SET Award 2026
Awards early-stage climate tech and energy start-ups an equity-free cash prize, a fully-covered trip to Berlin, and investor exposure at the SET Tech Festival.
SET Award 2026 is a German Energy Agency (dena) prize that awards early-stage climate tech and energy start-ups an equity-free cash prize, a fully-covered trip to Berlin, and investor exposure at the SET Tech Festival. Startups submit a single online application, in English, to one of five categories, during the autumn application window; a partial or incomplete form is rejected outright. One appl…
The award backs early-stage climate tech and energy start-ups working in one of five tracks: clean energy generation and storage, industrial decarbonization, sustainable buildings, energy access for underserved communities, or low-carbon mobility. Entrants pick a single track and must show a working prototype rather than just an idea.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see what you submit
Sign up free to see the timeline
Sign up free to see where teams trip up
Guides for this application
All guides →TRL Levels Explained for Deeptech Founders
Learn what TRL levels mean, how to estimate technology readiness, and how TRL affects grants, EIC Accelerator, SBIR/STTR, funding stage, and application evidence.
DocumentsGrant Work Plan Template: Work Packages, Gantt, Milestones, and Risks
Use this grant work plan template to structure work packages, tasks, owners, deliverables, Gantt timing, dependencies, and risk registers.
DocumentsGrant Pitch Deck Example: Slides, Storyline, and Video Script
See a grant pitch deck example with slide outline, EIC-style pitch logic, demo-video script, and grant-vs-investor deck differences.
DocumentsProof-of-Concept Data for Grants: Evidence Examples for Deeptech Applications
See how to present proof-of-concept data in grant applications, with examples for evidence registers, test logs, pilot data, and prior project proof.
More from dena
All grants from this funder →Start Up Energy Transition Award
dena · Germany
Awards €10,000 per category to energy-transition startups founded within the last 10 years.
Start Up Energy Transition Award 2027
dena · Germany
Awards €10,000 to the winning start-up in each of five energy-transition categories.
SET Award
dena · Germany
Pays category-winning climate and energy startups €10,000, equity free.
Similar grants
Browse the directory →NL Startup Competition x Draper 2026
🇳🇱NLSC · Netherlands
Awards Dutch startups up to €10,000 in cash plus a five-week Draper University program in Silicon Valley.
ClimateLaunchpad 2022
Climate-KIC · European Union
Runs a global cleantech business-idea competition through national and regional finals, awarding up to €10,000 to the Global Grand Final winner.
A2A Life Ventures – Patentable Solutions
A2A · Italy
Pays $20,000 to $30,000 for patentable clean-tech products or processes in energy transition and the circular economy, in exchange for the exclusive right once filed.
NL Startup Competition
🇳🇱NLSC · Netherlands
Awards Dutch startups up to €10,000 and a Draper University program in Silicon Valley.
A2A Life Ventures – Non-Patented Concepts
A2A · Italy
Pays $10,000 to $15,000 for promising non-patented clean-tech startup ideas in energy transition and the circular economy, with a chance to join A2A's venture-building program.
Make It in Brooklyn Climate Tech Pitch Contest
🇺🇸DBP · United States
Pays NYC climate startups up to $10,000 in cash and commercialization support.