Lists / Health and biotech founders
Grants, funding calls and accelerators for health and biotech founders, open now (Nov 2026)
On 15 Nov 2026, 11 programs for health and biotech founders are open in this list: 9 grants, 1 prize and 1 accelerator; 4 state on their own page that no equity is taken or that the funding is non-dilutive, and 8 have no closing date on the page read. The nearest two deadlines are 23 Nov 2026 (CARB-X cycle 2) and 15 Jan 2027 (Single Shield Prize).
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Open now (11)
Soonest deadline first, programs with no written date last. The deadline is the program's own words; each page was read on 4 Nov 2026. Open the program's page before you apply: dates and terms change.
| Program | Type | Closes | What it gives | Who and where | Equity | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARB-X 2026 funding round, cycle 2 (all themes) | Grant | 23 Nov 202623 Nov 2026 (expression-of-interest portal opens 10 Nov and closes 23 Nov) | Funding for antibacterial and related products; the page states no amount and says awardees must put in matching cost share. | Companies; the page lists no eligibility rules and points to a FAQ. | Not mentioned on the page | The program's page ↗ |
| Single Shield Prize (BARDA, run by Luminary Labs) | Prize | 15 Jan 202715 Jan 2027 (the page shows "Open, closes 1/15/27") | An $80+ million multi-stage competition for single-administration pandemic influenza A(H5N1) vaccine candidates. | Teams developing recombinant hemagglutinin protein or inactivated virus vaccines that protect in a single visit. | Not mentioned on the page | The program's page ↗ |
| BARDA DRIVe Broad Agency Announcement, ImmuneChip+ | Grant | 28 Sep 202828 Sep 2028 (the page shows "Open, closes 9/28/28") | Funding to develop and characterize in vitro systems that replicate human tissues and immune system components; the page states no amount. | Submissions that preferably focus on 3-D human microphysiological systems with immune components in one system. | Not mentioned on the page | The program's page ↗ |
| BARDA Accelerator Network, BioTools Innovator VANGUARD (enabling technologies) | Grant | No date on the pageNo closing date: the 2026 to 2027 proposal cycle closed on 1 Oct 2026, and the page says applications are also accepted on a rolling basis and may be reviewed off-cycle as funding becomes available | $50,000 to $200,000 for proof-of-concept studies, technology development and validation projects for enabling technologies and research tools. | Early-stage biotech companies, academic and other innovators, from any country, with tools for biomanufacturing, bioanalysis or drug discovery and development. | None: the page says "non-dilutive funding" | The program's page ↗ |
| BARDA Accelerator Network, MedTech Innovator Vantage (diagnostics and devices) | Grant | No date on the pageNo closing date: the 2026 proposal cycle closed on 22 Oct 2026, and the page says applications are also accepted on a rolling basis and may be reviewed off-cycle as funding becomes available | Milestone-based awards of $50K to $200K for 6-month projects to develop, evaluate and validate diagnostics and medical devices. | Startups and university-backed projects with diagnostic or medical device technologies for health security threats. | None: the page says "non-dilutive funding" | The program's page ↗ |
| BARDA Accelerator Network, Paratus (digital health) | Grant | No date on the pageNo closing date: the page says proposals without a deadline are accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed against BARDA priorities and available funds | Proof-of-concept funding of $50K to $200K for milestone-based projects for digital health tools, 4 to 12 weeks, with study sites to test the hypothesis. | BARDA Accelerator Network funding for early-stage innovators on health security threats. | Not mentioned on the page | The program's page ↗ |
| BARDA Accelerator Network, SPARK (pediatrics) | Grant | No date on the pageNo closing date: the page says the regular cycle has concluded and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis through the year, in the order they are received | Awards of up to $200,000 for milestone-based projects of no more than six months, with project management and mentor support. | Teams with medical countermeasures for children, including products approved or in development for adults that can be adapted; the page does not fund gain-of-function work. | None: the page says "equity-free, non-dilutive funding" | The program's page ↗ |
| BARDA Accelerator Network, VITAL proof-of-concept funding (therapeutics and vaccines) | Grant | No date on the pageNo closing date: the page says proposals without a deadline are accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed against BARDA priorities and available funds | Proof-of-concept funding of $50K to $200K for milestone-based projects for therapeutic multi-use or broadly applicable solutions; 6 months. | BARDA Accelerator Network funding for early-stage innovators on health security threats. | Not mentioned on the page | The program's page ↗ |
| BII Bio Studio (Copenhagen) | Accelerator | No date on the pageNo single date on the page: it says calls run twice a year with expected deadlines in May and December | Up to DKK 5.35 million per year for up to three years, with a project team hired at BII and an entrepreneur in residence who builds the company. | Not open to founders directly: principal investigators with a strong academic track record and at least 3 years as an independent group leader, in the open themes (cardio-metabolic disease, biosolutions). Project IP must be licensable to the spin-out company on market terms. | Not mentioned on the page | The program's page ↗ |
| EIC Accelerator, grant-only option | Grant | No date on the pageShort proposals can be submitted at any time and are evaluated in batches; the page gives no single closing date for them | A lump-sum grant below EUR 2.5 million for innovation work at TRL 6 to 8, 24 months. It can be received once during Horizon Europe (2021 to 2027). | Start-ups and small companies with capacity to scale; the page does not limit topics to health, and UK applicants can use the grant-only option only. | None in the grant-only option; the page names equity only for the investment option | The program's page ↗ |
| NSF America's Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR) | Grant | No date on the pageNo closing date on the page; it points to a Project Pitch step and says new solicitations began on 2 Jun 2026 | Seed funding of up to $2 million. The page says it takes zero equity. | U.S. small businesses with deep-technology R&D; the page lists medical devices among its areas and does not limit the list to health. | None: the page says "zero equity" | The program's page ↗ |
Questions founders ask
What health and biotech startup grants and accelerators with no equity are open now (November 2026)?
On 15 Nov 2026, 11 programs for health and biotech founders are open in this list: 9 grants, 1 prize and 1 accelerator; 4 state on their own page that no equity is taken or that the funding is non-dilutive, and 8 have no closing date on the page read. The nearest two deadlines are 23 Nov 2026 (CARB-X cycle 2) and 15 Jan 2027 (Single Shield Prize). The Equity column quotes the page each row links; "Not mentioned" means that page says nothing either way, so check the terms before you apply. Each row below links to the program's own page and shows the date it was read (4 Nov 2026).
Which grants and funding calls for health and biotech founders close in November 2026?
1 program in this list closes in November 2026: CARB-X cycle 2 on 23 Nov 2026.
Are there programs for health and biotech founders with no closing date?
8 programs in this list have no written closing date on the page read: BioTools Innovator VANGUARD, MedTech Innovator Vantage, Paratus proof-of-concept funding, SPARK for Innovations in Pediatrics, VITAL proof-of-concept funding, BII Bio Studio, EIC Accelerator grant-only option and NSF America's Seed Fund. A program with no date can close without notice, so apply early.
What this list does not tell you
It does not say whether you are eligible: most rows are limited by country, company stage or a health-security topic, some ask for matching funds, and the program's page is the rule. Several rows are U.S. government or foundation funding with its own reporting terms. "Equity: None" quotes the words of the page the row links; "Not mentioned" means that page says nothing either way, not that the program takes none. It is not legal or tax advice, and it does not replace the program's own terms or an adviser who has read them.
Left out: Wellcome Leap AMPt (abstract portal opens 25 Nov 2026) joins the table when its portal opens. The NIH SBIR/STTR page, Innovate UK, CPRIT and the Gates Foundation's own page could not be used (NIH and CPRIT returned an access error; Gates lists no open call; Innovate UK's health calls were not found in the first results), so no row rests on a third-party date; J&J JLABS and CIRM pages do not show a deadline or load without scripts, so they are not listed. EIC Transition closed on 16 Sep 2026. A closing date counts only if it is written on the program's own page; the rolling proof-of-concept rows, NSF, EIC and BII show none.
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