Opportunities Digest: November 2026 – ten open doors before the year closes

November is when a lot of funders quietly open next year’s doors, and this month’s digest is full of them. We’ve found ten non-dilutive and visibility opportunities that climate founders can apply for right now. They include a $250,000 global climate prize, two of Europe’s best-known startup competitions, EIC funding for deep tech, UK grants for low-carbon concrete and farm trials, and dedicated routes for African energy and climate AI founders. Several close within the next month, so start with the first section. As always, check the eligibility details on each official page before you apply.

Closing soon

1. 2027 Climate Innovation Prize

Organised by the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy, University of Utah

• What’s on offer: One $250,000 Grand Prize in non-dilutive funding.
• Who it’s for: For-profits and non-profits at any stage, anywhere in the world, working on climate mitigation, resilience or risk management. No Utah connection needed.
• Deadline: Friday 20 November 2026, midnight MST
• Why apply: A quarter of a million dollars with no equity taken and no geographic limits is rare. It’s worth an afternoon of your time.

2. Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge

Organised by Hello Tomorrow

• What’s on offer: A €200,000 equity prize from DeepBright Ventures, plus a Spinout Breakthroughs Prize for idea and pre-seed teams. Finalists pitch at the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Amsterdam on 2–3 June 2027.
• Who it’s for: Science-based startups from early development up to Series B, with a team of at least two. The Climate Tech & Resource Efficiency and Novel Energy tracks are the most relevant.
• Deadline: Monday 30 November 2026
• Why apply: It’s one of the most respected deep-tech stages in the world, and the room is full of corporates and investors who back hard tech.

3. SET Award 2027

Organised by Start Up Energy Transition

• What’s on offer: €10,000 equity-free for each category winner. Fifteen finalists get travel and accommodation to pitch at the SET Tech Festival 2027 in Berlin, plus a festival booth.
• Who it’s for: Energy and climate tech companies founded in August 2016 or later, with at least a proof of concept, and either a customer or partner or a working prototype (hardware at TRL 4+).
• Deadline: Monday 30 November 2026
• Why apply: It’s free to enter, and even making the SET List brings media features and festival access.

4. EIC Accelerator (short proposal)

Organised by the European Innovation Council

• What’s on offer: Grant funding of up to €2.5 million (TRL 6–8), with equity investment available through the EIC Fund for larger raises.
• Who it’s for: Startups and SMEs in EU member states and Horizon Europe associated countries, including the UK, with breakthrough, high-risk innovations.
• Deadline: Tuesday 1 December 2026, 17:00 CET
• Why apply: The short proposal is the low-effort first step, and short proposals are batched on the first Tuesday of every month. A pass opens the route to a full proposal in the 2027 rounds.

5. Growth Cohorts: Next-gen Low Carbon Concrete, Round 2

Organised by Innovate UK

• What’s on offer: A £54,400 package (£50,000 grant plus £4,400 in-kind support), a dedicated Cohort Manager, access to a further £50,000 grant for specialist services, and a route to follow-on growth funding.
• Who it’s for: UK-registered businesses of any size working to decarbonise concrete. You’ll need a support letter from a company in the concrete supply chain and a three-minute video pitch.
• Deadline: Wednesday 2 December 2026, 11:00 GMT
• Why apply: A focused cohort with real money and hands-on support, in one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.

6. Full ADOPT Grant: Round 10

Organised by Defra and Innovate UK

• What’s on offer: Grants for on-farm trials and demonstrations, with project costs of £50,000–£200,000 from a £5 million pot.
• Who it’s for: Collaborations led by an active farming, growing or forestry business in England. UK agritech and climate startups can join as partners.
• Deadline: Wednesday 2 December 2026, 11:00 GMT
• Why apply: A funded way to get your technology onto real farms with real farmers, which is exactly the evidence investors ask for.

Grants & public funding

7. Women TechEU

Organised by the EU (EIC and EIT)

• What’s on offer: €75,000 in non-dilutive funding, plus mentoring and coaching.
• Who it’s for: Early-stage deep-tech startups from Europe that are led by women. You must pass the Eligibility Strand first, which has weekly cut-offs every Tuesday at 17:00 CET.
• Deadline: Thursday 14 January 2027, 17:00 CET (full proposals)
• Why apply: A meaningful first grant, and a recognised stepping stone towards the EIC.

8. Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): 2026–27 Round 4

Organised by Innovate UK

• What’s on offer: For SMEs, a grant of up to 67% of the cost of a 24–36 month project with a university or research organisation, which places a graduate “associate” in your business. The round has a £12.5 million budget.
• Who it’s for: UK-registered businesses with at least two full-time staff, applying with a UK knowledge-base partner, which leads the application.
• Deadline: Wednesday 27 January 2027, 11:00 GMT
• Why apply: A subsidised way to bring scientific talent and research into a climate startup without giving up equity.

Prizes, competitions & challenges

9. African Entrepreneurship Awards 2026

Organised by Octopus Energy with the Sustainable Markets Initiative

• What’s on offer: $100,000 in non-dilutive capital shared between the winners, plus mentoring and introductions to follow-on investors.
• Who it’s for: Tech startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, no more than five years old and ideally with fewer than 20 full-time staff, working on power distribution, grid management, storage or clean generation.
• Deadline: Friday 11 December 2026
• Why apply: Cash, plus a direct line into the Octopus Energy network.

Pilots & partnerships

10. RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation call

Organised by the Research & Innovation for Climate Hub (Local Development Research Institute)

• What’s on offer: Piloting opportunities, technical support, coaching, and possible scaling grants of up to $200,000.
• Who it’s for: African-led or Africa-based climate solutions that use AI or data, at pilot stage or beyond.
• Deadline: Rolling (expression of interest)
• Why apply: It costs little to put your name forward, and it can lead to pilots and scaling funding.

Where no deadline time is given, the organiser hasn’t published one, so submit a day or two early.

Know an opportunity we should feature next month? Tell us about it and we’ll share it with founders in the December digest.