EIC Pathfinder

What is EIC Pathfinder?

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder is one of Europe’s most ambitious funding programmes for cutting-edge research and innovation. It supports visionary ideas that can open entirely new fields of technology or create new markets, paving the way for solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

The Pathfinder is ideal for researchers, startups, SMEs, universities, and research organisations with high-risk, high-reward projects that have the potential to become transformative innovations. By backing early-stage development, the EIC Pathfinder helps ideas mature from concept to proof-of-principle, bridging the gap between ground-breaking research and real-world impact.

Key benefits

• Shape the Future: Bring your visionary ideas to life and position your organisation at the forefront of emerging technologies.
• International Collaboration: Work with leading researchers, businesses, and innovators across Europe.
• Complete Support: Grants of up to €3–4 million per project, with additional support through EIC Business Acceleration Services. Benefit from coaching, mentoring, partnering opportunities, and visibility through the EIC Community platform.
• De-risk Early Research: Access significant non-dilutive funding for high-risk projects that might struggle to secure private investment at early stages.

Challenges: 

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

Eligibility:

• Consortium: Consortia of at least three independent legal entities from different eligible countries (for EIC Pathfinder Open), or single legal entities (for EIC Pathfinder Challenges).
• Focus Areas: Early-stage scientific research, proof-of-concept activities, validation of disruptive technologies.
• Eligible Sectors: Open to all sectors, with particular relevance for deep tech, AI, health and life sciences, clean energy, quantum, materials, digital technologies, and more.
• Budget Cap: No fixed cap per partner but the budget should be well justified.

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