[April 2026]
World Creativity and Innovation Day highlights the importance of creative problem-solving in building a sustainable future. It presents a timely opportunity for NGOs, startups, and changemakers to access funding and accelerate impactful solutions. That is why we have curated a list of top innovation grants and challenges.
Applications open for Global Sustainable Innovation Program
Deadline: 06-May-2026
The L’Oréal Groupe is inviting applications from startups, SMEs, and innovative companies worldwide to participate in its flagship sustainable innovation program, L’AcceleratOR, aimed at piloting and scaling breakthrough solutions for a more sustainable beauty industry…[more]
Caisse des Dépôts Digital Assets Innovation Challenge
Deadline: 04-May-2026
The VivaTech is seeking applications to develop digital asset solutions that improve institutional financial processes, strengthen security, and advance European market autonomy…[more]
Neptune Awards 2026: Innovating for Resilient Oceans
Deadline: 07-August-2026
The Ocean Exchange Neptune Awards 2026 offer a unique opportunity to support groundbreaking solutions that enhance our understanding of the ocean while minimizing human impact…[more]
Crisis Impact Reporting Challenge for Innovators
Deadline: 23-June-2026
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is inviting applications for innovative digital tools that help communities report and respond to crisis impacts in real time…[more]
Call for Proposals: Negroni Week Innovation Award
Deadline: 15-May-2026
The Negroni Week Innovation Award provides $3,000–$10,000 per project (from a $200,000 global pool) to support partnerships improving sustainability, fairness, and quality in the hospitality and beverage sector…[more]
Nominations open for Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026
Deadline: 20-June-2026
The Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC) 2026 invites teams with climate-tech solutions to compete for a total prize pool of Rp15 billion. The challenge supports pilot projects in Indonesia across energy transition, food and nature solutions, and circular economy, targeting scalable innovations with strong commercial potential…[more]
Nominations open for Global EdTech Startup Awards
Deadline: 15-September-2026
The Global EdTech Startups Awards is now accepting applications to support innovative startups from around the world to showcase their solutions and tackle pressing challenges in education and learning…[more]
Contracts for Innovation in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Healthcare Funding Opportunity
Deadline: 06-May-2026
Innovate UK, on behalf of the Office for Life Sciences (OLS), invites organisations to apply for funding to advance innovative solutions in drug and alcohol addiction treatment, recovery, and harm reduction…[more]
RFAs: Stimulating Innovative Research Grant Program
Deadline: 31-August-2026
The Merck Stimulating Innovative Research Grant Program 2026 supports cutting-edge, collaborative research in priority innovation areas shaping the future of science and technology…[more]
Open Call for Ingredient Innovation Startups
Deadline: 04-May-2026
The Nexture is currently accepting applications to support ingredient startups in developing innovative solutions that drive the evolution of the food and beverage industry…[more]
Call for Solutions 2026: Empowering Young Climate Innovators
Deadline: 30-April-2026
The Youth4Climate Call for Solutions 2026 is a global funding opportunity for young people aged 18–29 and youth-led organizations working on innovative climate action projects. Eligible applicants can apply for up to USD 30,000 in seed funding, and selected projects must be completed within 24 months…[more]
RFPs: Breakthrough Innovations to Reduce the Cost of Severe Malnutrition Treatment
Deadline: 28-April-2026
The Gates Foundation is seeking breakthrough innovations that can reduce the total cost of treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) while maintaining quality, safety, and successful treatment outcomes for children in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia…[more]
Apply for Innovations in Cost-Disruptive Tools for Diagnosis and Screening Grand Challenge
Deadline: 28-April-2026
The Gates Foundation 2026 invites applications for innovative diagnostic and screening solutions that dramatically reduce costs while enabling scalable deployment in low- and middle-income countries…[more]
Open Call: RUTF Cost-Disrupting Innovations Challenge
Deadline: 28-April-2026
The Cost-Disrupting Innovations Grand Challenge seeks transformative solutions to lower the cost of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)…[more]
Open Call 1 Supporting Research and Technology Innovation (Africa)
Deadline: 30-June-2026
The FCI4Africa Open Call 1 (OC1) provides up to €50,000 funding per project to support research and technology stakeholders developing innovative tools and solutions. With a total budget of €400,000, the call funds 8 single-applicant sub-projects focused on improving business models, datasets, and technological frameworks…[more]
EYElliance Pan-African Innovation Challenge for Optical Enterprises
Deadline: 25-May-2026
The EYElliance 2026 Pan-African Innovation Challenge is designed to support revenue-generating optical enterprises across Africa with catalytic capital and structured growth support to scale access to affordable eyeglasses…[more]
Nominations Open: Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation
Deadline: 15-May-2026
The Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI) celebrates innovative policies, programs, services, and products that enhance care, social engagement, and age-friendly environments for older adults in East and Southeast Asia…[more]
Open-Innovation Competition Empowering Start-ups with Global Patents
Deadline: 31-July-2026
The IPHatch® Asia competition is a unique initiative aimed at empowering start-ups by granting them access to valuable patents from world-renowned technology leaders…[more]
IPHatch Middle East: Empowering Start-up Innovation
Deadline: 29-May-2026
The IPHatch Middle East offers start-ups a transformative opportunity to access valuable patents from leading global technology companies and accelerate their innovation journey…[more]
Wildfire Safety Funding for Innovative Space-Based Solutions
Deadline: 02-June-2026
The European Space Agency (ESA) is inviting proposals for innovative services that advance wildfire management using space technology and data to support wildfire response across Europe…[more]
CFPs: Business Partnership Facility for Innovative Projects
Deadline: 08-May-2026
The Business Partnership Facility (BPF) supports innovative partnerships between Luxembourg or European Union enterprises and partners in developing countries to address key societal challenges while expanding sustainable business opportunities…[more]
M-ERA.NET Call 2026 for Advanced Materials Research and Innovation
Deadline: 12-May-2026
The M-ERA.NET Call 2026 invites international research consortia to submit proposals for collaborative projects in advanced materials technologies that support sustainable development and the green transition. The programme funds research in areas such as energy storage, energy conversion, innovative materials, coatings, and next-generation electronics, with projects lasting up to 36 months and involving partners from at least three countries…[more]
Apply Now: BLUNEW Accelerator to support Innovation in Marine and Coastal Solutions
Deadline: 27-April-2026
The BLUNEW Project supports innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students developing solutions for the blue economy across Europe’s ADRION region…[more]
NGI Zero Commons Fund Supporting Open Internet Innovation
Deadline: 01-June-2026
The NGI Zero Commons Fund provides €5,000 to €50,000 to support open-source, community-driven technologies that strengthen the public, accessible, and secure nature of the internet…[more]
CFAs: Modernising Defence Forces with Innovative Technologies
Deadline: 29-September-2026
The European Commission is requesting grant applications to support innovative defence products and technologies that enhance readiness, deployability, reliability, safety, and sustainability of forces in defence tasks and missions…[more]
Innovation Grants to Support Civic Sector Experimentation
Deadline: 03-September-2026
The Innovation Grants provide funding of up to EUR 5,000 for civic actors in the Western Balkans to pilot, test, and refine innovative ideas that enhance transparency and citizen engagement. These grants support experimentation, community-driven solutions, and digital tools that address real-world civic challenges over a period of up to six months…[more]
Enhancing EU Access to Space through Innovative Initiative
Deadline: 03-September-2026
The European Commission is inviting grant applications to enhance EU space autonomy and access through innovative solutions for reliable, cost-effective, and autonomous launch capabilities. Projects can receive €10–15 million each, supporting EU launch service providers, ground facilities, and commercial space capabilities…[more]
CFPs: Advancing Science through Scale-driven Innovation
Deadline: 06-May-2026
Amazon is inviting research proposals through its Amazon Research Awards Open Call for Proposals track, designed for ambitious and technically rigorous projects that can deliver real-world impact within the next three to five years…[more]
Entries open for AAKRUTI Innovation Competition 2026
Deadline: 31-May-2026
The AAKRUTI Innovation Competition is a student design and innovation challenge that invites undergraduate students to turn ideas into practical, technology-driven solutions for real-world problems…[more]
Google Data Center Community AI Fellowship Program
Deadline: 12-July-2026
The Google Data Center Community AI Fellowship Program has announced its applications to support community leaders in using AI and technology to transform local expertise into scalable solutions that strengthen their communities…[more]
Application open for Share Prize XVIII “Popular Singularity”
Deadline: 22-May-2026
The 18th Share Prize by the Sharing Association invites global artists to submit innovative works that merge art, science, and technology under the theme “POPULAR SINGULARITY.” The award focuses on experimental digital and new media art practices, offering a €2,500 prize for the winning work…[more]
Israel – India Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund
Deadline Date: 11-May-2026
The Israel-India Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) invites technological companies from Israel to engage in joint projects with Indian partners to foster innovation and advance collaborative industrial research and development…[more]
RFAs: Supporting Industry-Research Collaboration for Innovation (Netherlands)
Deadline: 14-July-2026
The Science for Industry Call 2026 supports collaborative projects between companies and research organizations in the Netherlands, aiming to translate scientific knowledge into industrial innovation and societal impact…[more]
Falling Walls Lab: Competition for Innovators in Austria
Deadline: 29-May-2026
Falling Walls Lab Vienna invites students and early-career professionals to present innovative ideas with the potential to break barriers in science and society…[more]
The Social Impact Award: Nurturing Innovative Solutions in Montenegro
Deadline: 31-May-2026
The Social Impact Award program invites young people to submit innovative ideas that can develop into entrepreneurial ventures with social impact…[more]
FII Innovators Pitch for Transformative AI Solutions
Deadline: 28-May-2026
The FII Innovators Pitch invites forward-thinking innovators to present technology-driven solutions that can address global challenges across climate, healthcare, robotics and education…[more]
Apply for Innovation Opportunity for Youth-Led Projects (Czech Republic)
Deadline: 24-May-2026
The Social Impact Award is now accepting applications to support young innovators by offering funding, mentorship, and global networking opportunities for promising projects…[more]
Funding Opportunity: Innovative Early Childhood Research and Development (US)
Deadline: 31-May-2026
The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood provides seed funding for innovative research and development projects that improve the welfare, education, and development of children from birth through age seven in the United States…[more]
Jawahar RKVY Raftaar Incubator: Boosting Agri Innovation (India)
Deadline: 30-May-2026
The Jawahar RKVY Raftaar Agribusiness Incubator (JAWAHAR-R-ABI) is launching a comprehensive program to support ideation-stage entrepreneurs and startups with innovative ideas or uncommercialized technologies from SAUs, ICAR, CSIR, or farmers in agriculture and allied sectors…[more]
Call for Proposals: Innovation Grants 2026 (Philippines)
Deadline: 05-May-2026
The 2026 Innovation Grants in the Philippines provide PHP 100 million in funding for government-led innovation projects under the Philippine Innovation Act (RA 11293)…[more]
Open Call: Finep More Innovation Initiative – Energy Transition (Brazil)
Deadline: 31-August-2026
This Public Selection supports companies in advancing research, technological development and innovation through collaborative projects with scientific and technological institutions…[more]
Innovative Research Funding Opportunity for Animal Welfare Projects (UK)
Deadline: 10-May-2026
The Animal Welfare Foundation has opened its 2026 Research Call, offering £80,000 to support innovative, researcher-led projects aimed at improving the welfare of managed animal species…[more]
Apply Now: Chips JU Programme – Market-Oriented Call (Denmark)
Deadline: 07-May-2026
The Chips JU Programme is inviting applications for collaborative innovation projects in Electronic Components and Systems (ECS) across Europe. Through Innovation Fund Denmark, Danish participants in successful projects can receive up to €650,000 per Danish partner, with up to €1.3 million per project if a Danish organisation serves as project coordinator…[more]
Lab-to-Fab Accelerators: Advanced Packaging, Heterogeneous Integration (Denmark)
Deadline: 07-May-2026
The Chips for Europe Initiative is inviting applications to strengthen technological capacity and innovation in advanced packaging technologies by accelerating the transfer of solutions from pilot lines to industrial deployment…[more]
Call for Applications: Innovation for Industry Funding Initiative (Malta)
Deadline: 18- May-2026
The Innovation for Industry programme is inviting grant applicatins to support private sector entities in Malta to foster applied innovation, enhance industrial efficiency, and integrate research expertise into business operations…[more]
AI and Edge Learning Innovation Call for the Space Sector in Sweden
Deadline: 15-June-2026
Vinnova is funding innovative projects that use AI and edge learning to advance the Swedish space sector. Grants range from 2.5 to 4 million SEK per project, with a maximum duration of 24 months and a total budget of 8 million SEK…[more]
Funding available to Support Young Innovators and Entrepreneurs (Austria)
Deadline: 19-May-2026
The Social Impact Award program provides young people with the opportunity to turn their innovative ideas into impactful social enterprises through structured support, mentorship, and incubation…[more]
Lazio Innova’s Call4Circular for Sustainable Industrial Solutions (Italy)
Deadline: 11-May-2026
The Call4Circular invites micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises to develop innovative solutions for industrial symbiosis and the reuse of industrial by-products in Lazio…[more]
EU4Innovation East Incubation Grant Programme (Ukraine)
Deadline: 13-May-2026
Expertise France is offering a grant of up to €150,000 to develop a national incubation programme in Ukraine, led by universities to strengthen the startup ecosystem. The initiative focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive participation, targeting youth, women, veterans, and displaced persons…[more]
