EIC marks 100th Pathfinder grant as ELOBIO project targets biomass electrolysis for green hydrogen
- ›The European Innovation Council (EIC) signed its 100th Pathfinder grant, awarded to ELOBIO, a project developing biomass electrolysis for green hydrogen.
- ›ELOBIO will build and test a lab-scale electrolyser at Technology Readiness Level 4 using selective electrocatalytic electrodes and will explore electrochemical promotion of catalysis to improve energy efficiency.
- ›The grant was awarded under the 2021 EIC Pathfinder Challenge on novel green hydrogen routes, one of nine projects in that portfolio supervised by two EIC Programme Managers.
- ›Pathfinder grants support early stage, high-risk research with follow-up pathways through EIC Transition and the EIC Accelerator, while extra Booster grants and Programme Managers aim to increase portfolio impact.
- ›Selection came from a competitive call of 403 eligible proposals, but successful Pathfinder funding does not guarantee commercial scale up and faces technical, feedstock and market challenges.
EIC reaches 100 Pathfinder grants as biomass electrolysis project ELOBIO receives funding
The European Innovation Council has signed its 100th Pathfinder grant agreement, a milestone in the EIC's push to seed high-risk, high-reward research in Europe. The award went to ELOBIO, a project that proposes a novel route to green hydrogen by electrolysis of biomass. The project will design, build, test and refine a laboratory-scale electrolysis cell and explore catalytic and electrochemical methods to improve selectivity and energy efficiency.
Why the milestone matters and what ELOBIO aims to do
Hitting 100 signed Pathfinder contracts since the EIC's relaunch in 2021 is a public-relations milestone for the programme. The figure demonstrates the EIC's capacity to direct funds toward exploratory research. The ELOBIO project, funded under the Pathfinder Challenge on 'Novel routes to green hydrogen production', aims to take biomass electrolysis from concept toward an experimentally validated lab prototype at Technology Readiness Level 4. The work combines materials science, electrochemistry and process research to investigate both electrode design and energy efficiency improvements.
Technical concepts explained
Funding structure and EIC pathways
The EIC Pathfinder supports early-stage research and deliberately welcomes interdisciplinary, high-risk projects. Funding instruments and follow-up routes are designed to shepherd promising results toward commercialization while allowing experimentation at low TRLs. Programme Managers add a portfolio management layer intended to increase impact by aligning projects within a challenge and fostering collaboration and data sharing.
| Instrument | Primary purpose | Typical grant or support | TRL focus | Notes |
| EIC Pathfinder Open | Bottom-up exploration of breakthrough ideas | Up to €3 million | TRL 1-3 up to proof-of-concept | Supports high-risk interdisciplinary research |
| EIC Pathfinder Challenges | Targeted calls on thematic priorities | Up to €4 million | TRL 1-4 | Projects grouped into portfolios managed by Programme Managers |
| EIC Booster grants | Small additional funding for testing and portfolio actions | Fixed amounts up to €50,000 | Varies | For cross-project actions and testing innovation potential |
| EIC Transition | Move promising research toward market readiness | Larger grants for maturation | Higher TRLs toward commercialization | Can fund company creation or further development |
| EIC Accelerator | Support scaling and market entry for innovations | Grants and equity investments variable | Commercial TRLs | Fast Track possible from Transition |
Selection, portfolio approach and context
ELOBIO was chosen from 403 eligible proposals submitted under the 2021 EIC Pathfinder challenges. It will form part of a portfolio of nine projects tackling novel green hydrogen routes. The projects in that portfolio will be supervised by EIC Programme Managers Antonio Marco Pantaleo and Francesco Matteucci, who are responsible for coordinating common activities such as data sharing and market analysis to amplify impact across projects.
Policy alignment and the longer term
The ELOBIO project and the wider Pathfinder challenge are framed as contributions to the European Green Deal, the EU's roadmap to reach climate neutrality by 2050. Green hydrogen is singled out in EU policy as a strategic decarbonisation vector for hard-to-abate sectors. However, translating novel lab concepts into industrial-scale green hydrogen at competitive cost remains challenging.
Practical constraints and risks
Several practical challenges should be kept in mind. First, biomass feedstock availability, sustainability criteria and lifecycle emissions must be assessed to verify that biomass electrolysis delivers genuine carbon benefits versus other routes. Second, electrolysers that work in laboratory conditions at TRL 4 often require extensive engineering to reach commercial reliability, durability and cost targets. Third, competing hydrogen production routes such as water electrolysis powered by cheap renewables are already seeing rapid industrial investment, which could limit market space for niche biomass electrolysis unless it offers distinct economic or feedstock advantages.
What happens next
The ELOBIO project will proceed with prototype construction and testing. It will also participate in portfolio activities with the eight peer projects in the same challenge. Programme Managers will coordinate shared roadmaps and may channel Booster grants or follow-up Transition funding where promising results emerge. For proposers and applicants interested in future calls, the EIC announced upcoming information events including an EIC online information day on 13 December 2022 that covered the 2023 work programme and funding opportunities.
Takeaways and critical perspective
The 100th signed Pathfinder grant marks a quantitative milestone for the EIC and highlights the programme's role as a seed funder of high-risk research in Europe. ELOBIO exemplifies the technical ambition the scheme supports but also illustrates common uncertainties at the early TRL stage. Moving from laboratory validation to large scale green hydrogen production will require rigorous life cycle assessment, sustained engineering to improve durability and cost, and alignment with industrial partners and investors. The EIC's portfolio management and follow-up funding channels are designed to help but do not remove the fundamental hurdles of commercialisation.
Readers interested in details about the EIC Pathfinder instruments, future calls or the EIC work programme can consult the EIC website and consider attending EIC info days. Funding opportunities through the EIC remain an important part of Europe’s innovation ecosystem for early-stage deep tech, but success stories will need to translate lab promise into industrial performance to meet the ambitions of the European Green Deal.