22 EIC Awardees Paired with Buyers for InnoMatch Procurement Pilots
- ›InnoMatch has selected 22 pairs of EIC Awardees and buyers to run 12-month procurement pilots backed by the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme.
- ›Each pilot can receive up to EUR 60,000 plus mentoring and access to EIC Business Acceleration Services support.
- ›Pilots will follow a three stage process: two months preparation, six months deployment, and up to four months assessment.
- ›InnoMatch aims to support a total of 38 pilots under the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme, addressing barriers to first customers for innovative SMEs.
EIC launches 22 procurement pilots under InnoMatch to test EIC-backed innovations with committed buyers
The first open call of InnoMatch powered by the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme has concluded with 22 selected pairings of EIC Awardees and public or private buyers. These teams will participate in a structured 12 month pilot journey. The initiative is run by the EIC Business Acceleration Services and is designed to help innovators overcome a common hurdle in European innovation ecosystems. The programme offers financial support of up to EUR 60,000 per pilot along with mentoring and expert support to test solutions against an identified buyer need.
Who was selected
A dedicated panel of external experts evaluated joint applications from EIC Awardees and buyers across sectors including health, digital transformation, defence, sustainability and industrial technologies. The 22 successful pairs were chosen for their technological innovation and potential market impact.
| EIC Strand | EIC Awardee | Pilot project title | Buyer |
| EIC Accelerator | iLoF - Intelligent Lab on Fiber | MINT | Multiparameter INsight platform for Therapeutic nanoparticles | Bluepharma - Indústria Farmacêutica, S.A. |
| EIC Pathfinder | INDRESMAT SL | KLIMA-PUR Windows Pilots for Green Public Procurement Engagement for Heritage Buildings | INCASOL - CATALAN LAND INSTITUTE |
| EIC Pathfinder | Magment GmbH | Testing MagPower™ solid-state transformer at Holcim facility | Holcim |
| EIC Accelerator | Nico-lab B.V. | Lombardia Regional Cerebral Stroke project | Regione Lombardia |
| EIC Accelerator | MYSPHERA | Inno-PATHMAKER: Boosting surgical capacity through process optimisation using PATHMAKER | HOSPITAL CLINIC UNIVERSITARI DE VALENCIA / INCLIVA |
| EIC Pathfinder | BioSistemika, raziskave in razvoj d.o.o. | DNA-Based Secure Storage for Critical Defence Data (DNAmmo) | Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia |
| EIC Accelerator | Contextflow GmbH | Aiding radiological thorax CT assessments using contextflow AI-based algorithms | Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven |
| EIC Accelerator | ROKA FURADADA S.L. | Cirkle-lign: Enabling a circular materials shift through advanced lignin technology for pharma and cosmetics industry | COVEX, S.A. |
| EIC Pathfinder | Better Medicine OÜ | BMVision Kidney AI pilot project | Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz |
| EIC Accelerator | Smart Farm Robotix | GHveggieWeeder | Bio Contact Ltd |
| EIC Accelerator | BEIT sp. z o.o. | Quantum-Accurate Virtual Screening and Docking for Selective Inhibition of Specific Mutant Kinase in Oncology | Molecure SA |
| EIC Transition | Microfluidics Innovation Center | Precision biochemistry via nextgen microflow control | Inside Therapeutics |
| EIC Accelerator | Followhealth SL | Enhancing postoperative recovery in DIEP flap patients through wearable technology | Maastricht UMC+ Comprehensive Cancer Center |
| EIC Accelerator | Deeploy | AI Governance pilot | Unspecified buyer in the healthcare sector |
| EIC Transition | Alternative Energy Innovations SL (AEInnova) | NETZERO heat-powered and batteryless long-range wireless predictive maintenance IoT | COMPAÑÍA ESPAÑOLA DE LAMINACIÓN SA (CELSA) |
| EIC Transition | CHARGE2C-NEWCAP | GO-START Battery - NextGen Battery Pilot | Patinter |
| EIC Prize | Restored Hearing Ltd. trading as Lios | SCOUT - SoundBounce Commercial Output and Use-case Testing | Kingspan Holdings (IRL) Limited |
| EIC Accelerator | Regeneration BV (resortecs) | Riturn | Iturri SA |
| EIC Transition | DeepEn GmbH | NeuroDeploy – Enabling Deep Brain Imaging In-Vivo for Neuroscience Applications | Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) |
| EIC Accelerator | Reblade | UK & Ireland Up Next | Geo-Structural Ltd |
| EIC Transition | SoundCell B.V. | NANO FFAST: Nanotechnology For Fast Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing | Reinier Haga Medical Diagnostics Center B.V. |
| EIC Accelerator | Kasi Technologies AB | NESS Pilot vehicle - Commercial Customer Demo vehicle | FAIV - Fordonsanpassning i Väst AB |
What each pilot receives and the programme structure
Why procurement pilots matter and what to watch for
Public and private procurement can be an important route to market for startups and deep tech SMEs. Procurers can de-risk innovation by providing real operational environments for validation. The EIC is positioning InnoMatch to address a common gap in many European innovation journeys which is the lack of early adopter customers for novel products and services.
However procurement pilots do not guarantee scale. EUR 60,000 is useful for demonstration but it can be modest when solutions need clinical validation, complex systems integration, regulatory approval or long product cycles. Buyer readiness to adopt at scale is equally important. Public procurement rules and internal procurement capacity can slow or limit follow up contracts. The mentoring and business acceleration services included in the programme are intended to mitigate these risks but outcomes will vary per project.
Context within the EIC Business Acceleration Services
InnoMatch is one stream of the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme that sits under the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The BAS portfolio is designed to complement grant funding with market access, contracting opportunities and coaching. Since 2021 the EIC has reported thousands of one to one meetings between awardees and potential partners and a number of resulting deals. Innovation procurement support is an explicit pathway the EIC is using to help awardees find first customers and demonstrate market traction.
Next steps and how to follow progress
The 22 selected pairs will start their 12 month journeys under the three stage process. The EIC recommends following the projects on LinkedIn for updates. InnoMatch has published contact details for enquiries and encourages interested buyers and EIC awardees to engage with future calls because the programme will target a total of 38 pilots.
Caveats and what to expect in reporting
The announcement lists project titles and buyers but does not prescribe guaranteed procurement beyond the pilot. Readers should treat pilot funding and evaluation as early stage validation rather than a commercial contract for scale. Observers should look for subsequent public reporting on metrics such as buyer adoption, commercial contracts following the pilot, follow on investment and independent performance or clinical validation where relevant.