Photonics grants in the United States

Open

Funds building the imaging that can finally show hair cells and membranes inside a living human ear. A clinical trial is optional.

Pays photonics startups up to $10,000 for pitching live at SPIE Photonics West.

Pays up to $10,000 to photonics startups pitching at Photonics West 2027.

Open

Funds a company and an academic group working as one team to turn an imaging, spectroscopy or data-science advance into something usable in the clinic.

Open

Funds innovators from any country developing near-term defence technology prototypes at TRL 6 or 7 through the MOD Defence Innovation Fund.

Open

Provides Massachusetts startup teams access to advanced prototyping and fabrication through MIT.nano collaboration.

Between cycles

Funds organisations worldwide developing novel defence and security innovations across any technology area from TRL 1 to TRL 8.

Closed

Funds global teams developing diagnostic devices and screening tools that cost approximately $1 per test or near-zero incremental cost per person screened for deployment in low-income countries.

Closed

Funds three to five teams from a $58 million pool to build defense-grade RF systems that use optical timing instead of conventional microwave generation.

Offers pitch time, mentoring and investor exposure to five category-winning startups.

Awards up to $250,000 in cash and in-kind prizes to Tufts-affiliated founders.

Open

Funds secondments of staff between partner organisations worldwide so researchers and R&I staff gain cross-sector, cross-country and cross-discipline experience.

Pays equity-free cash prizes to exhibiting startups that pitch live on the main stage at GITEX AI Kazakhstan.

Open

Pays a postdoctoral researcher's fellowship at a host organisation in Europe, or abroad with a mandatory return phase, to build international research experience.

Open

Supports registered nonprofits with in-kind software and cloud credits to strengthen mission operations.

Open

Provides venture studio support, go-to-market coaching, and startup growth services through cohort engagement.

Offers breakthrough hardware startups coaching and up to €4,000 in travel support.

Between cycles

Offers early-stage founders startup credits for compute on AWS so teams can prototype and launch without immediate spend.

Between cycles

Offers provider-backed startups additional AWS startup credits for advanced architecture, deployment, and customer growth through the portfolio program.

Awards $250,000 a year to an 18-30 tech innovator fighting extreme poverty.

Awards up to $40,000 to student-owned startup ventures pitching like a VC round.

Awards $1 million in seed funding to the winning student-led startup each year.

Funds cost-effective projects — nonprofit or for-profit — recommended by evaluators to a pool of major donors.

Awards a $6,000 prize pool to individuals, teams and organisations building technology or innovation projects that advance global peace.