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Ecosystem Grants Program Announced by the Subspace Foundation

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With the launch of Mainnet Phase-2 and activation of native $AI3 token transfers, Autonomys enters a new phase — one defined not only by technical progress, but by ecosystem empowerment.

From its beginnings as Subspace, Autonomys has been built to deliver decentralized infrastructure that is scalable, permanent, and verifiable. Over the past several years, this has taken shape through the development of a globally distributed storage network (DSN), the introduction of the Auto Drive storage gateway, the Auto SDK, and now, modular execution environments. With these tools live, the focus shifts from core protocol development to ecosystem growth.

To support this next stage, the Subspace Foundation is preparing to launch an Ecosystem Grants Program. This is not a formal program launch, but rather an initial introduction to the initiative and the types of projects the Foundation will prioritize. All grant-related activities, funding decisions, and communications will come directly from the Subspace Foundation.

Program Scope

The Ecosystem Grants Program is designed to provide funding and support to projects that expand Autonomys’ functionality, drive usage, or build upon existing infrastructure. Funding will be considered across five initial categories:

  • Infrastructure
    Including alternate clients, developer tools, encryption layers, test environments, or new interfaces for Auto Drive or DSN nodes.
  • AI-powered dApps & Agents
    Applications that leverage the Autonomys stack to enable verifiable, on-chain intelligent behavior — such as co-pilots, autonomous DeFi agents, or social agents.
  • Integrations
    Projects that connect Autonomys to other systems, including bridges, relayers, oracles, or external SDK/plugin layers.
  • Research
    Proposals related to novel consensus models, DSN optimization, ZK or FHE experimentation, or governance design.
  • Community & Growth
    Developer education, ecosystem onboarding, and content efforts — such as tutorials, hackathons, bootcamps, or documentation.

Example Project Types

A detailed set of example project ideas is available on the example projects page. A few illustrative examples include:

  • A third-party Auto Drive interface with a custom UI or performance profile.
  • A governance platform using Auto Drive for encrypted proposal storage and Auto EVM for voting.
  • An AI data labeling dApp that supports agent-generated training data sets on the DSN.
  • A cross-chain bridge that connects Autonomys to other networks, such as Solana or Base.

These examples are intended to guide applicants, not constrain them. Proposals that fall outside these categories but demonstrate strong alignment with the network’s goals will also be considered.

What Selected Projects Can Expect

Selected proposals will receive:

  • Milestone-based funding through grants administered by the Subspace Foundation.
  • Technical and product support from Autonomys contributors.
  • Visibility across Autonomys community and communication channels.
  • Ongoing guidance through key build stages from prototype to deployment.

The program is intended to support long-term, meaningful contributions — not one-off experiments.

Application Process

Ahead of its official launch, the Subspace Foundation is welcoming early Ecosystem Grants Program proposals at subspace.foundation/grants.

Applicants can:

  • Read the program overview and eligibility criteria
  • Review detailed FAQs and example projects
  • Submit their proposals for review

Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis. A working prototype is not required at submission, but proposals must demonstrate technical soundness, clarity of scope, and relevance to the Autonomys mission.

Looking Ahead

Autonomys has entered a new phase. The protocol is live. The tools are in place. The network is growing.

Through the Ecosystem Grants Program, the Subspace Foundation is supporting the next wave of development — initiatives that extend, apply, and scale what has been built.

For questions, visit the forum, reach out on Discord, or contact the Foundation directly through the grants portal.

About Autonomys

The Autonomys Network — the foundation layer for AI3.0 — is a hyper-scalable decentralized AI (deAI) infrastructure stack encompassing high-throughput permanent distributed storage, data availability and access, and modular execution. Our deAI ecosystem provides all the essential components to build and deploy secure super dApps (AI-powered dApps) and on-chain agents, equipping them with advanced AI capabilities for dynamic and autonomous functionality.

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