FLITE grants open until 30 October 2026

FLITE, the Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship, is run by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Seamless Ventures, Southwest Airlines, AvFlight Grand Rapids, and the West Michigan Aviation Academy. It gives grants and pilot testing to companies that bring new air travel technology to market. The work is tested in a live airport.

The page does not state a grant amount. It names five focus areas: automation and analytics, electrification and sustainability, safety and security, the trip to the airport and the terminal experience, and advancing aviation.

Applications are open until 30 October 2026. You apply on the form linked from the FLITE page. The form repeats the same description of grants and live testing. FLITE says it scores applications on partners, location, budget, timeline, and metrics, then usually calls the higher scoring applicants before it chooses recipients.

The program is supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. The page does not list a country limit.