Activate opens 2027 U.S. fellowship applications

Activate opened applications for its 2027 U.S. Fellowship Cohort on Oct. 14, 2026, giving scientists and engineers until Oct. 30 to apply for a two-year program that offers more than $300,000 over two years on zero-equity terms.

The fellowship is designed for people leading the commercial development of a hardware-based technology innovation for the first time. Activate says fellows work full time on the proposed project or company and must be legally able to work in the United States for the fellowship’s duration. The program is aimed at scientists and engineers bringing research to market.

What does Activate’s fellowship provide?

Activate says the fellowship provides a package that includes a $100,000 annual living stipend, $100,000 in R&D support, and $12,000 per year for travel and professional development. The application guide also says fellows receive a health-insurance stipend and a relocation allowance.

The company describes the program as a two-year fellowship that transforms scientists and engineers into founders. Its fellowship page says Activate has helped 353 scientists go from zero to one and supported the launch of 281 hard-tech science companies.

Who can apply for Cohort 2027?

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and at least four years of post-baccalaureate scientific research, engineering, or technology-development experience. Activate also says applicants must be first-time leaders of the commercial development of a hardware-based technology innovation.

Projects must be rooted in the physical or biological sciences or related engineering disciplines. They must still be in development, not yet ready for full-scale product sales, and must have raised no more than $2 million in nongovernmental debt or equity funding by the deadline. Activate says it does not currently support projects that only have applications in healthcare and typically does not support projects that are purely software.

Applicants must also be able to communicate proficiently in English, commit full time to the project if selected, and be legally able to work in the U.S. during the fellowship.

Where will fellows be based?

Activate says it has five U.S. fellowship communities: Anywhere, Berkeley/Cyclotron Road, Boston, Houston, and New York. Anywhere fellows must live in the United States and at least 70 miles from an in-residence community.

For Anywhere fellows, Activate requires quarterly U.S.-based trips sponsored by the program, along with bi-weekly local programming. Across the fellowship, participation requirements include bi-weekly local programming, weekly virtual national educational programming in the first year, an annual week-long summer retreat, regular meetings with a managing director, and quarterly advisory meetings.

How does the application process work?

The application portal says the C27 application opened on Sept. 15, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time and closes on Oct. 30, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, equivalent to noon Pacific Time. Activate’s application guide and October update page both point to the Oct. 30 deadline.

Applicants can apply solo or with a co-applicant. If a team applies, only the principal applicant receives funding if selected; the co-applicant becomes an unfunded Affiliate Fellow with the same participation expectations but no stipend.

Activate says the application requires written answers, a one-page blinded resume for each applicant, a three-page Technical Vision document, a four-slide Technical Reality deck, and a 60-second video prototype demonstration. The portal also says Activate uses enterprise-grade AI tools for research and summarization in review, but humans make all advancement decisions and AI does not select applicants.