EIC awards €74 million to 18 experimental projects aimed at green and digital transitions
- ›The European Innovation Council Pathfinder Pilot awarded €74 million to 18 high risk high reward projects.
- ›Projects were selected from 236 submissions and focus on sustainability, digitalisation and deep technology.
- ›Two FET Proactive themes funded were Emerging Paradigms and Societies and Environmental Intelligence.
- ›Most applicants came from higher education and research organisations and 18 percent were SMEs.
- ›Awarded teams will also receive business acceleration support and coaching from the EIC.
EU backs 18 experimental research projects with €74 million to accelerate green and digital transitions
The European Innovation Council Pathfinder Pilot has selected 18 projects to receive a combined €74 million in research grants. The round targeted high risk high reward technology research with potential to contribute to the EU's green and digital transitions. Winners were chosen from 236 applications and represent a mainly academic and research community led cohort with a modest presence of small and medium sized enterprises.
The award in numbers
| Metric | Value |
| Total funding awarded | €74 million |
| Number of projects selected | 18 |
| Submissions for this round | 236 |
| Average EU grant mentioned | Approximately €4 million per project |
| Share of applicants from SMEs | 18 percent |
| Most represented applicant countries | Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy |
| Main applicant types | Higher education and research organisations in the majority |
The calls and their ambitions
Funding for these projects came from two FET Proactive calls under the EIC Pathfinder Pilot. Both calls sought projects that push the frontiers of knowledge and open new technological pathways rather than incremental improvements. The selected work spans interdisciplinary research that pairs advanced sensing with modelling and artificial intelligence, investigations into radically new energy storage and conversion concepts, and methods to measure phenomena at nano and sub-nano scales.
Highlights from the selected projects
The projects are grouped broadly into two themes. Under Emerging Paradigms and Societies the work increases interdisciplinary research into social applications of artificial intelligence, searches for breakthroughs in compact and low cost energy storage and conversion and pursues advances in nano and sub-nano metrology described as efforts to 'measure the unmeasurable'. Environmental Intelligence projects aim to combine environmental modelling, advanced sensors, social science and AI to create new approaches for monitoring and decision support.
Examples called out among the selected ideas include wireless wearable self powered sensors for in situ urban environmental monitoring and self deployable biodegradable miniaturised robots designed to detect key environmental parameters in air and topsoil. Other projects will explore energy storage and conversion concepts that are clean, compact and potentially far lower in cost than current options.
Support beyond cash
Selected teams will receive not only a share of the €74 million grant budget but also access to EIC business acceleration services. These services typically include coaching, mentoring, market and investment readiness support and connections to the wider European innovation ecosystem. The EIC emphasises that acceleration support is intended to increase the likelihood that research outcomes can progress towards demonstrators, prototypes and beyond.
Official framing and timing
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said the EIC Pathfinder 'translates game changing technology research projects into innovative businesses focused on sustainability, digitalisation and deep technology'. The Commission also flagged that, following the pilot phase, a fully fledged EIC was expected to launch under Horizon Europe with increased funding for breakthrough technologies and more proactive programme management.
Context and caveats
This round reflects the EIC approach to seed high risk research with the potential for disruptive impact. The initiative is deliberately risk accepting and aims to fund ideas that are not yet near market. That creates a tension since translating early stage breakthroughs into commercial technologies typically requires substantial follow on investment and long development timelines. The low SME share of 18 percent suggests the call reached more academic researchers than small companies that are closer to market. The geographic spread of winners concentrated in Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy is consistent with broader patterns of research activity in Europe but also highlights persisting concentration of R and D capacity. Success in the long term will depend on follow on funding, robust technology validation and the ability to attract private investment where appropriate.
What to watch next
Look for publication of the full list of funded projects and follow up reporting on milestones. Observers should monitor whether the EIC business acceleration services lead to measurable uptake of private investment and whether selected projects progress towards demonstrators and prototypes. As the EIC transitions from pilot to full programme within Horizon Europe, changes in scale and governance of funding may affect how future high risk projects are supported and how many progress to market.
Background information: The funding reported here was awarded under two FET Proactive calls called Emerging Paradigms and Societies and Environmental Intelligence. The calls are aimed at cutting edge, high risk, high reward research and innovation. The average EU grant cited in the announcement is approximately €4 million per project.