EIC Pathfinder 2024 Challenges call closes with high interest

The European Innovation Council reported that the EIC Pathfinder Challenges deadline of 16 October 2024 attracted 415 submitted proposals. Those proposals involved 2,308 participants across 48 countries and requested roughly €2.3 billion in grant support. The call covers five thematic Challenges and has a total indicative budget of €120 million expected to be allocated in approximately equal shares among the Challenges. The evaluation process has begun and the EIC expects to publish results in March 2025.

Applications by Challenge and scale of demand

Across the 415 proposals there were 2,308 named participants making an average consortium size of about 5.6 participants per proposal. The aggregate funding requested is about €2.3 billion which corresponds to an average requested amount of approximately €5.54 million per proposal. That average exceeds the published Pathfinder grant ceiling of €4 million per project which highlights extreme demand and suggests many proposals request near-maximum awards or include budgets that will need adjustment if selected.

Budget, likely funding pressure and what it implies

The call’s indicative budget is €120 million. The programme states the amount is expected to be split roughly equally among the five Challenges, implying around €24 million per Challenge. That level of funding will only cover a minority of submissions. For context, under simple assumptions an average awarded grant of €3 million would fund about 40 projects overall. If awards were nearer the maximum of €4 million the number of projects that can be financed falls to around 30. Those are rough calculations that depend on final award sizes and any additional portfolio actions or top-ups.

Timeline and next steps

The EIC has started the evaluation process and will publish results in March 2025. Selected projects will move into grant preparation and may interact with EIC Programme Managers. Pathfinder projects can be eligible for additional follow-up funding to test innovation potential or to participate in portfolio level activities.

What the numbers say about competition and selection

Demand outstripped supply by a large margin. With applicants requesting roughly €2.3 billion against a €120 million indicative budget, the call was oversubscribed by nearly 20 times on a funding basis. That degree of oversubscription is not unusual for high-profile EU instruments that target early-stage deep tech. It does, however, create acute selection pressure and means many high-quality proposals will not be funded. Applicants should expect a low success rate and prepare plans for alternative follow-on funding or consortium adjustments if not selected.

Geographic reach and ecosystem context

The announcement notes applicants came from 48 countries which demonstrates broad geographic interest across the EU and associated states. The EIC and its implementing agency EISMEA are central elements of the EU innovation ecosystem that aim to support deep tech with a mix of grants, coaching, and investment through the EIC Fund. Strong demand is consistent with the EIC’s profile as one of Europe’s most visible deep tech funding sources, but it also underlines persistent gaps in financing for early-stage, high-risk research across the Union.

Risks, practical issues and uncertainties

A few practical points to bear in mind: the high ratio of requested to available funding increases the risk of concentration of awards in better resourced institutions or regions. Early stage projects require follow-on financing to translate proof of concept into scalable technologies and the EIC cannot alone close that gap. The announcement does not provide a geographic breakdown so it is not yet possible to assess whether proposals are broadly distributed or cluster in a small number of countries or institutions. Finally, the average requested amount per proposal exceeding the stated cap calls for careful budget scrutiny during evaluation and grant preparation.

How Pathfinder projects are supported beyond grants

In addition to grant funding, Pathfinder projects benefit from Programme Manager engagement and access to Business Acceleration Services. Projects may receive support for testing research outputs or for joining portfolio actions. The EIC’s model combines selective grant awards with managerial oversight and ecosystem services intended to improve the chance that early research can progress toward market-relevant innovations.

Where to find more information

The EIC refers applicants and observers to the EIC Work Programme 2024 for details about the Pathfinder instrument and the Challenge topics. The results of the evaluation are expected in March 2025 and will provide the data needed to analyse selection patterns, funded project numbers and geographic distribution.