HOSTKEY GPU Grant for Scientific Projects
Free dedicated GPU servers for faculty-led research projects
What you get from HOSTKEY GPU Grant for Scientific Projects for free
Overview
HOSTKEY, a Netherlands-based bare-metal and GPU hosting provider, runs a recurring GPU Grant Program. The page states the objective is "to support basic scientific research and prospective start-ups", and HOSTKEY currently lists its status as "receiving applications".
What You Get
- A free dedicated GPU server for the duration of the declared project. HOSTKEY states "HOSTKEY will provide the winners with computing power for the implementation of the work declared in the tender application".
- HOSTKEY does not publish a fixed grant configuration on the grant page; hardware is matched to the compute requirements justified in the proposal. Its GPU catalog includes NVIDIA Tesla A100 80GB, H100, RTX 5090 and RTX PRO 6000 servers.
- Grants are awarded by a panel of experts, and "the number of grants is limited".
Proposal Requirements
- A proposal of "1-2 pages, no more than 1 500 words" covering the research area, prior work, expected outcomes, timeline and a justification of the requested computing power.
- A CV of the applicant.
- "Links to publications about the project (if any)."
- Letters of recommendation may be requested during evaluation.
- Winners must "Submit a follow-up report on the research" and "post a link to HOSTKEY in publications".
How to Get Started
Apply through the link on the grant page. HOSTKEY does not publish an application deadline or a review turnaround time.
Before you claim
- Researcher: Be a full-time faculty member or research fellow and the project's Principal Investigator
- Other: Work must involve big data processing, AI/ML, big data analysis, or heavy graphics/video rendering
- Verification: Submit a 1-2 page proposal (max 1,500 words) with GPU configuration justification and a CV
- Who can claim: Full-time faculty or research fellows at recognized academic institutions acting as principal investigators on GPU-centric research or startup projects.
- Payment card: Not needed.
- Account: Sign up with the provider.
Key limits
- Free GPU computing power for the declared project (not cash)
- Number of grants is limited
- One application per round for one GPU grant
- Proposal max 1,500 words plus GPU configuration justification and CV
- Deliverables: follow-up report, shared results, HOSTKEY link in publications
Eligibility
- "Applicants must be full-time faculty or research fellows at a recognized academic institution."
- "Applicants must be the Principal Investigator in the given project."
- Work must involve large dataset processing, AI, machine learning, big data, rendering or comparable compute-heavy fields.
- "Applicants may only submit one application per round for one GPU grant."
- A separate track exists for data science competition winners from platforms such as Kaggle, DrivenData, ZINDI and IDAO.
As the provider states it on the date shown above. The provider decides who qualifies.
Not eligible? 3 alternatives open to everyone
This offer is only for startups. These offers have no student, startup, nonprofit or country requirement.
- Anthropic Academy free courses — Free AI courses from AnthropicAnthropic · Verified · No card
- Anyscale $100 Free Signup Credit — $100 in Anyscale credits for CPU and GPU compute on Ray, no cardauthkit.anyscale.com · Verified · No card
- Hetzner Community Tutorial Credits — Up to EUR 50 in Hetzner Cloud credit per accepted community tutorialgithub.com · Verified · No card
Check everything you qualify for — five questions, no signup.
History
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