# Funding refresh: 18 October 2026

Initial catch-up from the July funding dataset. Existing approved project themes, the Territory portfolio, scoring weights, licence and ownership are preserved. Proposed portfolio additions and their keyword mapping are not implemented.

## Result

- Baseline: `037a72d11362fa61445680b1fc74cc62819c111a` on `master`, matching public GitHub before editing.
- First build and last portfolio/data changes: 22 July 2026. The 3 September supplement remains historical, not a current grant calendar.
- All 49 original records screened; 5 new records; 54 programme profiles retained.
- 52 active research profiles. Canada is paused and EHF is closed; their full profiles remain in the archive view.
- Two confirmed dated intakes archived: Epic MegaGrants 2026 Cycle 2, 4 September; Canadian 2025-certificate exception, 30 June. Recurring programmes are retained.
- MSCA is not archived: its page marks dates TBC and the linked portal could not be read. Unknown dates and inaccessible sources do not establish expiry.

## What verification means

The 49 original records were screened, not fully verified: 45 received partial source reviews and four sources were inaccessible. With the five additions, 50 records have partial checks and four remain source-unavailable. Every record contains a source-check date, URLs, confirmed fields and unverified fields. Reaching a homepage does not verify a live application, award agreement, Australian eligibility, IP or co-funding. Unverified conditions are labelled in the rendered detail. Scores remain assessments under the existing weights, not eligibility decisions.

## Main corrections

- Epic uses submission windows. National Geographic has replaced generic Level I/II applications with specific RFPs.
- Hub71 cash uses equity instruments. Hello Tomorrow advertises a EUR 200,000 equity prize. Neither headline package is equity-free cash.
- NLnet lists 3 November 2026 noon CET, a European-dimension gate, open licences and a material AI-proposal policy.
- Foresight currently displays a 2028 cohort link; no 2027 deadline is invented. Fellowship benefits are separated from grants.
- Astera describes a 12-18 month funded, open-first residency. Earlier remote-friendly assurances were not supported.
- Techstars publishes USD 220,000 across a CEA and SAFE. Current Microsoft, AWS Activate and Google credit ceilings and tiers replace older descriptions.
- e-Residency is not a visa, tax residency or automatic EU-grant eligibility. EntrePass is separated from an unverified Singapore founder grant.
- EHF confirms closure. Canada confirms its pause and ended exception intake. Unsupported blanket UAE and GIFT City tax assurances are removed.

## Added opportunities

| Programme | Status and applicant gate | Official source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emergent Ventures | General fellowship and grant application route open; Yes, the general programme supports applicants worldwide | [Source](https://www.mercatus.org/emergent-ventures) |
| Awesome Foundation microgrants | Application form available; each chapter sets its own selection rhythm; Yes for applicant type; chapter geography and project fit still apply | [Source](https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/faq) |
| Transformative AI Fund | Always open to applications; replaces the closed Long-Term Future Fund; Australian access not explicitly confirmed on the fund page; verify the applicant jurisdiction and payment conditions | [Source](https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/funds/transformative-ai) |
| Innovate UK: Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems | 2026 Phase 1 application window open; Only through an eligible UK-registered SME and UK project; Australian residence alone does not qualify | [Source](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2582/overview/9fdb47a5-011c-4c47-ac5e-c426e295fe89) |
| BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Assurance and Compliance | Announced application window; not open on 18 October 2026; Conditional on eligible UK organisations and delivery; no direct Australian solo-applicant route established | [Source](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2597/overview/7ec02a95-73e5-4928-8104-67a9f1b279e3) |

## Upcoming published dates

These dates do not establish applicant or project eligibility. Closing times are stated only where checked.

| Programme or call | Published date | Material gate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [National Geographic: Ocean Exploration and Discovery; Southern Ocean visiting scientists](https://www.nationalgeographic.org/explore/grants-investments) | Close 21 October 2026 | Specific scientist and research requirements; not a generic technology grant |
| [National Geographic: Trebek Initiative](https://www.nationalgeographic.org/explore/grants-investments) | Close 28 October 2026 | Distinct impact in Canada |
| [YC Winter 2027](https://www.ycombinator.com/apply) | On-time deadline 2 November 2026, 20:00 Pacific; late applications considered | Equity investment and San Francisco attendance |
| [NLnet](https://nlnet.nl/propose/) | Close 3 November 2026, 12:00 CET | Open licences, European dimension and proposal AI policy |
| [EIC Accelerator](https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en) | Full-proposal batch 4 November 2026, 17:00 Brussels time | Prior short-proposal GO and eligible applicant location |
| [Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2582/overview/9fdb47a5-011c-4c47-ac5e-c426e295fe89) | Open; closes 18 November 2026, 11:00 UK time | UK SME, TRL 1-3 core mechanism, UK delivery and contribution |
| [Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge](https://hello-tomorrow.org/global-challenge/) | Close 30 November 2026 | Deep-tech fit; headline prize involves equity |
| [National Geographic: The Human Thread](https://www.nationalgeographic.org/explore/grants-investments) | Close 1 December 2026 | Specific storytelling RFP |
| [BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Assurance and Compliance](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2597/overview/7ec02a95-73e5-4928-8104-67a9f1b279e3) | Opens 21 October; closes 8 December 2026, 11:00 UK time | UK SME, TRL 5-6 solution and eligible UK deployer; Phase 1 grant request GBP 100,000-200,000 per consortium |

Hub71 publishes February 2027 for Cohort 21 without an exact closing day. MSCA dates remain indicative and are excluded from this confirmed-date list.

## Record-by-record audit

Dates refer to the 18 October source check, not the original publication date. The JSON records provide the full field-level lists.

| Record | Outcome | Material finding or remaining check | Official source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Austrade Landing Pads | open; partial | The official page confirms programme-level access, not that every calendar activity remains open. | [Source](https://www.austrade.gov.au/en/how-we-can-help-you/programs-and-services/landing-pads) |
| Start-Up Chile | recurring; partial | The official homepage confirms equity-free support. The former 2-23 November 2026 BIG 7 dates and track amounts could not be verified and are no longer presented as current. | [Source](https://startupchile.org/) |
| Start Qatar | recurring; source_unavailable | Source could not be read reliably. Existing terms are unverified; this access failure is not evidence of expiry. | [Source](https://www.qdb.qa/) |
| Hub71 Access Programme | open; partial | Corrects the earlier non-dilutive description. Month-only deadline retained without inventing a day. | [Source](https://www.hub71.com/program/access-programme) |
| French Tech Visa and incubation pathways | recurring; partial | The current La French Tech site was reviewed. Historical French Tech Ticket funding is not an active award and the specific visa and incubator conditions still need checking. | [Source](https://lafrenchtech.gouv.fr/en/) |
| Estonia Startup Visa and e-Residency | open; partial | Corrected the dead source URL and removed automatic EU-grant eligibility claims. | [Source](https://startupestonia.ee/startup-visa/) |
| Portugal StartUP Visa and Tech Visa | open; partial | Tech Visa is a separate employer route. Fees, financial means, contracts and grant eligibility must be checked independently. | [Source](https://startupportugal.com/programs/startup-visa/) |
| Singapore EntrePass (Startup SG Founder is a separate grant) | open; partial | The grant page returned only a JavaScript shell. The verified MOM pass route must not be conflated with grant eligibility. | [Source](https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/entrepass/eligibility) |
| Start-up Visa Program | closed; partial | The official page explicitly confirms the pause and deadline. Programme profile retained, closed intake preserved in the round archive. | [Source](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/start-visa.html) |
| Global Talent Visa (Digital Technology) | open; partial | The official page confirms the application route and fees. Digital-technology endorsement evidence and individual suitability remain unverified. | [Source](https://www.gov.uk/global-talent) |
| Creative Destruction Lab | open; partial | An advertised application route is not confirmation that every stream or location still accepts applications. | [Source](https://creativedestructionlab.com/) |
| Horizon Europe and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions | recurring; partial | Not archived: the source labels its dates TBC and the linked Funding & Tenders page was unavailable. A past indicative date alone is insufficient evidence of closure. | [Source](https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/funding/msca-postdoctoral-fellowships-2026) |
| Astera Institute Residency | recurring; partial | The page supports the residency and open-first conditions. It does not support the earlier remote-friendly promise or a current open intake. | [Source](https://astera.org/residency/) |
| Wellcome Trust research funding (incl. Mental Health) | recurring; partial | The funding directory confirms the research themes. It does not establish that an Australian university is an eligible administering host for every scheme. | [Source](https://wellcome.org/research-funding) |
| Dubai Future Accelerators and GovTech pilots | recurring; partial | Homepage access does not confirm a procurement offer, current intake or paid contract. | [Source](https://www.dubaifuture.ae/) |
| DIFC Innovation Hub and Launchpad | unknown; source_unavailable | Source could not be read reliably. Existing terms are unverified; this access failure is not evidence of expiry. | [Source](https://www.difc.ae/business/innovation-hub) |
| NLnet open internet grants (Restack and CodeSupply) | open; partial | Official form reviewed, with Restack as a second source. No licence change or eligibility assurance is implied. | [Source](https://nlnet.nl/propose/) |
| Mozilla Foundation grantmaking | recurring; partial | The former URL redirects to the grantmaking directory. Do not assume the historical Technology Fund name identifies an open round. | [Source](https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/what-we-do/grantmaking/) |
| Halcyon impact accelerators | recurring; partial | The former domain redirects to the new accelerator site. The historical residential fellowship package is not treated as a universal current offer. | [Source](https://halcyonaccelerator.org/) |
| UNLEASH innovation programmes | recurring; partial | The source supports UNLEASH, not a combined UNDP funding instrument. Age, nationality, residence, travel and regional criteria require a specific call. | [Source](https://unleash.org/) |
| GEF Small Grants Programme | recurring; source_unavailable | Source could not be read reliably. Existing terms are unverified; this access failure is not evidence of expiry. | [Source](https://sgp.undp.org/) |
| Grand Challenges | recurring; partial | The current directory contains limited readable call detail. Treat every historical amount, applicant and IP condition below as unverified until the chosen RFP is read. | [Source](https://www.grandchallenges.org/) |
| Epic MegaGrants | recurring; partial | The programme is not always open. Only Cycle 2 is archived; the recurring programme remains in the atlas. | [Source](https://www.unrealengine.com/megagrants) |
| National Geographic Society Grants | open; partial | A local story must match an actual RFP; none of the listed calls is assumed to fund any Minjerribah proposal automatically. | [Source](https://www.nationalgeographic.org/explore/grants-investments) |
| Immersive festival labs (Venice, Tribeca, Sundance, SXSW) | recurring; partial | This source does not verify the separate Venice, Tribeca, Sundance or SXSW lab terms. No festival or lab is declared expired merely from this page. | [Source](https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2026) |
| XPRIZE challenge competitions | recurring; partial | An active multi-year competition is not necessarily open to new teams. No universal current award, registration fee, IP rule or deadline is confirmed. | [Source](https://www.xprize.org/competitions) |
| EIC Accelerator | open; partial | The full-proposal date is not an entry deadline for someone without a GO. Registration and grant eligibility are separate. | [Source](https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en) |
| Protocol Labs and Filecoin developer grants | recurring; partial | Foundation directory read. Repository-specific acceptance, open-source and payment conditions remain unverified. | [Source](https://fil.org/grants) |
| NEOM and Saudi deep-future programs | unknown; source_unavailable | Source could not be read reliably. Existing terms are unverified; this access failure is not evidence of expiry. | [Source](https://www.neom.com/en-us) |
| MassChallenge | recurring; partial | Official site reached through the web research tool after the direct fetch was blocked. Individual accelerator dates, prize amounts, fees and equity conditions still need checking. | [Source](https://masschallenge.org/) |
| Techstars | recurring; partial | Current published investment terms replace the historical USD 120,000 figure. Programme-specific application dates remain unverified. | [Source](https://www.techstars.com/investment-terms) |
| The Earthshot Prize | recurring; partial | The 2026 finalist stage is not a new open application window. Preserve the recurring programme without inventing a nomination date. | [Source](https://earthshotprize.org/) |
| Y Combinator | open; partial | Late consideration means the on-time deadline must not automatically archive the whole programme. | [Source](https://www.ycombinator.com/apply) |
| NVIDIA Inception | open; partial | The official FAQ confirms incorporation is mandatory. Partner cloud-credit amounts remain unverified. | [Source](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/) |
| Microsoft for Startups | open; partial | The headline ceiling is confirmed. Previous self-serve tiers, referral rules, included software and credit expiry were not reverified. | [Source](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups) |
| AWS Activate | open; partial | Current headline ceiling confirmed. Provider affiliation, individual tier amounts, credit expiry and overage billing must be checked before use. | [Source](https://aws.amazon.com/startups/) |
| MIT Solve Global Challenges | unknown; partial | Homepage and challenge directory do not expose enough current call detail. Not expired and not archived; excluded from open-only and executive shortlist views. | [Source](https://solve.mit.edu/challenges) |
| Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge | open; partial | Corrected the old EUR 100,000 equity-free claim. Official application deadline is 30 November, not the previous unverified October estimate. | [Source](https://hello-tomorrow.org/global-challenge/) |
| Foresight Institute Fellowship | open; partial | The published cohort label is 2028. It is reported as displayed, without inventing a 2027 deadline or merging separate node grants into the fellowship. | [Source](https://foresight.org/engage/fellowship/) |
| Challenge Works prizes (e.g. Longitude Prize on Dementia) | recurring; partial | A generic dementia proposal is not assumed eligible for a current prize. Prior dementia award-history claims were not independently reverified. | [Source](https://challengeworks.org/) |
| Edmund Hillary Fellowship and Global Impact Visa | closed; partial | Official homepage explicitly states organisation closure. Profile retained as history; no dated round is invented or archived. | [Source](https://www.ehf.org/) |
| Antler founder residency | recurring; partial | The public page includes a generic receipt template; it is not evidence that an application was submitted. Location-specific terms need review. | [Source](https://www.antler.co/pitch) |
| Google for Startups Cloud Program | open; partial | Corrected the previous blanket accelerator or VC association claim. Funding evidence, website quality, current credit terms and billing exposure require review. | [Source](https://cloud.google.com/startup) |
| Ethereum Foundation Ecosystem Support Program | recurring; partial | Current homepage confirms the public-goods remit. Old award bands and historical total funding are not treated as an active offer. | [Source](https://esp.ethereum.foundation/) |
| Sundance Institute Artist Programs (incl. New Frontier) | recurring; partial | Current listings include Merata Mita, Graton and an Episodic Sloan grant. Their presence does not establish eligibility for Luke or a current New Frontier intake. | [Source](https://www.sundance.org/apply/) |
| UAE Free Zones (RAKEZ, IFZA, ADGM, Dubai Internet City) | open; partial | Removed the unsupported mid-2027 tax assurance. A RAKEZ page does not verify IFZA, ADGM or Dubai Internet City terms. | [Source](https://rakez.com/en/) |
| GIFT City IFSC (India) | unknown; partial | The former 20-year tax-holiday claim was not substantiated in this check and is not repeated as a current entitlement. | [Source](https://ifsca.gov.in/) |
| Saudi Special Economic Zones (incl. Cloud Computing SEZ) | unknown; partial | Authority homepage access alone does not establish an open funded programme or a particular tax rate. | [Source](https://ecza.gov.sa/en) |
| Charter cities and network-state zones (Prospera, Itana) | unknown; partial | Retained as an explicitly unverified wildcard, not an open grant or legal assurance. | [Source](https://www.prospera.co/) |
| Emergent Ventures | open; partial | Official programme page confirms global access and the no-AI-writing rule. No fixed award amount or detailed IP agreement was published. | [Source](https://www.mercatus.org/emergent-ventures) |
| Awesome Foundation microgrants | open; partial | Current official programme page and application route reviewed; award agreement details still need checking. | [Source](https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/faq) |
| Transformative AI Fund | open; partial | Current official programme page and application route reviewed; award agreement details still need checking. | [Source](https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/funds/transformative-ai) |
| Innovate UK: Efficient, Structured and Controllable AI Systems | open; partial | Current official programme page and application route reviewed; award agreement details still need checking. | [Source](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2582/overview/9fdb47a5-011c-4c47-ac5e-c426e295fe89) |
| BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst: AI for Assurance and Compliance | soon; partial | Current official programme page and application route reviewed; award agreement details still need checking. | [Source](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2597/overview/7ec02a95-73e5-4928-8104-67a9f1b279e3) |

## Remaining verification work

- QDB/Start Qatar and NEOM: direct TLS validation failed; no expiry inferred. DIFC returned HTTP 429. GEF SGP was blocked. Their terms remain unverified and all four are excluded from the executive shortlist.
- Definitive MSCA portal status, Wellcome host rules, UNLEASH regional/age conditions and individual Grand Challenges RFPs.
- A current Dubai paid-pilot contract, specific MassChallenge and Halcyon cohort terms and festival-lab calls rather than festival landing pages.
- Filecoin repository-specific terms, Ethereum application and award rules, XPRIZE registration windows and the next Earthshot nomination cycle.
- Cloud-credit expiry, service limits and overage billing; incorporation, immigration, substance and tax; each applicant agreement and IP conditions.
- Australian access to Transformative AI Fund is not explicitly established by its fund page. New UK calls require actual UK applicants and work; BridgeAI also requires a UK deployer. No entity or partnership is assumed.

## Additional searches and exclusions

- [Sovereign Tech Fund](https://www.sovereign.tech/programs/fund): not added as a current project match. It excludes prototypes and user-facing applications and requires freely reusable licences without non-commercial restrictions. The Strange But True licence is preserved.
- [AWS Open Data Sponsorship](https://aws.amazon.com/opendata/open-data-sponsorship-program/): reviewed as an in-kind lead; no eligible public dataset and rights package was established.
- [Open Technology Fund](https://www.opentech.fund/funds/internet-freedom-fund/) and [STARTS Prize](https://starts-prize.aec.at/en/): source retrieval blocked; current terms and timing not inferred.
- [Long-Term Future Fund](https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/funds/far-future): officially closed and replaced by Transformative AI Fund; no duplicate obsolete programme added.
- The [UK official competition directory](https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/search) was screened for current AI, deployment and climate calls. The two added AI routes retain explicit UK applicant, maturity, partner and contribution gates. No Australian entitlement is implied.

## Archive and maintenance convention

`data/opportunity-archive.json` holds full pre-refresh snapshots with unique round IDs, programme IDs, official sources, closing dates, reasons and archive dates. Never delete a recurring programme merely because a round ends. Keep past snapshots unchanged when a new round opens. A programme closure without a published date is recorded without inventing a dated round.

`data/funding-refresh.json` records the run date, scope and counts. Update it with reviewed opportunity records and a dated audit. The project portfolio and proposed keyword mapping are outside this refresh.

## Local review

Preview: http://127.0.0.1:4190/ (loopback only). Run `python scripts/check-funding-refresh.py` for data, archive and local-link checks. Browser validation covers active counts, filters, shortlist, categories, archive details and navigation.

## Validation completed

- Offline validator: 54 unique programme records, 52 active profiles, all 49 baseline IDs retained, 5 additions, full verification-field coverage and valid internal references.
- Both archived records compare exactly with their full baseline JSON snapshots. Closure dates precede the archive date. All scoring weights still total 100.
- JavaScript syntax and Git whitespace checks passed. All local HTML asset and page targets exist.
- Headless Edge exercised all 12 rendered pages. Counts, four status filters, all five new searches, name and score sorting, shortlist exclusions, category counts and two archived rounds passed.
- At 390px width, atlas and archive pages have no horizontal overflow. The mobile menu and navigation passed. No browser exceptions or failed local asset/data requests occurred.
- Portfolio, themes, category definitions, networks, licence and ownership text remain unchanged. Existing scores changed only where reviewed funding conditions warranted it; the original formula is preserved.
- Loopback HTTP preview returned 200 after its launcher exited, with the server bound to 127.0.0.1:4190.

## Rendered impact

Direct page copy changed in Home, Atlas, Shortlist, Relocation and Research Brief; Round Archive is new. Every original HTML page received the shared-script version update.

Shared opportunity data changes Home, Atlas, Shortlist, Categories, Relocation, By Project, Minjerribah, Strategy and Territory funding links. People and Research Brief also show the shared source-check footer and archive navigation. Their project and network records have not changed.