EIC opens €132 million Pathfinder Challenge calls across five high-risk, high-gain technology areas

Brussels, June 15th 2021

Summary

›The European Innovation Council (EIC) opened Pathfinder Challenge calls totalling €132 million under Horizon Europe on 15 June 2021.
›Five targeted challenges invite high-risk, interdisciplinary research in awareness for systems, brain measurement and stimulation devices, cell and gene therapy technologies, green hydrogen production, and engineered living materials.
›Calls target high‑risk, high‑gain projects with explicit conditions for prototypes, preclinical data, or demonstrator platforms depending on the challenge.
›Deadlines and process: proposals due 27 October 2021, applicants informed around five months after deadline and grant agreements signed by about eight months after deadline.
›The EIC will manage funded projects as curated portfolios steered by in-house Programme Managers, emphasising portfolio coherence but raising questions about downstream translation and market uptake.

EIC opens €132 million Pathfinder Challenge calls, targeting five frontier technology areas

On 15 June 2021 the European Innovation Council (EIC) launched a package of Pathfinder Challenge calls under Horizon Europe, allocating a total of €132 million to five thematic challenges. The initiative aims to fund high‑risk, high‑gain research that pushes science beyond current boundaries and creates new paths to technology and market opportunities. The EIC says it will manage winning projects as curated portfolios under in‑house Programme Managers who steer investments toward the most promising science to technology routes.

Why the Pathfinder Challenges are different

Pathfinder Challenges differ from broad open research grants by focusing EU funding on specific, cutting‑edge scientific directions. They call for interdisciplinary consortia or single legal entities in some cases, and they ask proposers to accept high technical risk in return for potentially transformative outcomes. The EIC will apply proactive portfolio management, grouping funded projects by Challenge and having dedicated Programme Managers actively steer projects so portfolios explore complementary approaches, competing ideas and different perspectives on the same technological problem.

EIC portfolio management and Programme Managers:Programme Managers in the EIC will not be passive grant administrators. They are expected to curate Challenge portfolios, keep work focused on high‑risk-to‑impact paths, and coordinate activities and interactions across funded projects to maximise learning and reduce duplication. This means selection and monitoring will be informed by a portfolio logic rather than treating each project as isolated.

Portfolio steering can help align projects toward shared milestones and systemic goals, but it places additional responsibility on fund managers to balance scientific freedom with practical deliverables. That trade-off matters because the EIC’s ambition is not only scientific discovery but eventual innovation, uptake and scaling. Translating early exploratory research to market and clinical use remains difficult and expensive and will require private capital, manufacturing capacity and regulatory navigation beyond the Pathfinder grant phase.

The five 2021 Pathfinder Challenges

The call package opens five distinct Challenges. Each Challenge has its own Challenge Guide and specific expected outcomes. Below are the Challenge titles and the substance of what the EIC expects from proposals.

Challenge	Scope and focus	Specific expected deliverables or conditions
Awareness inside	Define concepts of awareness applicable to technological systems and demonstrate value in artefacts or services	New concepts and measures of awareness, proof of principle or lab‑validated prototype, integrative engineering approach with ethical and regulatory analysis. Only collaborative projects with at least three partners.
Tools to measure and stimulate activity in brain tissue	Develop novel diagnostic or therapeutic neuro‑devices or new physical principles for brain sensing and modulation	Either a full device with prototype plus preclinical efficacy data or new physical monitoring/modulation principles with clear advantages. Proposals should aim to deliver a working prototype and preclinical data where a full device is targeted.
Emerging technologies in cell and gene therapy (CGT)	Strengthen technology platforms for discovery-to-manufacturing challenges across cell and gene therapies	Solutions beyond current state of the art in manufacturing, vectors, adoptive cell therapies, personalised cell therapy testing, or scale‑up; outcomes need to target concrete de‑risking toward clinical or manufacturing readiness.
Novel routes to green hydrogen production	Develop new biological, chemical or physical routes for green H2 using renewable energy and non‑critical materials	Proof of concept or laboratory validated lab‑scale technology for green H2 production using non‑toxic, non‑critical materials; lifecycle analysis and circular economy considerations required.
Engineered living materials (ELMs)	Create technologies to produce living materials with programmable, dynamic functionalities	Validation by producing at least two different living materials differing in application, scale and cellular composition. Either biological ELMs >1 cm via synthetic morphogenesis or hybrid living material DBTL platforms; include ethical, legal and social analysis.

1. Awareness inside

This Challenge asks teams to rethink awareness and consciousness so the concepts can apply across species and technological systems rather than being limited to human subjective accounts. Expected outputs include new system‑applicable concepts of awareness, validated demonstrations in technologies or services where awareness materially changes performance and an integrative engineering toolbox that covers ethical, regulatory and social implications. The challenge is open only to collaborative projects with at least three partners.

Trustworthy AI requirements:Proposals touching AI must comply with Trustworthy AI principles, and projects are expected to contribute to broader ethical and regulatory debates since new operational concepts of awareness may change how humans interact with machines and what societies expect from them.

2. Tools to measure and stimulate activity in brain tissue

The EIC is funding neurotechnology that could enable new diagnostics or therapeutics for a broad set of brain disorders. Two tracks are eligible: development of a complete device with unique features or discovery of new physical principles or methodologies for sensing or stimulation. The call highlights modern microelectronics, miniaturisation, wireless architectures, multi‑site arrays and new modalities such as ultrasound, optogenetics, mechanical or chemical stimulation.

Prototype and preclinical expectations:If proposing a full device, projects are strongly encouraged to deliver during the grant a working prototype and preclinical evidence of therapeutic action. Proposals that focus on new mechanisms should de‑risk by exploring multiple strategies in parallel.

3. Emerging technologies in cell and gene therapy

Cell and gene therapy is a core clinical frontier but faces steep barriers, from precision and vector design to GMP manufacturing and cost. The Challenge invites proposals addressing manufacturing scale and speed, improved vectors, lowering costs and complexity of adoptive cell therapies, methods to treat solid tumours, personalised cell therapy testing such as organoids or organs‑on‑a‑chip, and production process improvements to support clinical trials at scale.

Manufacturing and regulatory bottlenecks:The EIC seeks technologies that go beyond incremental advances toward solving manufacturing bottlenecks, vector stability, toxicity from repeated dosing and other barriers that typically block translation from lab proof of concept to clinical and commercial deployment.

4. Novel routes to green hydrogen production

Green hydrogen is central to decarbonisation strategies but remains costly and often depends on technologies using critical raw materials. This Challenge looks for new biological, chemical or physical routes to produce hydrogen entirely from renewable inputs and non‑critical materials. The brief suggests exploring salt or waste water, air moisture, biomass or recycled by‑products and co‑production of decarbonised chemicals as ways to improve circularity and reduce lifecycle impacts.

Life cycle and materials constraints:Projects must include full lifecycle analysis and demonstrate the safe and sustainable use of non‑critical raw materials. EIC emphasises system integration opportunities and production at different scales including decentralised, on‑site generation.

5. Engineered living materials

Engineered living materials are composites that include living cells and therefore can self‑repair, adapt and perform dynamic functions. The EIC aims to position Europe at the forefront of ELMs by funding technologies for controlled production and platforms able to generate at least two distinct living materials differing in application, scale and cellular composition. Teams are expected to combine synthetic biology, materials engineering, control systems and AI and to address ethical, legal and social aspects (ELSA).

Minimum product expectations:Projects should either demonstrate biological ELMs larger than 1 cm through programmable morphogenesis or deliver an automated DBTL platform capable of producing hybrid living materials at multiple scales.

Eligibility, submission and timeline

The Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative consortia and in some cases single legal entities. For most Challenge tracks, consortia must include at least two independent legal entities from different member or associated states. The Awareness challenge explicitly requires at least three partners. Mono‑beneficiary projects are allowed for some Pathfinder strands but not for mid‑caps or larger companies in those cases. Proposals are submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Item	Detail	Notes
Total budget	€132,000,000	Allocated across the five listed Pathfinder Challenges
Call published	15 June 2021
Submission deadline	27 October 2021, 17:00 CEST
Evaluation timeline	Applicants informed around 5 months after deadline	Indicative
Grant agreement signature	By around 8 months after deadline	Indicative
Where to apply	EU Funding and Tenders Portal	Use the Pathfinder Challenges 2021 call entry

Technical readiness explained, TRL:Pathfinder work targets low to early TRLs, typically TRL 1 to 4, meaning fundamental research, concept formulation, proof of concept and laboratory validation. Proposals that promise prototypes should indicate credible pathways to higher TRLs and to market transition beyond the project.

What the EIC expects from proposals and the evaluation process

Each proposal must justify the clinical or societal need, show why the proposed approach is credible for the intended high‑risk path and lay out measurable milestones. Part B of the proposal is limited to 25 A4 pages across excellence, impact and quality of implementation. The EIC will assess projects not only on scientific merit but also on their potential to catalyse broader innovation and to feed into portfolios managed by Programme Managers. Where relevant, projects must consider gender and societal dimensions.

Portfolio and post‑grant follow up:Selected Pathfinder projects may be added to an EIC portfolio. The EIC expects to coordinate cross‑project activities, facilitate linkages to national contacts and ecosystem partners, and in some cases help with later transition instruments. However, the Pathfinder grants are exploratory and do not themselves guarantee commercial follow‑on funding.

Practical and strategic considerations for applicants

The EIC Pathfinder Challenges present a valuable opportunity for early‑stage, interdisciplinary teams. At the same time applicants should be realistic about the gap between laboratory proof and market or clinical adoption. Historically, translational hurdles include regulatory approval, clinical validation, industrial manufacturing scale, capital intensity and long timelines to revenue. The EIC’s portfolio approach helps identify synergies and avoid duplication but it cannot substitute for private co‑investment and industrial partnerships required to scale and commercialise many of these technologies.

What reviewers will look for beyond novelty:Reviewers will assess scientific novelty and plausibility, but equally important will be the pathway to de‑risking, the plan for verification or preclinical validation where required, consideration of ethics and regulation, and a realistic statement of how the project could lead to real systems or products in the medium term.

Applicants targeting health or medical devices should prepare for intensive ethical and regulatory scrutiny. Cell and gene therapy teams should plan early for GMP requirements and scalable manufacturing. Green hydrogen proposers must present lifecycle analyses and avoid solutions that rely on critical raw materials or fossil intermediates. Engineered living materials require engagement with ELSA experts because living systems pose biosafety, containment and societal acceptance issues.

Broader implications and a note of caution

The EIC’s €132 million in Pathfinder funding is significant for early‑stage research but modest relative to the capital needs for later stages, particularly for therapies, medical devices and energy infrastructure. Winning a Pathfinder grant can validate an idea and help de‑risk it but scaling to market impact usually requires follow‑on investment from venture capital, industry partners, or other EU instruments. Observers should therefore view these calls as an early and important step rather than a solution to the full innovation pipeline.

Finally, the EIC’s stated intention to steer Challenge portfolios and to prioritise high‑gain research is positive from the perspective of strategic alignment. It creates an expectation that grant winners will be connected into an innovation ecosystem. Delivering on that promise will require careful coordination with national actors, regional funds, standardisation bodies and private investors to convert frontier science into technologies the market and society can adopt.

How to find more information and apply

All Challenge Guide documents and submission pages are available through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal under the EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2021 call. The deadline for submissions is 27 October 2021 at 17:00 Brussels time. Proposers should consult the Challenge Guides for technical details, admissibility and eligibility conditions and the model Grant Agreement applicable to EIC actions under Horizon Europe.

Final reminder:Pathfinder funds high‑risk early work. If your proposal aims at a device, therapy or platform, include a credible plan for preclinical validation, regulatory steps, manufacturing and later stage financing. Address ethics, lifecycle impacts and user acceptance where relevant to strengthen your case.