Extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) is a Linux kernel technology that safely extends kernel functionality without modifying source code. It is widely used in networking, observability, security, and performance across personal systems and cloud infrastructure.
The eBPF Foundation promotes the technology through upstream development, community collaboration, and funding. Its goal is to ensure eBPF remains safe, programmable, and high-performing while benefiting the open source ecosystem.
One of the foundation's initiatives is the Research Fund. It provides grants to universities and research institutes. These support projects that explore innovative ideas while advancing eBPF for the wider community.
$100,000 in Grants Awarded to Universities
For 2025, the eBPF Foundation awarded $100,000 in research funding, split between two universities. Each institution received a $50,000 unrestricted research grant. Grants were selected from 27 proposals submitted by 23 universities worldwide.
The first grant was awarded to Ryan Huang, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. His project, Verifier-Cooperative Instrumentation, develops EPASS, a framework that reduces false rejections of safe eBPF programs.
EPASS combines static verification with runtime checks. It ensures eBPF programs remain safe while improving programmability. Early results show it mitigates known vulnerabilities and allows more programs to run without manual workarounds.
The second grant went to Daniel Wong, Associate Professor at the University of California, Riverside. His project, eBPF Governors, applies eBPF to data center power management.
eBPF Governors moves CPU power control into eBPF programs. This allows servers to adjust frequency and idle states based on workload latency. Initial testing shows up to 19% power savings under volatile workloads without affecting performance.
These two projects illustrate the range of eBPF research. One focuses on safety and program reliability, the other on practical energy efficiency in infrastructure. Both contribute to the growing eBPF ecosystem.
More information on the research fund is available on the announcement blog.
