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Middle East and Africa: funding calls and deadlines closing soon (week of 26 October 2026)

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By TrustList Editorial

Start-up programmes, grants and development funding for technology companies in the UAE, Qatar, South Africa and Tunisia, from a Doha incubator deadline on 1 November to Hub71's February 2027 cohort, with terms as each funder states them.

About Middle East and Africa: funding calls and deadlines closing soon (week of 26 October 2026)

Middle East and Africa: funding calls and deadlines closing soon (week of 26 October 2026)

25 October 2026: Ten programmes in the UAE, Qatar, South Africa and Tunisia are open to technology start-ups and SMEs now, from a Doha incubator deadline on 1 November to Hub71's next Abu Dhabi cohort, which takes applications until February 2027. South Africa offers the most money with a fixed date: a seed call from The Innovation Hub and the Technology Innovation Agency that closes on 20 November. Each was read on its funder's own page today; terms are given as the funder states them.

Not yet independently verified. Most programme pages here are undated and several print no budget or award size; where a page gives none, we say so. Many funders in the Gulf, North Africa and East and West Africa did not answer our reader, so this edition is not a full list for the region. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

United Arab Emirates

Hub71 Access Programme, Cohort 21 (Abu Dhabi) gives start-ups AED 250,000 worth of incentives to spend with service providers and AED 250,000 in cash in exchange for equity through a SAFE note, with a further AED 250,000 for equity later for high performers committed to Abu Dhabi. At least one founder has to move to Abu Dhabi. "The current deadline is February 2027, and the programme starts in September 2027"; applications that arrive before the deadline are reviewed by April 2027. Hub71 also runs tracks for AI, climate tech, digital assets and life sciences, and a gateway to Abu Dhabi's SAVI cluster for smart and autonomous mobility start-ups, with access to its partners, regulators and testing sites.

The Dubai Future Foundation's Agentic AI for Government Services Accelerator is not a grant but a route to pilots with Dubai government bodies. It "runs year round", applications "are open now", and companies holding the Dubai AI Seal get priority, though any technology company may apply.

Khalifa Fund's AI and Robotics Loan finances hardware, equipment, software and smart systems for Emirati entrepreneurs and Abu Dhabi-based businesses that develop or adopt AI and robotics. The page gives no loan size, rate or term, so applicants need to ask the fund directly.

Qatar

Qatar Science & Technology Park's Incubate programme runs a four-week sprint in Doha followed by eight weeks of incubation for early-stage science and technology founders, with three intakes a year. The page lists "Apply before November 1 for the January Cohort", then 1 March for May and 1 July for September. It does not state a cash award.

South Africa

The Innovation Hub and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) opened a joint 2026/27 Seed Fund Programme on 22 October, covering TIA's pre-seed and seed instruments for registered small businesses, innovation-driven start-ups and technology developers. "Application deadline: 20 November 2026 at 17:00 (SAST)." The announcement gives no award size; TIA's own instrument page lists its seed grant at up to R200,000 for technology development plus a project fee, and a separate Technology Acquisition and Deployment Fund of up to R1 million for market testing and demonstration.

TIA's Living Labs call, for organisations delivering ICT-enabled solutions in the Lejweleputswa and Garden Route districts with a local presence, pays up to R4.7 million per lab and closes on 30 October 2026 at 17:00.

Two standing schemes of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition have no window:

  • Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII): non-repayable grants for South African enterprises developing new products and processes, up to R2 million under the product process development scheme and up to R5 million under the matching scheme, covering a share of qualifying costs that rises with the ownership band.
  • Commercialisation Support Fund, run with TIA: from R500,000 to R50 million over three to five years, for SMEs, start-ups and universities bringing technology to market.

Tunisia

Tunisia's Startup Act label, which unlocks the country's start-up benefits, can be requested only in a monthly labelling session: "from the 1st to the 8th of every month", so the next window opens on 1 November. A company that meets the five labelling criteria may apply once every six months.

We could not read open calls from the Israel Innovation Authority, Saudi Arabia's Monsha'at and RDIA, Bahrain's Tamkeen, Qatar Development Bank, or funders in Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana this week; they will be checked again for the next edition. Other regions: Europe, UK, North America, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

Sources

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