EIC launches Tech to Market Entrepreneurship and Venture Building programme and opens info session

Brussels, February 21st 2023

Summary

›The European Innovation Council launched the EIC Tech to Market Entrepreneurship and Venture Building Programme to help EIC Pathfinder and Transition projects move from lab to market.
›The programme is split into two complementary strands: Entrepreneurship for training and business model validation and Venture Building for tailored start up creation and team formation.
›An online information session for potential participants was scheduled for 15 March 2023 from 10:30 to 11:30 CET with registrations open until 10 March 2023.
›The programme offers a mix of short trainings, multiweek bootcamps, multi month immersive training, market discovery events, team recruitment services, and targeted advisory on IP, finance and HR.
›Calls for experts and entrepreneurs in residence are managed through the EIC and were closed at the time of publication with plans to reopen in later years.

EIC Tech to Market Entrepreneurship and Venture Building Programme

The European Innovation Council announced the EIC Tech to Market Entrepreneurship and Venture Building Programme to support innovators funded under EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition in their transition from laboratory research to marketable ventures. The initiative combines a strand focused on entrepreneurial training with a venture building strand that aims to create start ups from promising research results. An online information session introducing the programmes and first activities was scheduled for 15 March 2023 from 10:30 to 11:30 CET.

Two complementary strands with different objectives

The programme is deliberately divided into two strands so that researchers who want to develop entrepreneurial skills can follow structured training while teams that need hands on support to create a company can receive tailored venture building services. Both strands target beneficiaries of EIC Pathfinder and Transition awards, plus early stage start ups that originate from those projects.

Strand	Primary aim	Core services and format	Target participants
Tech to Market Entrepreneurship	Teach entrepreneurial skills and validate business concepts	Short trainings, multi day bootcamps, 4 to 5 month immersive programmes, business idea validation and 8 week business validation track	Innovative researchers with entrepreneurial aspiration and early stage spin outs
Tech to Market Venture Building	Create and accelerate start ups from promising research results	Tech demo days, feasibility exploration, team creation support, entrepreneurs in residence, tailored advisory on IP finance and HR	EIC Pathfinder and Transition beneficiaries with high venture potential

What the Entrepreneurship strand offers

EIC Innovation Discovery Training:Two half day online collective sessions that introduce the basics of entrepreneurial skills and provide guidance on pitching. This is an entry level, collective format aimed at researchers starting to explore market opportunities.

EIC Bootcamp for innovative researchers:Four days of online collective workshops covering key areas for deep tech founders such as value proposition, team, roadmap and pitching practice. The format is intensive and designed to equip participants with practical tools to develop early startup plans.

EIC Pioneer Programme for innovative researchers:An immersive 4 to 5 month programme combining weekly collective sessions and individual coaching. Topics include intellectual property protection, industrialisation, regulatory issues, team management and finance. The Pioneer Programme is aimed at teams that need sustained support to move toward a viable venture.

EIC Business Idea Validation Bootcamp:A four week track of collective workshops, team coaching and customer or stakeholder interviews. The purpose is to strengthen a value proposition and pre validate a business model through structured activities and feedback.

EIC Business Validation Programme:An intensive eight week programme combining online courses, masterclasses, coaching and interviews to focus on product market fit and customer discovery. This is designed to move projects from concept to a market tested proposition.

What the Venture Building strand offers

The Venture Building strand is more hands on and oriented toward building companies. It follows a staged approach from market feedback to team formation and ongoing advisory support. The EIC positions this strand as an agile and tailor made pathway to transform research outputs into start ups.

Tech Demo Days:An entry point to the venture building pathway where thematic exploration workshops are organised and market players provide feedback on the technology potential. These events function as early market validation and scouting opportunities.

Opportunities exploration:A phase of guided feasibility assessment where a team of experts provides business insight and concrete recommendations to improve commercial prospects. This step aims to translate technical strengths into realistic market opportunities.

Team creation:Support to form founding teams including recruitment services, access to entrepreneurs in residence and talent brokerage events. Building an appropriate team is a common bottleneck for academic spin outs and this service tries to address that gap.

Venture support services:Needs analysis and advisory expertise on areas critical for venture creation such as intellectual property, finance and human resources. The programme also offers the possibility to join additional on demand services coordinated by EIC proactive management.

Info session, registration and event agenda

An online info session was scheduled for 15 March 2023 from 10:30 to 11:30 CET. The session was designed to present the main features of both strands and to announce initial activities. Registrations for the event were open until 10 March 2023.

Time (CET)	Topic	Notes
10:30 to 10:40	Welcome by EIC	Opening remarks
10:40 to 11:00	EIC Tech to Market Entrepreneurship Programme	Overview of services, eligibility and upcoming activities
11:00 to 11:20	EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme	Overview of services and who can apply
11:20 to 11:30	Q and A	Participant questions answered by organisers

Who can participate and how to contact the EIC

The programme is targeted at beneficiaries of EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition projects and at early stage start ups that emerge from those projects. External stakeholders such as mentors and market experts are also invited to participate in assessments and to join venture teams when appropriate. For questions or to register interest, users were asked to contact the EIC Community contact page and to select the relevant category such as 'EIC T2M Entrepreneurship Programme' or 'EIC T2M Venture Building Programme'.

Calls for experts and entrepreneurs in residence

The EIC ran calls to recruit business experts and entrepreneurs in residence. Experts contribute market feedback and mentoring across a range of business domains. Entrepreneurs in residence can join founder teams or act as cofounders and mentors. At the time of publication these application windows were closed with plans to reopen in later programme cycles. Interested candidates were advised to monitor the EIC Tech to Market pages for updates.

Implementation status and future timeline

The EIC Tech to Market Programme had been active delivering services through external implementing providers. The EIC website later noted that the programme was paused and expected to resume activities in 2026. Pauses and reorganisation are common in EU service lines as contracts and funding cycles end. Prospective participants should verify current availability of services and the status of open calls before planning their engagement.

Context and critical perspective

Supporting the transition from deep research to commercial products is a stated priority across the EU innovation landscape. EIC Pathfinder and Transition grants fund frontier research and early technology maturation. But moving from a lab prototype to a viable company typically requires business model validation, customer discovery, regulatory planning, IP strategy and a founding team with complementary skills. The EIC Tech to Market programme attempts to address these gaps by combining training and venture building services.

A few caveats deserve emphasis. First programmes that offer training and advisory support can increase readiness but they are not a substitute for follow on risk capital. Successful spin outs usually need sustained funding beyond validation tracks. Second selection matters. If services are concentrated on a small number of projects there is a risk of selection bias that limits broad ecosystem effects. Third measuring impact is challenging. Public programmes often report numbers of participants and events but less frequently provide long term metrics such as company formation rates, follow on investment attracted and jobs created. Finally coordination with other EIC instruments such as the EIC Accelerator and the EIC Fund is essential to create a coherent path from grant to scale up. Prospective applicants should look for clarity on eligibility, provider credentials, long term follow up and mechanisms for accessing investment after programme completion.

Practical next steps for interested researchers and teams

Check eligibility against EIC Pathfinder or Transition beneficiary status. Review the specific components to decide whether short training or intensive venture building is more appropriate. Register for information sessions and monitor the EIC Tech to Market pages for reopening of calls for experts and entrepreneurs in residence. Use the EIC Community contact page and select the relevant category to ask questions or to request further information.

Contact and further information

For programme related enquiries use the EIC Community contact page. When contacting the helpdesk select the category that matches your query such as 'EIC T2M Entrepreneurship Programme' or 'EIC T2M Venture Building Programme'. Also consult the EIC Tech to Market Programme web pages for details on components, success stories and updates on application windows.