Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry

Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program is a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that funds rural job creation and economic development projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans up to $1 million to Rural Utilities Service (RUS) electric and telecommunications borrowers, which they pass through to local businesses and community projects. Grants up to $300,000 are available to establish Revolving Loan Funds for ongoing rural lending. Eligible uses include community development assistance, facilities and equipment for education and medical care, and start-up venture costs. A 20% match is required for grants. Eligible applicants are current or former RUS electric or telecommunication borrowers and not-for-profit utilities eligible under the Rural Electrification Act.

The Department of Defense FY2026 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) provides funding for U.S. universities to acquire research equipment and instrumentation in areas important to national defense, including AI and machine learning hardware. The program is administered jointly by the Army Research Office (ARO), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), with approximately $34 million available and 95 awards anticipated. DURIP funds the acquisition of specialized computing hardware for AI/ML research (GPU clusters, TPUs, neuromorphic processors), robotics and autonomous systems testbeds, sensor arrays and data collection systems for machine learning training, high-performance computing infrastructure for defense-relevant AI research, and laboratory equipment for human-AI interaction studies. The program specifically supports equipment that enhances research-related education in DoD-priority disciplines. While general-purpose computing is not eligible, computing equipment directly supporting DoD-relevant AI research programs qualifies. No cost sharing is required.

Vinnova, Sweden's national innovation agency, funds projects developing applied AI solutions for Swedish industry through its Advanced Digitalization Programme. Each project can apply for between 2 and 10 million SEK (approximately $190,000 to $950,000 USD) covering up to 50% of eligible project costs. The total call budget is 60 million SEK. Projects run for 12-24 months and focus on two key areas: Intelligent Edge (AI for real-time application in the sensor chain) and AI-based decision support. All projects must address industrial needs and integrate gender equality and climate change perspectives. Scientific publications must be open access. A parallel call also funds AI and cybersecurity projects at 1-10 million SEK per project with a 50 million SEK total budget.