Up to $500,000 Climate Innovator Fellowship

Organization: Breakthrough Energy

Type: Fellowship

Location: Global

Deadline: November 2, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

Breakthrough Energy, the climate organisation founded by Bill Gates, runs the Fellows programme to help scientists and engineers take an early-stage climate technology from the lab towards a company. The Innovator Fellowship is its flagship track: a full-time, one-year fellowship with up to $500,000 for research and development, hands-on project management and a global network. Cohort 7 starts in September 2027, and concept papers are due 2 November 2026. **What you get:** - Up to $500,000 for research and development, paid as an investment through a SAFE, covering lab and office space, equipment, supplies, technical consultants and staff - Active technology project management with the Breakthrough Energy team, including monthly milestone and budget reviews - Access to Breakthrough Energy's network of partners across business, policy, government, technology and finance - Curriculum and one-to-one mentorship - In-kind support on communications, policy, legal, techno-economics and recruitment - Possible help with travel costs for in-person cohort events; no relocation required - Alumni access to the resource portal, curriculum, events and mentors after the fellowship **What you'll do:** - Work full time for 12 months on your climate technology, hitting agreed technical milestones, followed by 3 months of close-out and evaluation - Spend about 10 to 15 hours a month on Fellows curriculum and activities alongside the cohort - Report progress in monthly technology management meetings and a formal semi-annual review - Share what you learn publicly, for example in technical publications or presentations, without disclosing proprietary technology **Key dates:** - Concept papers due 2 November 2026 (Step 1) - Selected concept papers invited to submit a full application (Step 2) - Selected full applications invited to a deep-dive interview (Step 3) - Fellows selected mid-2027 - Cohort 7 begins September 2027 **More information:** - Explorers, a separate track for earlier-stage university or lab research, are considered on a rolling basis and do not follow the 2 November date. The FAQ gives Explorer funding as approximately $50,000 to $250,000 in one place and $50,000 to $150,000 in another - Business Fellows, experienced business professionals who join Innovator teams full time for a living stipend, are recruited as needed through the programme's interest form rather than an open call - Full answers on eligibility and funding are in the programme FAQ at befellows.smapply.org/res/p/FAQ1/

Breakthrough EnergyFellowship

Up to $500,000 Climate Innovator Fellowship

Nov 02, 2026 23:59:00 UTC

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Nov 02, 2026 23:59:00 UTC

About this opportunity

What you get:

Up to $500,000 for research and development, paid as an investment through a SAFE, covering lab and office space, equipment, supplies, technical consultants and staff
Active technology project management with the Breakthrough Energy team, including monthly milestone and budget reviews
Access to Breakthrough Energy's network of partners across business, policy, government, technology and finance
Curriculum and one-to-one mentorship
In-kind support on communications, policy, legal, techno-economics and recruitment
Possible help with travel costs for in-person cohort events; no relocation required
Alumni access to the resource portal, curriculum, events and mentors after the fellowship

What you'll do:

Work full time for 12 months on your climate technology, hitting agreed technical milestones, followed by 3 months of close-out and evaluation
Spend about 10 to 15 hours a month on Fellows curriculum and activities alongside the cohort
Report progress in monthly technology management meetings and a formal semi-annual review
Share what you learn publicly, for example in technical publications or presentations, without disclosing proprietary technology

Key dates:

Concept papers due 2 November 2026 (Step 1)
Selected concept papers invited to submit a full application (Step 2)
Selected full applications invited to a deep-dive interview (Step 3)
Fellows selected mid-2027
Cohort 7 begins September 2027

More information:

Explorers, a separate track for earlier-stage university or lab research, are considered on a rolling basis and do not follow the 2 November date. The FAQ gives Explorer funding as approximately $50,000 to $250,000 in one place and $50,000 to $150,000 in another
Business Fellows, experienced business professionals who join Innovator teams full time for a living stipend, are recruited as needed through the programme's interest form rather than an open call
Full answers on eligibility and funding are in the programme FAQ at befellows.smapply.org/res/p/FAQ1/

Who can apply

Open to applicants from around the world; all communication and curriculum is in English
Technology at Technology Readiness Level 1 to 4, advanced to practice with supporting data
Technology with the potential at scale to reduce or capture at least 500 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year, or to meaningfully address climate adaptation
Typically raised less than $2 million in dilutive funding (equity, notes and SAFEs); no limit on grant funding
You do not need a company to apply, but selected fellows must be legally incorporated before the programme starts in September 2027
Full-time commitment: no outside employment, consulting or academic enrolment; professors and full-time researchers may apply but cannot stay in post as Innovator Fellows
One application per team; do not form a team only to apply

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreFair

Cross-checked 7 of 12 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Deadline, tracks, money and eligibility all read on the organisation's own portal home and FAQ, which name Cohort 7 explicitly
+Established backer: Breakthrough Energy, programme run through the Breakthrough Energy Foundation, a 501(c)(3)
+Open worldwide with no relocation
+Portal carries its own scam warning that Breakthrough Energy never asks for payments

Worth checking yourself

!The Innovator money is an investment through a SAFE, not a grant: Breakthrough Energy takes a future equity stake in the company
!Selected fellows must incorporate a company before September 2027 and work on it full time with no other job or study
!Aimed at deep-tech researchers, many with PhDs, at Technology Readiness Level 1 to 4; out of reach for most young people without an existing technology and data
!No closing time or timezone is published; LOT shows 23:59 UTC, so submit earlier on 2 November
!The 2 November date applies to the Innovator Fellowship only; Explorers and Business Fellows are rolling or recruited as needed
!The FAQ contradicts itself on Explorer funding: approximately $50,000 to $250,000 in the Explorer section, $50,000 to $150,000 in the Innovator section
!Applying requires registering on the SurveyMonkey Apply portal; the form was not opened, so the fee finding rests on the public pages

Sources checked

BEbefellows.smapply.orgApplyBEbefellows.smapply.orgApplyBEbefellows.smapply.orgApplyBRbreakthroughenergy.orgOfficialBRbreakthroughenergy.orgOfficialBRbreakthroughenergy.orgOfficial

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.