CEQ Opens Permitting Innovators Call for Solutions to Industry Partners

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in collaboration with NASA, has launched the "Permitting Innovators Call for Solutions," a nationwide challenge to modernize the federal permitting process. The initiative seeks to replace fragmented and manual environmental review systems with 21st-century technology to accelerate infrastructure and national security projects.Here are the key details of the program:The Trump Administration is aiming to eliminate the "unnecessary delays" that frequently stall major economic projects, such as roads, bridges, energy infrastructure, and data centers. By inviting private-sector innovation, the government seeks to move away from outdated, highly manual processes toward automated, digital-first systems.As CEQ Chairman Katherine Scarlett stated: "The Trump Administration is about results: faster reviews, smarter systems, and a government that works as well as the technology available to it."The CEQ is specifically looking for technology companies, startups, and researchers to provide solutions in:Workflow Automation: Reducing manual administrative burdens.Business Process Modernization: Streamlining how agencies manage reviews.Digital-First Documents: Moving away from paper-heavy traditional processes.Timeline Predictability: Tools that help guarantee project schedules and reduce uncertainty.The Expo: An expert panel will evaluate submissions, and the top 50 innovators will be invited to the Permitting Innovators Expo in Washington, D.C., in July 2026. There, they will demonstrate their technology directly to federal agency leaders.The Solutions Catalog: Qualified submissions will be featured in a vetted catalog used by federal agencies to implement the administration’s Permitting Technology Action Plan.May 14, 2026: Informational webinar hosted by the CEQ Permitting Innovation Center and Luminary Labs.June 2, 2026: Deadline for submissions (6:00 p.m. ET).July 2026: Permitting Innovators Expo in Washington, D.C.Innovators can register for the webinar and submit their solutions at permittinginnovators.com.The Objective: Faster Reviews and Smarter SystemsPriority Areas for InnovationOpportunities for ParticipantsImportant Dates and Next Steps