Emerging Innovators Fellowship

Your imagination opens the door.

Your courage to create takes you further.

Every Innovator Is a Winner. Including YOU! 🌟

You don't have to win a NASA award to become an Emerging Innovator Fellow.

We believe that every student who makes time to tackle a NASA challenge, explores an idea, and successfully submits a project has already accomplished something worth celebrating.

You've demonstrated curiosity. Initiative. Creativity. And the willingness to take on a challenge.

That's what makes you an emerging innovator.

And that's why every eligible student who completes and submits a NASA Space Apps Challenge project by the deadline earns the opportunity to become an Emerging Innovator Fellow — completely FREE!

Your journey doesn't end when the hackathon does. It's just beginning.

Six Months. A Universe of Possibilities. 🌎

The Humansphere Emerging Innovators Fellowship is a six-month learning, leadership, mentoring, and career exploration experience beginning in January 2027.

Through a network of more than 50 diverse companies, academic institutions, graduate programs, research organizations, innovation hubs, and arts and cultural institutions, Emerging Innovator Fellows will have opportunities to meet inspiring people, discover new fields, explore career paths, and build meaningful connections.

Whether you dream of becoming a scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, artist, researcher, designer, educator, investor, or still exploring, we want to help you discover what's possible.

What Awaits You as an Emerging Innovator Fellow?

🌟 Leadership & Career Mentoring

Learn from leaders, innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and professionals across different fields.

Gain fresh perspectives, explore your interests, and receive guidance as you navigate your academic, professional, and innovation journey.

🌎 Discover 50+ Companies & Institutions

Explore a diverse network of more than 50 diverse companies, graduate school programs, research institutions, innovation organizations, and arts and cultural institutions.

Discover different industries, emerging technologies, research opportunities, creative careers, and paths you may never have considered.

🤝 Exclusive Events & Learning Experiences

Receive invitations to special gatherings, learning journeys, fireside chats, and events with partner companies, academic institutions, innovation hubs, and cultural organizations.

Meet people who are shaping the future and connect with fellow emerging innovators who share your curiosity.

🚀 Explore New Career Opportunities, Internships, Collaborations

Discover pathways toward more professional opportunities, internships, research collaborations, and leadership development.

We want to help you expand your network, explore possibilities, and find opportunities that match your evolving interests and ambitions.

🌕 Explore NASA's $1 Million Moon Base Challenge

Interested in taking on another extraordinary challenge?

Fellows will be invited to exclusive learning sessions, expert mentoring conversations, and fireside chats designed to help interested participants explore NASA's separate $1 Million Moon Base Student Challenge.

Brainstorm ideas, learn from experts, refine your concepts, and strengthen your presentations.

🎨 Explore Beyond Your Discipline

Innovation happens when different worlds meet.

We encourage Fellows to explore science, technology, business, the arts, humanities, and other disciplines.

You don't have to know exactly what you want to become. This is your chance to discover new possibilities.

Why We Created This Fellowship

Talent and potential are everywhere. Opportunity should be, too.

We believe access to inspiring leaders, extraordinary institutions, and meaningful opportunities shouldn't depend on who you already know. We created the Emerging Innovators Fellowship to help change that.

Our mission is to democratize access to mentorship, expertise, creativity, invention, and innovation.

We want to invest in students who demonstrate initiative, who can tackle the unknown to create something new — not simply those who already have impressive résumés or established connections.

If you're willing to make time to explore a problem, challenge yourself, and create something new, we want to invest in your potential.

Through the Fellowship, we hope to broaden your horizons, introduce you to people and possibilities beyond your immediate academic world, and help you grow into the innovator and leader you aspire to become.

You bring your curiosity and initiative. We'll help open doors.

Who Can Become an Emerging Innovator Fellow? 🎓

The fellowship is open to eligible students who meet the following requirements:

1. Academic enrollment

You must be enrolled at an accredited college, university, or community college in Cambridge or Greater Boston, or at one of the invited academic institutions in Massachusetts.

2. NASA Space Apps Cambridge participation and project/presentation submission

Participate in NASA Space Apps Cambridge on November 14 and/or 15.

Choose a NASA Challenge - create a project, solution, presentation - and submit it by the deadline on the NASA Space Apps Platform.

The deadline is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on November 15, 2026.

4. Spring 2027 enrollment

You must remain enrolled and in good academic standing for the Spring 2027 semester.

We will confirm your enrollment and standing with your academic institution.

That's it! You don't need to win an award to qualify.

And there is NO fellowship fee.

Your Journey Begins This Weekend! 🚀

November 13 | Get Ready

Register soon to receive our Space Apps Success Kit, preparation video tutorials, and information about Global Offers from NASA partners.

November 14 and/or 15 | Solve a Problem, Create Something New

Choose a NASA challenge. Explore your ideas. Build a project/presentation.

You can spend a few hours, half a day, or as much time as you wish. You don't have to devote your entire weekend to participating.

November 15 | Submit Your Project/Presentation

Submit your project/presentation through NASA's official platform BEFORE 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

January 2027 | Your Fellowship Adventure Begins!

Eligible students who successfully complete the NASA Space Apps Challenge and meet the fellowship requirements become part of our six-month Emerging Innovators Fellowship.

Your Creativity Is Your Ticket. Everything Else Is FREE! ✨

You don't need to be an expert.

You don't need to have a startup.

You don't need to know what your future career will look like.

You just need the curiosity to explore, the courage to try, and the willingness to create.

One NASA Challenge. One project. One weekend.

A universe of possibilities awaits.

Join us: Sign up for NASA Space Apps Cambridge 🚀