The European Innovation Council (EIC) aims to support game changing innovations throughout the lifecycle from early stage research to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs. Calls under the EIC are primarily bottom up but also able to support strategic challenges under the Pathfinder and Accelerator calls.

More information is available on their webpage. The EIC Work Programme 2025 is available here.

The funding available in 2025 is organised into four main funding schemes:

1. ‘Pathfinder’ for advanced research to develop the scientific basis to underpin breakthrough technologies;
2. ‘Transition’ to validate technologies and develop business plans for specific applications;
3. ‘Accelerator’ to support companies (SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs and in exceptional cases small mid-caps) to bring their innovations to market and scale them up;
4. ‘Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Scale Up’ to support to promising companies (SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs and in exceptional cases small mid-caps) in critical areas to help them secure larger funding rounds for scaling their businesses.

In each case, the direct financial support to innovators is complemented with access to a range of Business Acceleration Services providing access to leading expertise, corporates, investors, and ecosystem actors.

Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator provide for “Open” funding which can support technologies and innovations in any field without any predefined priority areas. In the case of Pathfinder and Accelerator, the Open funding call is complemented by a set of “Challenges” which target specific technologies and innovations of strategic interest for the EU, including to support initiatives such as Net Zero Industry, Critical Raw Materials, the European Chips Act, and Health Emergency Responses.

The EIC Work Programme 2025 also supports a number of innovation prizes and supporting actions allowing the functioning of the EIC such as expert contracts, data management, communication, and IT.

Strategic Challenges 2025 for EIC Pathfinder and Accelerator

EIC Pathfinder:

• II.2.1 Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing
• II.2.2 Generative-AI based Agents to Revolutionise Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer
• II.2.3 Towards autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments
• II.2.4 Waste-to-value devices: Circular production of renewable fuels, chemicals and materials

EIC Accelerator:

• IV.2.1 Acceleration of advanced materials development and upscaling along the value chain
• IV.2.2 Biotechnology driven low emission food production systems
• IV.2.3 GenAI4EU: Creating European Champions in Generative AI
• IV.2.4 Innovative in-space servicing, operations, space-based robotics and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure
• IV.2.5 Breakthrough innovations for future mobility

EIC Pathfinder Call Details

Applicants

• Open call: only consortia of at least three different independent legal entities established in at least three different eligible countries can apply
• Challenges call: smaller consortia (minimum two eligible entities), single applicants as well as larger consortia

Deadlines

• Pathfinder Open call (21 May 2025), indicative budget of EUR 142 million
• Pathfinder Challenge call (29 October 2025), indicative budget of EUR 120 million

Requirements

• Ambitions long-term vision for a radically new technology that has the potential to create new market and provide solutions for global challenges
• High-risk/high-gain breakthrough research that provides the foundations of the technology that you envisioning

Evaluation

• Peer review, proposals are evaluated, scored, and ranked by experts based on weighted criteria and thresholds
• The Evaluation Summary Report will comprise of the final score, a collation of the comments from individual reports, a comment that summarises the assessment by the evaluation committee as well as any additional comments
• The EIC Pathfinder Challenges evaluation process includes two steps: 1) assessment of each proposal separately; 2) considerations of each proposal’s contribution to setting up a consistent Challenge Portfolio of projects

Project scope

• RIA (starting from early TRLs aiming at achieving TRL 3 or 4), to achieve the proof of principle and validate the scientific basis of breakthrough technology

Funding

• EIC Pathfinder Open: grants of up to EUR 3 million (or more if duly justified)
• EIC Pathfinder Challenge: grants of up to EUR 4 million (or more if duly justified)
• 100% funding rate
• Pathfinder projects can also receive additional funding for testing the innovation potential of research outputs

EIC Transition Call Details

Applicants

• Single applicants (SMEs, spin-offs, start-ups, research organisations, universities) or small consortia (two partners) or small consortia (minimum 2, maximum 5 eligible entities)
• EIC Transition is restricted to proposals based on resulted generated by the eligible projects (see the 2025 Work Programme for detailed information)

Deadlines

• Transition Open call (17 September 2025), indicative budget of EUR 98 million

Evaluation

• Full proposal + interview: proposals are peer-reviewed, evaluated, scored, and ranked by experts based on weighted criteria and thresholds. Top-ranked proposals, which are invited to the interview, will be further assessed by a panel of 4-6 EIC jury members and one EIC Programme Manager as an observer with expertise in the specific area

Project scope

• IA (starting at TRL 3/4 aiming at achieving TRL 5/6), to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment and develop business and market readiness

Funding

• Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million, or more if properly justified
• 100% funding rate

EIC Accelerator Call Details

Applicants

• Single start-ups and SMEs (including spin-offs), individuals (intending to launch a start-up/ SME) and in exceptional cases small mid-caps (fewer than 499 employees)

Deadlines

• Accelerator Open and Challenges: Short applications - any time (continuous)
• Accelerator Open call and Challenges: Full applications - 12 March 2025 and 1 October 2025
• Indicative budgets: Accelerator Open - EUR 384 million and Accelerator Challenge - EUR 250 million

Evaluation

• Go / No Go; In case of a “No Go” at the jury interview phase, applicants will immediately receive a rejection letter and where eligible be awarded the Seal of Excellence
• New application resubmission limits apply
• The criteria to pass the short application stage require 3 out of 4 GOs from the expert evaluators
• Consensus meetings for the evaluation of full applications if there are divergent views among evaluators
• The evaluation criteria for excellence, includes an evaluation element to assess excellence of the company

Project scope

• IA (TRL 5/6 up to higher TRLs), intended for companies to develop and scale up breakthrough innovations with high risk and high impact, close-to-market Research and Development

Funding

• Grant component  below EUR 2.5 million for innovation activities (TRL 6 to 8); Investment component of EUR 0.5 up to 10 million for scaling up and other activities. Grant only and investment only component under certain conditions
• There is no longer the “grant first” form of support, but beneficiaries of “blended finance” may start with grant only funding with the investment component provided at a later stage

EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Scale Up Call Details

Applicants

• Single start-ups and SMEs, small mid-caps, investors on behalf of eligible companies
• Proposed innovation must be within the scope of the priority areas: digital technologies, clean and resource efficient technologies, and biotechnologies

Deadlines

• STEP Scale Up call - Any time (continuous)
• Indicative budget: EUR 300 million

Evaluation

• The EIC STEP Scale Up call utilises a "first come, first served" approach to evaluate proposals
• If your application meets the eligibility requirements, including that the application is within the scope of the STEP priority areas and the requirement for a pre-commitment by a qualified investor, applicants will be invited for a jury interview
• Go and Sovereignty (STEP) Seal / No Go and Sovereignty (STEP) Seal / No Go; In case of a “No Go and Sovereignty (STEP) Seal” at the jury interview phase, the project will be awarded the Sovereignty (STEP) Seal and gain access to Business Acceleration Services. In case of a “No Go”, applicants will receive a rejection letter and detailed feedback
• Successful proposals will be passed to the investment adviser for the EIC Fund. The investment agreement is subject to a positive due diligence and subsequent EIC Fund Investment Committee decision

Project scope

• Investment, intended for companies to scale-up innovation in Europe's strategic technology sectors and to catalyse larger funding rounds

Funding

• Investment component of EUR 10 to 30 million for scaling up strategic technologies for Europe

Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) provide a guide to the stage of development. TRLs are used in the work programme for guidance, but do not preclude support for non-technological innovations. A strong degree of importance will also be given to market readiness and business readiness, as described in the evaluation criteria of the call texts.

The following definitions of TRLs apply, recognising that there are important differences between technological fields:

• TRL1 - basic principles observed
• TRL2 - technology concept formulated
• TRL3 - experimental proof of concept
• TRL4 - technology validated in lab
• TRL5 - technology validated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
• TRL6 - technology demonstrated in relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
• TRL7 - system prototype demonstration in operational environment
• TRL8 - system complete and qualified
• TRL9 - actual system proven in operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies, or in space)