About the program

The ability to efficiently permit infrastructure is foundational to American economic growth and national security. Federal permitting affects every American, from the construction of roads, bridges, airports, and water treatment plants to energy infrastructure, data centers, and national security installations. Streamlining the environmental review and permitting process will improve the buildout of critical infrastructure and refocus environmental analysis on the issues of greatest importance; however, the technologies behind the process have not kept pace.

While federal agencies already use technology for environmental review and permitting, many systems are fragmented, outdated, and highly manual—slowing an already lengthy process. These delays stall critical infrastructure development, drive up costs, and impose unnecessary burdens on the American people.

Existing technology solutions could accelerate and modernize environmental review and permitting by connecting data, systems, and processes — enhancing collaboration between agencies and the American public.

Potential entrants

Share solutions directly with the federal agencies implementing the Permitting Technology Action Plan. Selected solutions will appear at the Permitting Innovators Expo — a curated event offering the opportunity to interact with and present to thought leaders inside and outside the federal government — and in the Solutions Catalog.

• Technology companies and practitioners. Build new federal relationships and refine offerings based on real agency needs, in a setting designed for focused engagement with agency leaders.
• Startups and researchers. Gain credibility in a complex market and stand alongside leading organizations — no prior government experience required.

Federal agency staff

At the Permitting Innovators Expo, learn about curated solutions side by side, meet the teams behind them, and assess what would work in context. The Solutions Catalog will extend this value as a lasting reference for federal agencies working to modernize environmental review and permitting processes.

Project sponsors and the public

Better permitting technology means faster processes, clearer timelines, and more reliable project delivery. The Expo will offer an early look at the solutions making that possible.

The open submissions period runs from April 28, 2026 to June 2, 2026. The deadline for submissions is 6:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 2. See the rules, terms, and conditions for full eligibility information.

A panel of experts will evaluate submissions using the program’s evaluation criteria. Up to 50 solutions with the highest scores will be invited to the Permitting Innovators Expo, hosted in Washington, D.C., in July 2026.

At the Expo, innovators will present their solutions to federal agencies implementing the Permitting Technology Action Plan. The highest-scoring teams will also meet one-on-one with federal agencies seeking specific technology solutions.

Qualified submissions will also be featured in the Solutions Catalog, an archive of environmental review and permitting technologies. The catalog will be shared with federal agencies to help them assess the viability and procurement potential of new solutions.

View a detailed program timeline.

The Permitting Innovation Center was established by the April 2025 Presidential Memorandum on Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century. The Center oversees implementation of CEQ’s Permitting Technology Action Plan — the roadmap guiding federal agencies as they modernize the technology supporting environmental review and permitting.