European Innovation Council (EIC) funding opportunities - (under Horizon)
Summary
Budget
Official information source
https://wayback.archive-it.org/12090/20210618210116/https://eic.ec.europa.eu...Description
European Innovation Council
The EIC aims to identify and support breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations to create new markets and scale up internationally
Funding opportunities
EIC Pathfinder
Support to research teams to research or develop an emerging breakthrough technology
EIC Transition
The EIC Transition funding scheme builds on promising research results to demonstrate and mature the technology and develop business plans for specifi...
EIC Accelerator
Funding and investments through the EIC Fund for individual start-ups and small companies to develop and scale up game changing innovations
Business Acceleration Services
All EIC supported projects and companies get access to coaching, mentoring, partnering and other EIC Business Acceleration Services
European Innovation Ecosystems
Specific support to enable innovation ecosystem actors to work together across Europe
EIC Prizes
Take the challenge and compete for an EIC Prize which rewards Europe's leading innovators
EIC Pathfinder
Support to research teams to research or develop an emerging breakthrough technology
About
What can you expect as part of EIC Pathfinder?
With its Pathfinder programme the EIC supports the exploration of bold ideas for radically new technologies. It welcomes the high-risk / high gain and interdisciplinary cutting-edge science collaborations that underpin technological breakthroughs.
Pathfinder goes beyond what is already known. Visionary thinking can open up promising avenues towards powerful new technologies.
Applicants participating in EIC Pathfinder projects are typically visionary scientists, entrepreneurial researchers and, research organisations, start-ups, high-tech SMEs and industrial stakeholders interested in technological research and innovation.
Projects typically involve consortia of researchers and other partners from at least three different countries, but there are also opportunities for individual teams and small consortia (two partners).
Grants of up to 3 to 4 million euro support early stage development of future technologies (e.g. various activities at low Technology Readiness Levels 1-3), up to proof of concept. Pathfinder projects can also receive additional funding for testing the innovation potential of their research outputs.
Funding opportunities
EIC work programme Download
The EIC Pathfinder programme consists of a combination of both open and challenge driven funding.
Open Funding
The majority of funding is for EIC Pathfinder Open which provides funding for projects in any field of science or technology, based on high-risk/high-gain science-towards-technology breakthrough interdisciplinary research.
Strategic EIC Pathfinder Challenges
EIC Pathfinder funding is also available for specific challenges that are typically steered by an EIC Programme Manager. In 2021 these Challenges are:
Challenge: Awareness inside
For projects to: to develop new concepts of awareness that are applicable to systems other than human; to demonstrate and validate the role and added-value of such an awareness in an aware technology, class of artefacts or services; and to define an integrative approach for awareness engineering, its technological toolbox, the needs and implications and its limits, including ethical and regulatory requirements.
Challenge: Tools to measure & stimulate activity in brain tissue
For projects to develop novel neurotechnologies to diagnose or treat brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerve-related disorders and which can be rapidly accepted by clinicians and patients.
Challenge: Emerging technologies in cell & gene therapy
For breakthrough projects that propose novel concept-based technological solutions or technological platforms far beyond the current state-of-the-art with aim to tackling current bottlenecks from discovery to the manufacturing step towards clinical grade and thus, reinforce critical components of the European cell and gene therapy innovation-driven community.
Challenge: Novel routes to green hydrogen production
For projects to develop novel processes and technologies to produce Green H2, at different scales (from small to large) and with higher flexibility, entirely based on renewable sources and on the use of toxic free, non-critical raw materials.
Challenge: Engineered living material
For projects to develop new technologies and platforms for the controlled and made-on-demand production of engineered living materials with multiple functionalities, shapes and scales.
EIC Transition
Mature a novel technology and develop a business case to bring it to market
About
What can you expect as part of EIC Transition?
EIC Transition funds innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory to supports both:
- the maturation and validation of your novel technology in the lab and in relevant application environments
- the development of a business case and (business) model towards the innovation’s future commercialisation.
Grants of up to €2.5million and more are available to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment and develop market readiness.
Funding opportunities
EIC work programme
English
(1.82 MB - PDF)
EIC Transition has open funding for projects in any field of science or technology as well as challenge driven funding on specific strategic fields.
Single applicants (SMEs, spin-offs, start-ups, research organisations, universities) or small consortia (max 5 partners) may apply.
As Transition funding is a new scheme of Horizon Europe, for 2021 it is restricted to applications based on results generated by the following eligible projects:
- EIC Pathfinder projects (including projects funded under EIC pilot Pathfinder, Horizon 2020 FET-Open, FET-Proactive, FET Flagships and FET ERAnet calls)
- European Research Council (ERC) Horizon 2020 Proof of Concept projects
You will need to demonstrate that you are the owner, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) holder, or have the necessary rights to commercialise the results from one of these eligible projects.
Open Funding
The majority of funding will be awarded through open calls with no predefined thematic priorities.
This Open Funding is designed to enable support for any technologies and innovations that cut across different scientific, technological, sectoral and application fields or represent novel combinations.
Strategic EIC Transition Challenges
- Challenge: Medical Technology and Devices: from Lab to Patient:
Proposals submitted to this call can target any technology addressing important health needs in the direct clinical treatment and care of patients.
- Challenge: Energy harvesting and storage technologies:
The proposals will aim at developing energy storage technologies or combined energy harvesting/storage technologies ready for investment and business development.
EIC Accelerator
Funding and investments through the EIC Fund for individual start-ups and small companies to develop and scale up game changing innovations
About
The EIC Accelerator supports individual Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in particular Startups and spinout companies to develop and scaleup game-changing innovations. In some cases small mid-caps (up to 500 employees) are supported.
The EIC Accelerator provides substantial financial support with:
- grant funding (non-dilutive) of up to €2.5 million for innovation development costs,
- investments (direct equity investments) of up to €15 million managed by the EIC Fund for scale up and other relevant costs.
In addition, EIC selected companies receive coaching, mentoring, access to investors and corporates, and many other opportunities as part of the EIC community.
The EIC welcomes applications from innovators in all EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme. It particularly welcomes applications from startups and SMEs with female CEOs.
Funding opportunities
EIC work programme Download
You can apply for EIC Accelerator funding at any time through the EIC platform. You will need a video pitch, a slide deck and respond to a short set of questions about your innovation and your team.
You will normally receive feedback within 4 weeks. If your application meets the basic criteria for EIC Accelerator funding, you will be invited to prepare a full application to submit to one of the periodic cut-off dates for Accelerator Open or Accelerator Challenge funding.
Your full application will be assessed by our experts against the full criteria for EIC Accelerator funding. If your application meets all of the criteria, will be invited to the face to face interviews with an EIC jury as the final step in the selection process.
Applications that meet all the criteria at the remote evaluation stage and are assessed positively by the EIC jury but not recommended for funding, will be awarded a Seal of Excellence to help them secure funding from other sources. Companies with a Seal of Excellence can also get support from EIC Business Acceleration Services. To be eligible for a Seal of Excellence you must give consent to sharing some basic information about your application with other funding and support organisations.
EIC Accelerator open funding is for breakthrough innovations in any field of technology and application.
EIC Accelerator challenge funding targets breakthrough innovations with major impacts on:
- Strategic Digital and Health technologies
- Green Deal innovations for the economic recovery
Fast Track
The Fast Track scheme (the ‘Fast Track’) is a novelty under Horizon Europe which allows funding bodies managing other parts of the Horizon Europe programme to submit projects directly to the full application stage of the EIC Accelerator subject to a review of the ongoing project.
The current funding bodies that are implementing the Fast Track are Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) for selected funding schemes and EISMEA for EIC Pathfinder and Transition projects.
If you are a company supported by an EIT you can check the website of the KIC to see which of their funding schemes are eligible for the Fast Track and how to apply. At a first phase in 2022, each KIC is limited to a maximum of 20 companies to submit to the Fast Track.
If you are a participant in an Pathfinder or Transition project (including recently completed projects) and are interested in the Fast Track you can contact your Project Officers (POs) using the messaging facility of the Funding & tenders portal (which will also work for closed projects).
Further information about the Fast Track is provided in Annex 4 to the EIC Work Programme and in the Guidance document for funding bodies implementing the Fast Track.
Fast Track scheme - Guidance document Download
Support for applicants
All steps and procedures you need to follow once you decided to apply.
Reach out anytime to NCP, EEN or Access2EIC.
Answers to the frequently asked questions.
GENERAL PUBLICATIONS16 June 2021
EIC Pathfinder Challenges - Application form template
GENERAL PUBLICATIONS26 March 2021
Pathfinder Open proposal template Download
Tips for a successful project. Some are obvious but they make a huge difference.
Reach out anytime to NCP, EEN or Access2EIC.
Answers to the frequently asked questions.
Is EIC Transition for you?
- Have you identified Pathfinder, FET or ERC Proof of Concept project results that could be the basis for ground-breaking innovations and new businesses?
- Is this novel technology ready for the next steps towards its maturation and validation in some specific applications?
- Do you envisage building a motivated and diverse entrepreneur-lead team to develop the idea and increase its market readiness?
Before you take a decision to apply, look carefully at the criteria and objectives in the EIC Work Programme and assess if your project is in line with them.
EIC Transition - application form Download
Reach out anytime to NCP, EEN or Access2EIC.
Answers to the frequently asked questions.
Seal of Excellence
Applications that meet all the criteria, but are not recommended for funding due to budget limits, will be awarded a Seal of Excellence to help them secure funding from other sources. Companies with a Seal of Excellence can also get support from EIC Business Acceleration Services. To be eligible for a Seal of Excellence you must give consent to sharing some basic information about your application with other funding and support organisations.
