AxonDAO Grants Program: Who Can Apply and How It Works
The AxonDAO Grants Program supports open-science projects with AxonOS compute credits, technical mentorship, and relevant industry introductions.
Applications are open worldwide, and institutional affiliation is optional. Projects can apply at the idea, prototype, or active-development stage.
Who can apply
Applications are open to individuals and teams, including independent researchers, students, academic laboratories, startups, nonprofit groups, BioDAOs, DeSci communities, scientific software developers, and open-source projects.
Proposals are assessed on their scientific or technical objective, feasibility, and fit with the available support. An early-stage project can qualify if the application clearly explains the idea, the resources required, and the intended result.
What projects are eligible
The program supports work in health AI, bioinformatics, molecular simulation, scientific computing, open-science infrastructure, citizen science, research tools, and open-source scientific software.
Projects in other fields may also qualify if they have a clear scientific or technical objective and a credible use for the available compute or mentorship.
The application should explain what the project will discover, test, validate, or build. It should also show how the requested support will help the work reach a defined result.
What support is available
AxonOS compute credits
Selected projects receive compute credits for use through AxonOS, a browser-based Linux workspace for V100 research workloads.
AxonOS provides access to scientific software, AI tools, datasets, and simulations without requiring applicants to configure the underlying GPU environment themselves.
Compute requests should describe the workload, software environment, estimated GPU hours, storage needs, timeline, and expected output.
Technical mentorship
Mentorship can include office hours, code reviews, technical guidance, and roadmap feedback.
The focus depends on the project. Support may cover environment setup, compute planning, scientific workflows, software implementation, or project direction.
Relevant introductions
Selected teams may be introduced to people and organisations across NVIDIA Inception, Oracle Cloud, clinical research networks, and the DeSci community when those connections can support the work.
The published grant package consists of compute credits, mentorship, and relevant introductions. Direct cash awards are not currently promised.
What to prepare before applying
Application section | What to include |
|---|---|
Project summary | A clear explanation of what you are researching, testing, or building |
Research question or technical objective | The result the project aims to discover, validate, measure, or produce |
Why the work matters | The problem being addressed and who may benefit from the result |
Compute requirements | Workload type, software environment, estimated GPU hours, storage needs, dependencies, and timeline |
Open-science plan | How code, findings, documentation, model checkpoints, datasets, or research environments will be shared |
Team information | The people involved and the experience relevant to the project |
The summary should be understandable outside the applicant’s immediate field. It does not need to follow the structure of an academic paper.
Applicants can also include repositories, papers, preprints, technical documentation, prototypes, or early results. Supporting material is helpful but optional for early-stage projects.
Compute estimates do not need to be exact. They should show that the applicant has considered how the requested resources will be used.
How applications are reviewed
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Review begins with a blind initial screening focused on the proposal. Projects that pass this stage receive a feasibility check to determine whether the work is technically realistic and whether the requested infrastructure is suitable.
Domain scientists then review the scientific or technical merit of the proposal. Reviewers consider the clarity of the objective, project feasibility, compute requirements, open-science plan, timeline, and the team’s ability to complete the work.
Applicants can generally expect a decision within four to six weeks.
Open science and data safety
Selected projects should be prepared to share relevant outputs openly. The appropriate level of openness depends on the project and any legal, ethical, or privacy requirements that apply.
Do not submit patient information, private health data, confidential datasets, passwords, wallet credentials, private keys, or other sensitive material through the application form.
Projects involving personal or restricted data should explain the proposed work without attaching or exposing the protected information.
What happens after selection
Compute credits are released in stages, while mentorship can begin early in the project. Relevant introductions are made as the work progresses.
The timing and scope of support are based on the approved proposal, technical requirements, and project timeline.
How to apply
Submit your proposal through the AxonDAO Grants Program.
Before applying, make sure the proposal states the objective, explains how the requested support will be used, and identifies the expected output.