About

The Catalyst Grant is an international initiative by Digital Science supporting early‑stage startups, innovators, and research teams developing trustworthy AI tools that embed provenance, governance, and transparency into research workflows. The 2026 call emphasizes agentic workflows—AI systems that autonomously act within research processes while maintaining trust and accountability.

Target areas include solutions across the research lifecycle such as AI co‑writers, evidence synthesis agents, explainable drug discovery tools, automated reviewer matching, and auditable manuscript screening. The program seeks bold, early‑stage ideas that advance science and its societal impact through trustworthy, agentic AI.

Funding support is available up to £25,000 (approx. $31,800 USD) for the most promising concepts, prototypes, or working products that demonstrate innovation and potential to transform research integrity and efficiency.

Eligibility

The grant is open worldwide to founders, students, research teams, and individuals with early‑stage ideas, regardless of revenue or product maturity. Applicants may submit prototypes, working products, or well‑formed concepts. Proposals must clearly describe the problem addressed, the approach, alignment with agentic and trustworthy workflows, and current stage of development.

Applications will be evaluated across seven dimensions: team strength, problem definition, solution design, competitor landscape, market potential, progress to date, and fit with Digital Science. Shortlisted candidates may be invited to present a live interview and demo.

Post Date: September 07, 2026