Build the Future of School Connectivity with Giga

Do you have an innovative product that can help in bridging the gap in school connectivity? 

Join the Giga Accelerator Programme to access funding, mentorship, and global partnerships that help you scale up your product and position you to contributing to connecting schools to the Internet worldwide.

About the Giga Accelerator Programme

About the Giga Accelerator Programme
The Giga Accelerator is a programme under the Giga initiative, anchored at the Giga Technology Centre in Barcelona and delivered primarily in a virtual format. It supports products that advance economically sustainable and inclusive school connectivity, helping innovators refine and scale their solutions while building strategic relationships across the digital connectivity ecosystem.

The Accelerator Program has three main goals:

Support product development and sustainability through financial backing and mentorship.
Enhance the potential for commercial viability and ensure interoperability of solutions.
Foster relationships with high-potential partners in the telecom sector.
Support product development and sustainability through financial backing and mentorship.
Enhance the potential for commercial viability and ensure interoperability of solutions.
Foster relationships with high-potential partners in the telecom sector.

Eligibility Criteria

Legal Registration: The applicant must be legal entity, duly registered in one of the ITU Member States.
Compliance: The applicant shall be required to confirm in writing that the entity nor its owners are not  subject to any major ongoing litigation related to prohibited practices as defined by ITU.
Financial Stability: Proof of financial solvency is required to demonstrate the entity is a going concern.
Stage of Development: The product that is the subject of the application must be at a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 or higher, meaning it should be at least in the proof of concept or prototype phase.
Open-Source Commitment: The product that is the subject of the application must be an existing open-source project or the applicant must commit to one of the open-source contribution models before the end of their participation in the Accelerator Programme. Please review the Commitment to Open Source form.

Selection Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Connecting Communities in Infrastructure-Constrained Environments: Solutions for communities where traditional connectivity infrastructure may be insufficient, unavailable or unviable, requiring alternative network configurations or designs that function effectively even in such areas.
Affordable and Sustainable Business Models & Financing Mechanisms: Approaches that address the need for creative business models, pricing approaches or financing mechanisms that ensure digital connectivity remains financially viable, accessible, and affordable to underserved communities.
Viable Internet Provision for Underserved Areas: Solutions that enable sustainable, commercially viable internet provision at community scale, especially in locations with population density typical of peri-urban and rural areas.
Optimizing Internet Provision for the Underserved Areas Context: Solutions that use the latest technologies to foster reliable performance adaptability and ease of deployment in underserved and unserved areas.
Reducing Operational Barriers for Connectivity Providers: Solutions that ease the operational complexity, cost, and technical skill/manpower requirements involved in delivering connectivity in remote or unserved areas.

Eligibility Criteria

Equity-Free Financing
Each selected organization receives a USD 50,000 non-dilutive grant, tied to clear, jointly defined milestones. This flexible funding can support activities such as adapting your solution for new markets, independent testing, type approval/conformity assessment and/or acquiring essential tools to help your team move faster without giving up equity.

Application Process
& Timeline

Required Materials

Application form
Proof of legal registration & compliance documentation
TRL self-assessment
Open-source commitment declaration
Organization’s Pitch Deck (highly recommended)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where is the programme based?
The Giga Accelerator is mainly virtual and anchored in the Giga Technology Centre in Barcelona, Spain. All participants will also gather in person at two events in Barcelona, Spain — one in December 2025 and another in March 2026.

Contact & Support

Contact email for questions: 
giga.accelerator@itu.int