ClimateLaunchpad

Benefits & funding

• Free to enter and free to take part: Climate KIC takes no equity and no intellectual property, and the idea stays yours before, during and after the competition.
• An online mini-course, a two-to-three-day boot camp run mostly online by the trainers in your country, and follow-up coaching before the national final.
• National final winners receive a trip to the Global Grand Final in Singapore: travel, two nights of accommodation, a networking event and a booth at the innovators fair.
• The top two teams from each regional final also receive a pitching slot at the Global Grand Final.
• Cash prizes for the global top three. In 2025 these were €10,000, €5,000 and €3,000; the amounts for 2026 were not published.
• Travel, accommodation and other personal costs at every other stage are the participant’s own responsibility.

Eligibility

• Open to anyone with a climate or cleantech idea: students, researchers, engineers, consultants, people in public organisations, and existing small companies.
• You must live in one of the 48 participating countries, apply in your country of residence, and remain resident there for the duration of the competition. Mainland China is not among the 2026 participating countries.
• If you already have a company, it must have been incorporated no more than two years before you apply.
• No substantial revenue: you must not yet have sold your product or solution on commercial terms.
• No more than €200,000 in total external investment raised.
• The same idea cannot be entered twice, and it cannot already have been accepted into the Climate KIC Accelerator.
• No age limit, nationality bar, degree requirement or team size limit is published. Individuals and teams both apply, and no business plan is required.
• The application form is offered in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish; the competition itself is conducted in English.

Application process

1. 1
   Find your country on the participating countries page and note its deadline — deadlines are set per country and differed widely in 2026, running from 30 March to 15 June.
2. 2
   Complete the online application form, answering questions about the problem you solve and the climate impact you expect.
3. 3
   Take the self-paced online mini-course, which opens automatically once you apply.
4. 4
   Attend the two-to-three-day boot camp with the trainers running your country’s edition.
5. 5
   Work through the follow-up coaching, then pitch to the national jury at your national final.
6. 6
   National winners pitch at their regional final — Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific or Europe — with the top two per region advancing.
7. 7
   The global top eight pitch at the Global Grand Final in Singapore on 14 October 2026.

Program timeline

1. Application deadlines, varying by country

   Mar 30, 2026 to Jun 15, 2026

2. Online mini-course and boot camps

   2026-05 to 2026-07

3. Africa regional final

   Aug 25, 2026 to Aug 26, 2026

4. Asia-Pacific regional final

   Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 11, 2026

5. Americas regional final

   Sep 3, 2026 to Sep 4, 2026

6. Europe regional final

   Sep 15, 2026 to Sep 16, 2026

7. Global Grand Final, Singapore

   Oct 14, 2026

8. Next edition announced; dates not yet published

   2027