Ignition 06 will select 10 science- and technology-based teams that will take part in an intensive eight-week training program and can compete for funding for new proofs of concept. The initiative is backed by ANID and sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
Know Hub Chile has opened a new edition of Ignition, an acceleration program that has supported early-stage science- and technology-based ventures since 2019.
The 2026 call will select 10 teams that will take part in an eight-week training program and can access a USD 10,000 fund for new proofs of concept. Applications will be open until July 21.
The initiative is aimed at research and development (R&D) projects in areas such as biotechnology, clean energy, robotics and nanotechnology, among others, with a focus on strengthening transfer from the lab to the market.
How the program works
During the training, teams will work with the Customer Discovery methodology, focused on turning technology hypotheses into commercial evidence. The process includes work on the value proposition, user validation, intellectual property, competitive analysis, financial sizing and revenue models.
To apply, projects must have a minimum technology readiness level of TRL 3, meaning they have moved beyond theoretical proofs of concept and have initial experimental evidence. Teams must also combine complementary profiles, including people with scientific knowledge and others focused on business development. The company may be formally incorporated during the training.
The cycle will end in September 2026 with an in-person Demo Day, where teams will present their progress to an evaluation panel that will decide how the fund is distributed.
Success stories
Photio is one of the projects that went through the program. The startup developed a nanotechnology additive capable of degrading polluting gases using solar radiation and, after taking part in Ignition in 2020, made progress in connecting its research with commercial viability, as well as working on its international certification.
Other highlights include Luyef, a 2025 winner, which develops lab-grown vegan human collagen, and Bluera, with a system that turns mixed waste into clean energy gas.
Other projects linked to the program include MOV, which designed a sensory band with sonar technology for visually impaired people, and BioProc, a startup developing solutions for decontaminating industrial gases and odors using automated electrochemical biofilters.
The view from ANID and Know Hub
Esteban Zapata, head of Transfer and Entrepreneurship at ANID, highlighted that Ignition’s working model helps strengthen the teams’ value propositions. “The tools that are provided and received through Ignition’s working model make it possible to improve the value proposition and also the relationship between this value proposition and those interested in these science- and technology-based solutions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alonso Ureta, senior manager at Know Hub Chile, said that “Ignition 06 consolidates our track record in the Chilean innovation ecosystem” and highlighted that the program seeks to provide tools to commercially validate the technologies developed by the teams.
Applications will be open until July 21.
Read the original article at https://www.diariosustentable.com/2026/06/know-hub-chile-abre-convocatoria-para-acelerar-startups-cientificas-con-fondo-de-us10-mil/
