Strategic Initiatives
Keep up to date on upcoming opportunities for Business & Industry collaboration and training by signing up for the Strategic Initiatives newsletter:
Strategic Initiatives Newsletter
See our list of current event and training opportunities below:
2026 America's Seed Fund Summit
July 1st - July 29th
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is pleased to announce America’s Seed Fund Summit, taking place throughout July 2026. The Summit includes in-person and virtual events connecting entrepreneurs, innovators, and researchers from across the country to the SBIR and STTR programs, also known as America's Seed Fund.
What to expect:
- Free, virtual programming hosted by SBA each Wednesday (2-3 PM CT) in July to support
your America’s Seed Fund journey (topics subject to change):
- July 1: SBIR Fundamentals and Navigating Agency Differences
- July 8: Protecting Your Innovation
- July 15: Funding and Resources to Support Your Commercialization Journey
- July 22: SBIR Turns 44! 4+ Decades of Impact and Small Business Success
- July 29: Meet the Program Directors
2026 MRL Bootcamp Presented by Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Kansas
July 21st - 22nd
The Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Bootcamp is a two day, in person program designed to help hardware focused technology companies prepare for the transition from prototype to scalable production. Through expert led instruction, case studies, practical exercises, and direct engagement with manufacturing professionals, participants gain the knowledge needed to make informed design and production decisions before costly manufacturing challenges emerge.
Who Should Apply:
- Companies that are developing hardware focused technologies.
- Are at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7+ or preparing to transitions from prototype to production.
Program Timeline:
- Application Deadline: July 7
- Acceptance Notifications: July 10
- Bootcamp Session: July 21-22
Deadline to Apply for Ag45 Great Plains I-Corps Cohort
Application Deadline: Monday, July 16th
Learn a proven framework for customer discovery and learn startup methodologies with expert guidance. During this cohort, participants will conduct 45 customer discovery interviews by talking to farmers, industry leaders, and stakeholders across the AG ecosystem to test your assumptions and validate your idea for an AG innovation. This is a chance to connect with potential customers, and gain funding towards customer discovery efforts.
What you get:
- Up to $3,000 in participant support to be used towards customer discovery efforts.
- Attendance to major conferences: Big Iron Farm and Construction Show and Grand Farm's Autonomous Nation Conference
- Networking/build connections with AG-Industry experts/professionals.
- A validated commercialization plan.
Schedule:
- Thursdays Aug. 13 - Sept. 24 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. CST (Virtual)
- Sept. 15-18 Reception, Conference + Sessions 5-6 (In-Person in Fargo, ND)
Fall 2026 WSU I-Corps Cohort
Monday's, Aug. 17th - Sep. 28th | Deadline to Apply: Sunday, Aug. 2
I-Corps has experts that help guide innovators and entrepreneurs through a customer discovery process to test your assumptions about the market, customers, and problems. Learn more about the customer discovery process, business model canvas, and how to integrate findings to bring your innovation closer to market. I-Corps will provide teams with up to $2,000 to help with customer discovery efforts. This funding is awarded to support team-based customer discovery research aimed at investigating the commercial viability of a product.
Who can apply: All researchers and entrepreneurs in the region, including students, researchers, faculty and community entrepreneurs with deep technology ideas to bring to market. Are you ready to learn more about I-Corps? Visit our website to learn how the program can help develop ideas, how to sign up, and about our expert instructors and mentors.
Schedule: Mondays Aug. 17-Sept. 28 | Noon-3 p.m. (virtual)
Application Deadline: Sunday, Aug. 2
