Up to £25,000 to be won for early-stage solutions building research agents – with audit, governance and provenanc

Digital Science, a leading technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, today launches its Catalyst Grant round for 2026to support innovative technology ideas. This year’s theme is: Agentic Workflows You Can Trust.

Up to £25,000 will be awarded equity-free to individuals, startups or research teams from across the globe.

The 2026 Digital Science Catalyst Grant is now open for applications. The deadline is Monday 5 October 2026.

Steve Scott, VP Portfolio Development at Digital Science, said: “AI tools are increasingly able to act on research, not just describe it. The next breakthroughs will come from agentic workflows, autonomous and multi-step, that researchers, institutions and funders can actually rely on.

“We’re funding the early-stage builders making AI agents safe to put in front of an institution: autonomous in service of researchers, with provenance, governance and accountability built in.

“This is a different category from the generative AI tools we were funding three years ago. An agentic workflow plans, executes and reviews multi-step work rather than answering a single prompt. Trust in this case means quality rather than detection. An agent that shows its working, not a tool that catches bad actors after the fact.”

About Catalyst Grant

Now in its 16th year, the Digital Science Catalyst Grant is a global initiative to support innovation in new software tools and technologies, advancing research.

The program supports and invests in early-stage ideas in the novel use of technology, with an award of up to £25,000 for the most promising innovations that aid research and further its impact on society.

Applicants do not need revenue, a finished build or a complete business plan. A prototype, a working product or a well-formed concept is enough. What applications need to set out is the problem being solved, the approach taken, why it fits an agentic and trustworthy workflow, and where the work stands today.

Agentic Workflows You Can Trust – the 2026 focus

For Catalyst Grant 2026, Digital Science is looking for novel applications of agentic AI that can benefit any part of the research lifecycle, including in areas such as:

• Trusted authorship and writing
• Enterprise research workflows
• Trusted decision agents, for funding and institutional decisions
• Trusted publication workflows

See further details at the 2026 Catalyst Grant site.

Steve Scott said: “Catalyst Grant’s real value lies beyond the funding itself. It’s in the opportunities provided to winning teams: the conversations it starts, practical advice, introductions to other experts in the field, and a sharper idea of what successful innovation looks like.”

Apply for the Digital Science Catalyst Grant

Digital Science’s 2026 Catalyst Grant is now open for entries.

Key details:

• Visit the Catalyst Grant website for full eligibility criteria and how to apply
• Open globally to individuals, startups and research teams with early-stage ideas
• Questions about the Catalyst Grant to be directed to: catalyst@digital-science.com
• Applications open: Tuesday 1 September 2026
• Applications close: Monday 5 October 2026, 5pm BST / 12pm EDT

Join the conversation on social media with: #CatalystGrant