to supply enough detail regarding your solution for a technical expert to evaluate for technical merit and novelty.
- Take time to understand your competitive landscape and highlight all major competitors. Persuade reviewers why your solution is better than existing technologies.
- When possible, use the bottom-up approach to determine market potential as it uses substantiated assumptions and is more convincing than the top-down approach. Refer to the Market Sizing Guide on the Startup Resource Center to help you with estimation.
- Complete the financial table in section G to the best of your ability. Investors are interested in seeing realistic sales and growth projections for the next four years.
- Be authentic and use your own language. Avoid using AI-generated responses. Make use of bullets to improve readability. To highlight a point, use bold or underline. Do not write in all caps.
- Proofread your application. Invite a colleague or mentor to review your application before submission.
Office Hours
We are hosting office hours to help answer questions about the IGF event or the application process. You can join anytime during the hour and are welcome to attend more than once. Registration is required.
- Thursday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, Oct. 6, 8 - 9 a.m. MT Register here.
- Thursday, Oct. 9, 1 - 2 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, Oct. 13, 2 - 3 p.m. MT Register here.
- Wednesday, Oct. 15, 9 - 10 a.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, Oct. 20, 8 - 9 a.m. MT Register here.
- Friday, Oct. 24, 12 - 1 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, October 27, 2 - 3 p.m. MT Register here.
- Thursday, October 30, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, November 3, 7 - 8 a.m. MT Register here.
- Friday, November 7, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. MT Register here.
- Monday, November 10, 1 - 2 p.m. MT Register here.
- Wednesday, November 12, 8 - 9 a.m. MT Register here.
- Friday, November 14, 9 - 10 a.m. MT Register here.
Please remember to download a copy of your application. Click the three dots next to your application in the portal and click Download.
The deadline to complete your submission is Monday, Nov. 17, at 11:59 p.m. MT.
Please contact igf@nrel.gov with any questions you may have regarding the application process.