The Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium (IAEC) announced that all five of its projects submitted under the federal Regional Technology Innovation Tech Hub programme have been approved to advance to the final funding selection stage by the United States Economic Development Administration (EDA).
This decision confirms the growing strategic role of the Intermountain West Nuclear Energy Corridor (INEC) as a national site for advanced nuclear technology demonstration. INEC is among 19 regional tech hubs — out of an initial 31 selected in 2023 — invited to submit a detailed proposal in the programme’s second stage.
A proposal structured around five strategic components
The proposal submitted by the consortium in November 2025 includes five key projects: accelerating the deployment of advanced reactors, modernising fuel management, developing the nuclear workforce, revitalising the nuclear supply chain, and scaling up American nuclear innovation.
These projects are supported by a regional partnership involving the states of Idaho and Wyoming. The total funding requested for the entire programme amounts to $75mn over five years. This support aims to strengthen industrial and technological capacity around nuclear energy, a priority area identified by federal authorities for national economic competitiveness.
A defined timeline for funding allocation
The EDA notified the IAEC in December 2025 that its stage I proposal had been approved, allowing the submission of a full stage II application by February 2026. Funding decisions are expected in spring 2026 following a technical and merit-based review process led by the EDA.
The IAEC president welcomed the consortium’s recognition, highlighting the strength of the public-private partnerships involved in the proposal. The executive director added that the selection positions INEC as a national benchmark site for demonstrating new civilian nuclear capabilities.