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Top 15 Grants for Deeptech Startups in 2025
2025-05-03 08:43 Top 15

Top 15 Grants for Deeptech Startups in 2025

Top 15 Grants for Deeptech Startups in 2025

As deeptech continues to evolve and revolutionize various industries, startups in this domain require robust financial support to innovate and scale. With numerous grants available globally, 2025 is set to be an exciting year for deeptech entrepreneurs. This article highlights the Top 15 Grants for Deeptech Startups in 2025, detailing each opportunity with essential information, eligibility criteria, and relevant links for further exploration.
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1. European Innovation Council (EIC) - €1.4 Billion Investment

Description: The EIC, as part of the EU's Horizon Europe program, is a pivotal funding source for deeptech startups in Europe.
Funding Type: Grants and equity investments
Data Points:
  • Total Budget: €1.4 Billion for 2025
  • EIC STEP Scale-up Scheme: €300 million in 2025, expected to reach €900 million by 2027, with investments between €10-€30 million per company.
  • EIC Accelerator: €634 million allocated for grants between €0.5 and €2.5 million, and investments from €0.5 to €10 million.
  • EIC Pathfinder: €262 million for grants up to €4 million aimed at early-stage tech research.
  • Target Areas: Digital technologies, clean technologies, biotechnology, quantum computing, space tech, and AI.
  • Learn more about EIC

2. EIC STEP Scale-up Scheme

Description: A segment of the EIC targeting larger investments for companies scaling strategic technologies in the EU market.
Funding Type: Equity investments
Data Points:
  • Budget: €300 million in 2025, projected to increase to €900 million by 2027.
  • Investment Size: Between €10-€30 million per company.
  • Focus Areas: Digital technologies, clean tech, biotech, quantum computing.
  • Goal: Leverage private co-investment for a total of €50-€150 million.
  • Target Recipients: SMEs, startups, spin-offs, and small mid-cap companies.
  • Find out more about EIC STEP
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3. EIC Accelerator

Description: Supports startups and SMEs in developing and commercializing innovations with significant market potential.
Funding Type: Grants and equity investments
Data Points:
  • Budget: €634 million in 2025
  • Grant Size: Ranges from €0.5 to €2.5 million
  • Investment Size: Ranges from €0.5 to €10 million
  • Technology Readiness Level: Applications must be at TRL 5 or higher
  • Specific Challenges for 2025: Advanced materials, low-emission food production, generative AI, in-space servicing, and future mobility.
  • Learn more about EIC Accelerator

4. EIT Health Deep Tech Venture Builder Programme 2025

Description: Designed to support academic and research teams in swiftly bringing their intellectual property to market in a ten-month program.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Grant Amount: Up to €150,000 per team
  • Program Structure: Two phases focusing on team creation, business development, prototyping, and market validation.
  • Support: Access to EIT Health network, mentorship, and training resources.
  • Program Length: 10 months
  • Target Audience: Academic and research teams with deep tech solutions.
  • Discover more about EIT Health

5. Riceberg Ventures - $20 Million Fund

Description: An early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to funding deep tech startups worldwide.
Funding Type: Venture Capital
Data Points:
  • Fund Size: $20 million
  • Investment Size: Average investment of $0.5 million per startup
  • Target Number of Startups: 25-30 global startups
  • Focus Areas: Spacetech, medtech, cybersecurity, AI, robotics, novel energy, semiconductors, and quantum computing.
  • Geographic Focus: Global, including the US, Europe, and India.
  • Explore Riceberg Ventures

6. EIC Pathfinder Challenges

Description: Provides funding for research teams working on innovative emerging technologies.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Budget: €120 million in 2025
  • Focus Areas: Autonomous robots, climate-resilient crops, waste-to-input conversion, and medical diagnosis.
  • Target Audience: Multi-disciplinary research teams
  • Stage: Early-stage technology research and development.
  • Find out more about EIC Pathfinder

7. SOSV Accelerators (HAX, IndieBio)

Description: A global venture capital firm that manages several industry-specific accelerators, including HAX and IndieBio.
Funding Type: Accelerator/Venture Capital
Data Points:
  • Assets Under Management: $1 billion
  • Focus Areas: Deep tech (HAX) and biotech (IndieBio) startups
  • Benefits: Access to cutting-edge labs, industry-specific mentors, and a global network.
  • Stage: Early-stage to seed funding.
  • Learn more about SOSV
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8. Startupbootcamp

Description: A global network of industry-specific startup accelerators.
Funding Type: Accelerator
Data Points:
  • Focus Areas: Deep tech and robotics for 2025
  • Structure: Designed by entrepreneurs with comprehensive support systems.
  • Explore Startupbootcamp

9. Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) - India

Description: A government initiative in India supporting startups through Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).
Funding Type: Government funding via AIFs
Data Points:
  • Total Corpus: ₹10,000 crore (approximately $1.2 billion USD).
  • Current Investments: ₹20,572.14 crore invested to date.
  • Total Commitment: ₹1 lakh crore
  • Focus Areas: Initially sector-agnostic, now looking to create dedicated deep tech funds.
  • Operationalized By: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
  • Find more about FFS

10. Deep Tech - EU Grants and Funding

Description: A call for proposals advocating disruptive deep tech solutions aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Funding Amount: $1 million each for the top two solutions.
  • Technology Readiness Level: Solutions must be at TRL 6 or higher.
  • Focus: Reduction of carbon emissions across various industries.
  • Discover Deep Tech EU Grants

11. Innovate UK Smart Grants

Description: Financial support for the development of game-changing innovations for societal challenges.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Total Budget: £25 million per round.
  • Grant Size: Up to £2 million for projects lasting up to 3 years.
  • Eligibility: Open to UK-based startups and SMEs across all technologies.
  • Focus Areas: Delivered innovations must address society's pressing needs.
  • Accessibility: Simplified application process.
  • Learn about Innovate UK Smart Grants

12. National Science Foundation (NSF) - Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Description: Provides grants to small businesses with innovative technology projects that could be commercialized.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Funding Amount: Up to $256,000 in Phase I for feasibility studies and $1 million in Phase II for development.
  • Eligibility: U.S.-based small businesses under 500 employees.
  • Technology Type: All areas of technology are eligible, including deeptech.
  • Research Focus: Encouragement of commercialization of technology and innovation.
  • Explore NSF SBIR

13. NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

Description: Provides funding opportunities for technology-focused businesses that can assist NASA with their missions.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Funding Amount: Approximately $125,000 for Phase I; up to $1 million for Phase II.
  • Eligibility: Small businesses that align with NASA’s mission-related topics.
  • Primary Focus: Innovative technologies that support space exploration and earth sciences.
  • Annual Releases: Topics change annually based on NASA's research fields.
  • Learn more about NASA SBIR

14. Ford Foundation - Technology and Society Grant

Description: A grant aimed to foster technological solutions that promote social justice and inclusion.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Funding Amount: Up to $500,000
  • Focus Areas: Impact-focused technology, policy advocacy, and capacity building.
  • Eligibility: Established organizations and emerging startups working in technology for social change.
  • Application Frequency: Typically announced once a year.
  • Explore the Ford Foundation Grants

15. Innovation Fund Denmark - Grants for Green Technologies

Description: Supports projects that develop green technologies to address climate challenges.
Funding Type: Grants
Data Points:
  • Funding Amount: Up to DKK 50 million (approximately $7.5 million) per project.
  • Focus Areas: Renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable production processes.
  • Eligibility: Innovative projects aligned with Denmark’s green transition goals.
  • Application Process: Biannual application rounds.
  • Learn more about Innovation Fund Denmark
The landscape of deeptech funding in 2025 presents an extraordinary opportunity for innovative startups to secure the financial resources necessary for growth and development. Each of these grants has specific criteria and objectives, so it is highly advisable to conduct thorough research before applying.
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FAQ

Q: What funding opportunity does the European Innovation Council (EIC) offer for deep tech startups in 2025?
A: The EIC plans to invest €1.4 billion, providing grants and equity investments across various technology areas including digital technologies and quantum computing. Learn more about EIC funding.
Q: How much funding can a startup receive from the EIC STEP Scale-up Scheme?
A: Startups can receive between €10 million and €30 million, with a budget of €300 million allocated in 2025. Discover more about the EIC STEP Scale-up Scheme.
Q: What are the grant sizes available through the EIC Accelerator?
A: The EIC Accelerator offers grants ranging from €0.5 million to €2.5 million and investments from €0.5 million to €10 million for startups at TRL 5 or higher. Explore EIC Accelerator opportunities.
Q: What support does the EIT Health Deep Tech Venture Builder Programme provide?
A: This program offers grants up to €150,000 for academic and research teams, along with mentorship, training, and access to a network. Learn about EIT Health’s programme.
Q: What is the focus of Riceberg Ventures’ $20 million fund?
A: Riceberg Ventures targets early-stage deep tech startups globally across sectors like spacetech and AI, investing an average of $0.5 million per startup. Find out more about Riceberg Ventures.
Q: How much funding is available through EIC Pathfinder Challenges?
A: The EIC Pathfinder Challenges has a budget of €120 million in 2025 to support early-stage tech research in emerging technologies. Explore the EIC Pathfinder Challenges.
Q: What kind of support do SOSV Accelerators provide?
A: With $1 billion in assets under management, SOSV operates industry-specific accelerators offering resources, mentorship, and lab access for early-stage deep tech startups. Learn more about SOSV Accelerators.
Q: What is the focus of Startupbootcamp for 2025?
A: Startupbootcamp specializes in industry-specific accelerators, primarily focusing on Deep Tech and Robotics to support startups globally. Discover Startupbootcamp's programs.
Q: What is the purpose of the Fund of Funds for Startups in India?
A: The Fund of Funds aims to support Indian startups through AIFs and has a total corpus of ₹10,000 crore, with ongoing investments in various sectors including deep tech. Find more about the Fund of Funds.
Q: What criteria do solutions need to meet for the Deep Tech EU Grants?
A: Solutions must be at or above TRL 6 and focus on reducing carbon emissions, with $1 million available for the top solutions. Explore Deep Tech EU Grants.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.