Submissions open for the Activate Fellowship Program (US)

Deadline: 28-Oct-2025

Applications are now open for the Activate Fellowship to integrate community, resources, and opportunity.

Activate supports 16 verticals, aligned with their broader mission to meet the urgency of global challenges: Advanced Robotics and Manufacturing, Built Environment, Carbon Management, Chemistry and Materials, Climate, Computing, Earth Resources, Electronics and Connectivity, Energy Generation and Delivery, Energy, Storage and Batteries, Food and Agriculture, Industrial Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Space and Aeronautics, Transportation and Mobility, and Water.

The fellowship provides more than $300K over two years to support living expenses, R&D, and other common costs, enabling fellows to focus full-time on developing their projects. In addition to funding, fellows gain access to a collaborative community of peers, alumni, and advisors who celebrate each other’s successes.

The program also offers comprehensive leadership development through workshops, virtual training, and skill-building sessions. Regular one-on-one mentorship with community team members ensures consistent guidance and unbiased advice throughout the fellowship journey.

The eligibility criteria are designed to attract emerging leaders in hard tech. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and at least four years of post-baccalaureate experience in scientific research, engineering, or technology development. They must be leading the commercial development of a hardware-based technology innovation for the first time and be committed full-time to the project if awarded the fellowship. Fellows must be legally able to work in the U.S. and proficient in English.

Project eligibility requires that the proposed technology be based in the physical or biological sciences or related engineering disciplines. Projects must still be in development and not ready for full-scale product sales by the application deadline, and applicants must not have raised more than $2M in non-governmental funding.

Their selection process emphasizes the strength of each candidate’s entrepreneurial and technical leadership potential. They seek individuals capable of building transformative technology and leading its development, ensuring the proposed concepts are technically sound, differentiated, and have the potential for significant long-term impact within one or more of the sixteen targeted verticals.

Applicants are required to submit a one-page anonymized resume and a three-page project summary PDF. The summary should include a two-page section describing the technical vision, market viability, milestones, risks, and social impact, followed by a one-page technical overview illustrating the core innovation through text, diagrams, or other visual materials. A short 3–4 slide deck is also required, presenting technical details, current progress, business model insights, and a two-year work plan for the fellowship period.

The deadline for applications is 28 October 2025.

For more information, visit Activate.