The Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium announced Tuesday that its INEC Tech Hub application has been selected by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to proceed to the final Stage II competition for $73 million in funding for five major component projects.

The IAEC is based in Idaho Falls and leads the Intermountain-West Nuclear Energy Corridor Tech Hub, which serves both Idaho and Wyoming.

“With the support of the EDA, the INEC Tech Hub is positioned as America’s premier nuclear demonstration site,” said Christi Gilchrist, IAEC executive director.

The INEC Tech Hub was one of only 31 regional Tech Hubs selected by the EDA in 2023, Gilchrist said. INEC was one of only 19 of those 31 regional Tech Hubs that was invited to submit proposals under this most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity, Gilchrist said.

The EDA will provide a total of $220 million in grant funding to support American regions with the assets, talent and capacity to become global leaders in critical technologies.

The INEC Stage I proposal to the EDA was submitted in November and consists of the following five major component projects:

• Accelerating Advanced Reactor Deployment aims to qualify advanced fuels, improve reactor economics and foster local nuclear workforce development resulting in U.S. energy dominance and affordability.

• Modernizing Fuel Management addresses nuclear fuel cycle constraints, establishes a domestic HALEU (High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium) nuclear fuel supply, accelerates uranium recovery and prepares communities for nuclear site licensing.

• Growing the Nuclear Workforce includes the College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho State University, Western Wyoming Community College and Gillette (WY) College. Each institution will focus on developing trades, manufacturing/fabrication and STEM Pathways curriculum to create a comprehensive scalable workforce development plan and reduce barriers for programs and employers.

• Reinvigorating the Nuclear Supply Chain focuses on demonstrating advanced construction techniques and supporting regional manufacturers to enter the nuclear market.

• Scaling America’s Nuclear Innovation integrates national laboratory validation and business acceleration with the INEC Innovation Incubator. The project supports up to 30 startups with funding, mentorship and market acceleration services for technologies in digital systems, sensors, cybersecurity, thermal management and advanced materials.

The five component projects that make up the INEC Tech Hub submission were each submitted to accelerate nuclear technology commercialization, furthering the nuclear industry and elevating the region.

The total funding requested by the INEC Tech Hub is approximately $73 million to support deployment of these five component projects over the next five years, Gilchrist said.

The EDA completed a technical and merit review of the INEC Stage I application, and EDA notified IAEC in December that its proposal had successfully passed the Stage I review and was invited to submit a Stage II proposal in February, Gilchrist said. The EDA is expected to complete Stage II grant application reviews and make awards sometime during the spring of 2026.

It’s unknown how many of the 19 regional Tech Hubs advanced to Stage II, Gilchrist said.

“Now we’ll follow the application requirements from the EDA for all five component projects,” Gilchrist said. “They’ll make a decision about which ones they will fund. It could be all five. It could be one.”

According to Gilchrist, the estimated economic impact across the INEC Tech Hub region if all five component projects are funded is $190 million over five years and more than 900 high-paying energy jobs are projected to be created.

The deadline for Stage II applications is 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 18.

“This advancement reflects the strength of our public-private partnerships and our consortium’s ability to deliver on ambitious goals,” said Kirt Marlow, IAEC president. “We’re grateful for the EDA’s confidence and eager to demonstrate how strategic investment in our Tech Hub will accelerate America’s energy transition.”