Free compute is out there.
We keep the list current.
API credits, cloud GPUs, and supercomputer time that labs give researchers — with the part nobody else tells you: how to actually use the grant. Get API credits → plug the key into MegaBrain Science as your own model. Get a cloud or HPC allocation → attach the kernel to it over SSH and run there instead of on your laptop.
Apply any time
| Program | What you get | Who · where | Deadline | Use with us | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Researcher Access ProgramOpenAI | Up to $1,000 in API credits (12 months) | Early-stage researchers, API-supported countries | Rolling · reviewed quarterly | BYOK | Apply → |
| External Researcher Access ProgramAnthropic | $1,000 in Claude API credits | AI safety / alignment researchers | Rolling · first Monday monthly | BYOK | Apply → |
| AI for Science ProgramAnthropic | Up to $20,000 in Claude API credits (6 months) | Institutional researchers · bio & life sciences focus | Rolling · first Monday monthly | BYOK | Apply → |
| TPU Research Cloud (TRC)Google Research | Free access to 1,000+ Cloud TPUs (temporary) | Anyone · must share results publicly | Rolling · invitations on a rolling basis | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Google Cloud Research CreditsGoogle Cloud | GCP compute credits (amount set per proposal) | Faculty / PhD / postdoc, ~50 eligible countries | Rolling | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Cloud Credit for ResearchAWS | Students up to $5,000; faculty/staff uncapped | Faculty, research staff, grad/PhD students | Rolling · 90–120 day review | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Research GrantLambda | Up to $5,000 in cloud GPU credits (B200/H100/A100) | AI researchers | Rolling | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Modal for AcademicsModal | Up to $10,000 in serverless-GPU credits | Researchers & academics | Rolling | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| ACCESS AllocationsNSF (US) | Explore ≤400k / Discover ≤1.5M / Accelerate ≤3M credits; Maximize uncapped | US-based researchers & educators · no cost, no NSF award needed | Rolling (Explore/Discover/Accelerate) | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Development & Benchmark AccessEuroHPC JU | Node-hours on LUMI, Leonardo, MareNostrum 5, JUPITER… | Academia & industry in EU / Horizon-Europe countries | Rolling · monthly cut-offs | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
Plan ahead
Bigger allocations that open on fixed cycles. Dates drift year to year — always confirm the current call on the program page.
| Program | What you get | Who · where | Deadline | Use with us | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Grant ProgramNVIDIA | Up to 30,000 H100 GPU-hours (or hardware tracks) | PhD-granting faculty · must use NVIDIA models/software | Periodic CFP · currently closed | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Research GrantsNebius | GPU credits + Token Factory tokens (per proposal) | PhD students, postdocs, faculty at academic/nonprofit orgs | Annual · 2026–27 cycle, decisions ~Q3–Q4 2026 | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| Regular & Extreme-Scale AccessEuroHPC JU | Large node-hour allocations, 1-year | EU / Horizon-Europe researchers & industry | Cut-offs: Sep 4, 2026 (Regular) · Oct 19, 2026 (Extreme) | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| INCITEDOE (US) | ~0.5–2M node-hours on Frontier & Aurora | Worldwide · academia, labs, industry (capability computing) | Annual · next call ~April 2027 | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
| ALCCDOE (US) | 10–30% of NERSC / ALCF / OLCF resources | Researchers on DOE-mission problems | Annual · next call ~late 2026 | SSH → HPC | Apply → |
Startup credits
Not researcher grants — but if your lab is a company, these move fast and stack up.
A grant is only useful if you can spend it
Won API credits from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, or another supported provider? Enter that key in MegaBrain Science as your model. The agent drives your analysis on the granted budget — your data still stays on your machine, only the model calls go out.
Got GPU credits or a supercomputer allocation (NSF ACCESS, EuroHPC, DOE, TRC, a cloud grant)? Point the MegaBrain Science kernel at it over SSH (MB_KERNEL_RUNTIME=ssh) and run the heavy compute there — the workbench comes to your allocation, not the other way around.
Verified July 7, 2026. Programs, amounts, eligibility, and deadlines change — always confirm on the program's own page before applying, and tell us if something here is stale. Amounts are shown only where the program publishes them; "not published" means the figure is set per application.
Win the compute. Do the science.
Download MegaBrain Science, bring your granted key or HPC allocation, and run your first verified analysis.