After the EIC Summit 2025: Lessons from EIC-backed Innovators and a Reality Check on Scaling Deep Tech
- ›EIC Summit 2025 brought over 1,400 participants, high-profile panels and on-stage testimonials from EIC beneficiaries across Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator schemes.
- ›EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS) were foregrounded as the bridge between grant funding and market adoption through three pillars: Contracts, Contacts and Skills.
- ›Four pitching winners from the EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech — D-CRBN, Hyperion Robotics, Solmeyea and Nevomo — illustrate sector diversity from CO2 valorisation to high-speed rail.
- ›Speakers emphasised EIC support as timely de-risking for startups but timelines and impact claims such as certification targets and material reductions remain ambitious and require independent validation.
- ›The Summit showcased 23 projects in the exhibition and promoted EIC investor-readiness initiatives while underscoring continuing gaps in finance for large scaling rounds in Europe.
EIC Summit 2025: What happened and why it matters
The European Innovation Council Summit 2025 convened at Tour & Taxis in Brussels on 2 and 3 April. The two-day programme combined a beneficiaries-only day of practical workshops with a flagship public event. Organisers reported more than 1,400 participants, a programme of plenary talks, awards and workshops, a project exhibition featuring 23 EIC-backed projects, and a satellite EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech that hosted 24 pitching companies and over 70 investors.
On-stage testimonials: three innovators, three schemes
Across plenary sessions and beneficiaries’ workshops, EIC-backed innovators told origin stories, described technical milestones achieved with EIC support and set out commercial ambitions. Their talks illustrated both the promise of deep tech and the practical gaps that remain between lab results, pilot projects and market scale.
Investor Day on Climate Tech: pitch winners and investor feedback
The EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech selected 24 Accelerator innovators to pitch to an audience of leading VCs and impact funds. Investors and founders highlighted the event’s role in matchmaking, due diligence signalling and accelerating fundraising conversations. Four pitching winners singled out during the day illustrate the range of technologies in the EIC portfolio.
| Company | Sector / Focus | EIC Scheme | Pitch claim |
| D-CRBN | Energy / CO2 valorisation | EIC Accelerator (pitched at Investor Day) | Converts industrial CO2 into feedstock for chemicals and materials to displace fossil feedstocks |
| Hyperion Robotics | Industrial materials / concrete | EIC Accelerator (pitched at Investor Day) | Microfactories and robotic systems that produce foundations using 70% less CO2 compared to traditional solutions |
| Solmeyea | Agritech / Food from CO2 | EIC Accelerator (pitched at Investor Day) | Produces protein and ingredients from CO2 using microalgae; aiming to scale to food and biomaterials markets |
| Nevomo | Green mobility / MagRail | EIC Accelerator (pitched at Investor Day) | Develops hybrid magnetic-rail technology that can double average rail speeds and retrofit to existing rail lines |
Investors at the event framed the EIC as an important de-risking partner for deep tech. They said EIC validation reduces perceived risk and encourages co-investment. At the same time they emphasised that deep tech capital remains scarce for the very large rounds required for global scale, and that Europe still needs more later-stage finance to retain successful companies.
Summit highlights and scale metrics presented
Organisers presented several headline figures across the event and EIC services. The Summit hosted more than 1,400 participants, more than 70 investors attended the Investor Day on Climate Tech, and 23 EIC projects featured in a public exhibition. The EIC also referenced its impact reporting and Business Acceleration Services outputs when describing success indicators for supported innovators.
The EIC quoted multiple aggregated metrics for BAS since 2021. These include over 20,000 one-on-one meetings between EIC awardees and corporates, procurers and investors; 595 deals reported; €350 million raised via investor outreach; €1.2 billion raised by EIC Scaling Club members after joining; €42 million in turnover from trade fairs; and €7.7 million raised through innovation procurement support tied to €28.4 million in submitted tenders. The EIC also cites an ecosystem network of more than 280 partners offering 650 services and over 2,400 coached awardees.
| BAS Pillar | Representative programmes | Selected headline metrics cited |
| Contracts | Corporate Partnership Programme, Innovation Procurement Programme, International Trade Fairs, Global Business Expansion | +20,000 one-on-one meetings; 595 deals; EUR 7.7M raised via procurement support |
| Contacts | EIC Community Platform, Ecosystem Partnership Programme, ACCESS+ grants | +280 partners; +650 services; +5,000 awardees engaged in activities |
| Skills | EIC Coaching, Women Leadership, Tech-to-Market, InnoNext | +2,400 awardees coached; +90% Women Leadership alumnae reporting skill gains; 21 start-ups from venture building |
How the BAS are presented and how to access them
Under Horizon Europe, EIC beneficiaries and some related groups are eligible for BAS. The EIC emphasises that these services have no hard expiration date and can be used after a project ends. Access requires registration on the EIC Community Platform with EU Login credentials. The EIC runs continuous open calls and targeted programmes such as ACCESS+ grants which can co-fund up to EUR 60,000 to pay for vetted partner services.
Project exhibition and cross-cutting portfolios
The Summit exhibition showcased 23 projects from diverse sectors including semiconductors, space propulsion, bio-based materials, medical devices and construction innovation. Examples on display included FlexiForm (textile formworks for concrete), Heart Aerospace (electric regional airliner ES-30), Seaborg Technologies (compact molten salt reactors), QualE-fly (Heart Aerospace drivetrain), and others developing everything from microLEDs to quantum-enabled devices.
A measured, cautious read on claims and impact
Speakers and beneficiaries made ambitious claims about timelines, CO2 reductions and market entry targets. The EIC’s role in de-risking is clear: early grants, equity from the EIC Fund, coaching and investor introductions materially improve a company’s signalling to private capital. That said, a few pragmatic caveats are in order.
Implications for innovators and policymakers
For startups: the EIC is most valuable where it reduces early technical and commercial risk, provides tailored coaching and opens doors to pilot customers and investors. Teams should use BAS deliberately and document traction metrics that investors can verify. For policymakers: the Summit reinforced the case for an expanded EIC mandate coupled with instruments that attract later-stage private capital, and for a clearer pipeline from research to industrial-scale deployment.
Where to follow up and practical next steps
Recordings of plenary sessions and many Summit materials are available on the EIC Summit website. EIC beneficiaries and applicants should register on the EIC Community Platform with EU Login credentials to apply for BAS, check open calls including ACCESS+ and InnoMatch, and subscribe to the EIC BAS newsletter for updates. The EIC Impact Report 2025 offers complementary data on portfolio performance and the EIC Fund’s co-investment activity.
The EIC Summit 2025 highlighted tangible progress across Europe’s deep tech ecosystem. The event showcased useful programmes and strong storytelling from beneficiaries. However, meaningful systemic scaling will require sustained follow-through, transparent verification of impact claims, and more patient private capital to convert demonstrations into industrial leadership.