EQT Foundation
Science
EQT Foundation is committed to nurturing the next generation of scientists at the earliest stages of their entrepreneurial journey. We work closely with university-affiliated research institutions, incubators, accelerators, and funding programs to support academic researchers developing novel solutions in climate and health.
Deeptech innovation often requires longer development cycles and significant funding before reaching commercialization. Many scientific breakthroughs stall due to financial constraints, misaligned incentives, or the complexity of securing external funding.
The traditional venture capital model, dilutive in nature and focused on short-term returns, is not always suited for early-stage deeptech, making grants a viable alternative. By addressing this funding gap, we provide researchers with the capital they need to advance their work without diluting ownership or slowing progress. Through tapping into EQT’s global network, we connect grantees with expertise, industry insights, and potential partners to help refine and scale their solutions. Recognizing the crucial role universities play in scientific discovery and commercialization, we build direct relationships with PhDs, Postdocs, Principal Investigators (PIs), and research leaders. By engaging early and designing our funding programs to address the barriers and friction found in more traditional programs, we aim to reverse the trend of high-potential innovations not progressing beyond an academic setting. These partnerships are aimed at further fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, with our grant program serving as a bridge from lab to market. Looking ahead, we remain focused on supporting scientists worldwide as they tackle some of the most urgent challenges in climate and health. In health, we are particularly interested in advancing solutions for rare diseases and women’s health; two areas that have historically received limited research funding but hold immense potential for impact.
Our goal is to enrich the innovation ecosystem, and help catalyze promising ideas into real-world impactful solutions. We hope that our commitment to building these connections with scientists will help create an entrepreneurial environment within academia, inspire more flexible funding going into translational research, and result in more breakthrough solutions moving from lab to market.
Previous Grants Awarded
Deeptech solutions that reduce reliance on critical minerals and build a more resilient energy transition.
The Critical Mineral Substitutes Science Grants is a funding initiative that accelerates deeptech solutions to reduce dependence on constrained and strategically important raw materials in climate technologies. The selected projects cover lithium recovery, battery and rare-earth recycling, low-iridium hydrogen production, resource-light solar, and next-generation energy materials. Each one tackles a pressing material bottleneck — across batteries, hydrogen, solar, and industrial systems.
Together, they show how critical minerals research can strengthen supply-chain resilience and help clean-energy technologies scale. The new platforms, materials, and recovery methods they develop can support the energy transition well beyond any single application.
Climate
Deeptech solutions for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of rare conditions.
Rare Disease Science Grants, a funding initiative designed to accelerate transformative deeptech solutions for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of rare conditions. The selected projects span gene and RNA therapies, regenerative medicine, AI-enabled diagnostics, novel drug delivery platforms, and precision immunotherapy, each addressing urgent unmet needs in diseases that disproportionately affect children and underserved patient populations.
Together, these projects exemplify the power of rare disease research to generate breakthroughs with impact far beyond individual conditions, advancing new platforms, tools, and approaches that can reshape medicine more broadly.
Health and Wellbeing
Deeptech solutions tackling female-specific health challenges worldwide
Women’s health has long been overlooked in medical research and funding, leading to persistent diagnostic delays, limited treatment options, and poor health outcomes. Despite women comprising over half the global population, only one percent1 of healthcare innovation investment is directed specifically toward female-specific conditions. Many diseases – ranging from cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders to gynecological and maternal health issues – are understudied, misdiagnosed, or lack effective treatment options. These challenges are even more pronounced in low-resource settings, where access to specialized care and cutting-edge medical solutions remains limited.
Health and Wellbeing
Tackling methane emissions, one of the most detrimental yet solvable contributors to near-term climate change.
Methane traps heat 86 times more effectively than CO₂ over 20 years, with nearly 60 percent of emissions coming from human activities in agriculture, fossil fuels, and waste management. The program aimed to accelerate innovation in these sectors among others, recognizing their critical role in mitigating global warming.
