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Asia-Pacific: funding calls and deadlines closing soon (week of 26 October 2026)

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By TrustList Editorial

Grants and start-up funds for software, AI, robotics, EV and deep tech firms in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan and India, closing from 28 October 2026 to January 2027 or open on a rolling basis.

About Asia-Pacific: funding calls and deadlines closing soon (week of 26 October 2026)

Asia-Pacific: funding calls and deadlines closing soon (week of 26 October 2026)

25 October 2026: Sixteen calls and standing funds across eight Asia-Pacific countries are open to technology companies, from Australia's ARENA start-up round closing on 28 October to a Japanese deep-tech fund that takes applications until 20 January 2027. Each was read on its funder's own page today; amounts and deadlines are given as the funder states them.

Not yet independently verified. Each call was read on its funder's own page on 25 October, several in Japanese, Korean or Thai; amounts are given as each funder states them. Several rolling programmes in Pakistan, Malaysia and India carry no publication date or budget on their pages. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

Japan and South Korea

NEDO's Deep-Tech Startup Support Fund, international joint R&D track is for unlisted Japanese SMEs, roughly ten years old or younger, working with a partner abroad under Eureka's Globalstars scheme in fields such as quantum, AI, robotics, semiconductors and electronics. It covers up to two-thirds of eligible costs, with a ceiling of 100 million yen per project over two to three years. Applications run "from 7 October 2026 to noon on 20 January 2027 (Japan time)", with briefings on 4 November, 26 November and 14 December.

NEDO GX_UPP, third call supports deep-tech start-ups in resource circulation and energy-saving mobility with up to 5 billion yen over four years; NEDO says app projects that are only coding are not its target. Proposals are accepted only between 10:00 on 10 November and noon on 17 November 2026. A separate NEDO post-5G call for quantum computer components, such as cryogenic refrigerators and lasers, closes at noon on 16 November 2026.

South Korea's TIPS programme (Ministry of SMEs and Startups, run by KISED) funds start-ups that a TIPS operator has invested in and recommends: up to 800 million won over 24 months, or up to 1.5 billion won over 36 months for Deep Tech TIPS in twelve new industry fields, from a combined 162.4 billion won. Applications close on 31 December 2026 at 18:00. Busan's information industry agency also offers local AI companies access to its AI verification centre's high-performance computers until the same date.

Thailand

The National Innovation Agency's Mandatory Innovation Business Platform opened round 1 of Thailand's 2027 fiscal year on 16 October, and it closes on 15 December 2026. Two of its seven target fields fit software and hardware makers: AI, robotics, immersive tech and IoT, and next-generation automotive. Applicants must be Thai juristic persons with at least 51% Thai shareholders, three years in the industry and their own or licensed core technology. Thematic innovation projects can receive a matching grant of up to 75% of project value, capped at 5 million baht over up to three years, and the platform also pays consultants, standards testing and loan interest of up to 5 million baht. A smaller Regional Innovation Business Platform, with grants of up to 1.5 million baht at 75%, closes on 31 October 2026.

Australia

ARENA's Launchpad Startup Funding Round offers early-stage companies working on renewables, electrification and efficiency grants of $500,000, or up to $1 million where a project needs heavy capital spending, from up to $15 million. It closes at 4pm on 28 October 2026. A separate Launchpad round for accelerators and incubators stays open until its $15 million runs out.

Innovation Victoria, formed when LaunchVic and Breakthrough Victoria merged on 1 July, is funding accelerator operators that help Victorian companies reach new markets, with programmes of up to AUD 3 million from AUD 5 million. Applications close on Monday 9 November 2026 at 11:59pm AEDT. CSIRO Kick-Start pairs start-ups and SMEs with turnover and operating spend below $10 million, or under three years of trading, with CSIRO researchers, matching $20,000 to $60,000 of their spend; it lists no closing date.

Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan and India

Rolling programmes stay open without a deadline:

  • Startup SG Founder (Enterprise Singapore): first-time founders working with an accredited mentor partner receive a grant of S$20,000 to S$50,000, matched one to one with their own paid-up capital.
  • Cradle Fund CIP Spark (Malaysia): a conditional grant of up to RM150,000 over 18 months for technology start-ups developing and pre-commercialising their product. CIP Sprint goes up to RM600,000 for Malaysian-owned companies under seven years old moving to commercialisation.
  • Pakistan Startup Fund (Ignite): a non-equity grant of up to 30% of a start-up's investment round, from US$50,000 to US$1,000,000, for Pakistani start-ups under ten years old that have private investment secured or in advanced stages; applications are open on a rolling basis.
  • Technology Development Board (India): soft loans at 5% simple interest covering 50% of the unspent project cost, and equity of up to 25%, for Indian companies commercialising home-grown technology. Its dedicated calls of 2026 have all closed.

We found no dated call for companies in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan or Hong Kong on the pages we could read; those will be checked again for the next edition. Other regions: Europe, UK, North America, the Middle East and Africa and Latin America.

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