Hardware fellowships
7 open hardware fellowships, each checked against the organizer's official page.
A fellowship pays a person rather than a project, usually a stipend or a salary for a set period, with time to do research, open source work or a career move.
Money for people who build physical things: hardware accelerators, chip design awards, maker contests and programs for robotics and space.
Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship North America 2027
Qualcomm pays $50,000 per student to PhD teams of two at 25 US and Canadian universities. Abstracts are due October 19, 2026.
Activate Fellowship US Cohort 2027
Activate pays a $100,000 yearly stipend, $100,000 in R&D support and travel funds for two years, with no equity, to first time US hard tech founders. Applications close October 30, 2026.
Innovation Crossroads Cohort 2027
A two year hard tech fellowship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with a $115,000 yearly stipend and lab access. Applications close on October 30, 2026.
West Gate Cohort 6
West Gate Cohort 6 pays a $115,000 yearly stipend for up to two years. Apply by October 30, 2026.
Chain Reaction Innovations Cohort 2027
Chain Reaction Innovations at Argonne pays technical founders $115k a year for two years to build energy and science startups. Apply by 30 October 2026.
NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship Program 2027 to 2028
The NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship gives up to $60,000 per award to PhD students working on accelerated computing. Apply by 30 October 2026.
Nebraska Innovation Fellowship
The Nebraska Innovation Fellowship gives a $2,500 materials allowance and studio access. Apply by 30 November 2026.
Questions
How many hardware fellowships are open right now?
7 as of 5 October 2026.
Which hardware fellowships close soonest?
Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship North America 2027 from Qualcomm Technologies closes on 19 October 2026. Activate Fellowship US Cohort 2027 from Activate closes on 30 October 2026. Innovation Crossroads Cohort 2027 from Oak Ridge National Laboratory closes on 30 October 2026.
Can I apply from any country?
1 of the 7 accept applicants worldwide. The others are limited to a region or a country, and each entry says which.
Do any of them take equity?
None of them take equity. They pay as grants, prizes, stipends or credits.
How is this list checked?
Every entry is written from the organizer's official page and links to it. Programs with a rolling deadline are checked again for closure, and an entry moves to the archive on the day it closes.