Scaling Deep Tech Innovation Through International Partnerships

Award ID: 2621940

Advancing U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, advanced materials, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing, is essential for national security, long-term economic competitiveness, and domestic job growth. Deep technology startups play a central role in this leadership, yet their progress toward commercialization is often hindered by limited access to specialized fabrication facilities, pilot-scale manufacturing capabilities, costly capital equipment, and international industry partners. These resources are increasingly concentrated in technologically advanced nations outside the U.S., while U.S. founders face significant barriers in identifying potential partners and navigating foreign innovation ecosystems. As a result, the absence of structured, secure, and strategically aligned pathways to vetted international resources slows the translation of high-impact U.S. research into domestic economic value. This project pilots and evaluates a scalable model for strategic international deep tech partnership facilitation with Japan and South Korea, expanding structured engagement opportunities that ultimately strengthen the U.S. innovation base. The effort begins with targeted bilateral workshops that convene U.S. startup founders, incubator leaders, government officials, and corporate partners alongside counterparts in partner nations to surface collaboration opportunities and document available capabilities of direct relevance to U.S. commercialization goals. The project additionally provides direct support to U.S. deep tech startups pursuing partnerships with Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, selected through a rigorous two-stage review process assessing technical merit, partnership strength, commercial potential, and feasibility. Quarterly reviews, in person convenings, and longitudinal data collection will generate empirical insights into which international partnership structures most effectively accelerate U.S. technology development, reduce commercialization risk, and sustain long-term collaboration beneficial to the U.S.. Outcomes will be synthesized into replicable frameworks and disseminated broadly to strengthen U.S. entrepreneurial capacity, enhance strategic competitiveness, and ensure that early-stage research supported by U.S. taxpayers is translated into domestic economic and national security advantage. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman