EIC Pathfinder: nearly €170 million to back high risk research towards radical technologies

The European Innovation Council has awarded funding to 53 new projects under the 2023 EIC Pathfinder call. The selected consortia will receive a combined allocation of up to €169.5 million to pursue early stage, high risk research across multiple domains. The portfolio covers health, artificial intelligence, computing, environment and energy. The call is explicitly aimed at science-towards-technology work at low Technology Readiness Levels and proof of concept activities.

What was awarded and how competitive the call was

The 53 successful proposals were picked from 783 evaluated submissions. Participants tend to be higher education and research organisations, while small and medium sized enterprises account for about 18 percent of participants. The largest numbers of successful applicants are based in France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Beyond the cash grants, beneficiaries will be offered tailor made coaching and other services from the EIC Business Acceleration Services.

Selected projects that illustrate Pathfinder ambition

The EIC highlighted a sample of funded projects that aim to push scientific boundaries in different ways. Descriptions below are based on project summaries released by the EIC and include technical clarifications where useful. These projects represent examples of the kind of high risk and potentially high reward research the Pathfinder scheme targets.

E-COOL — a holistic approach to electric motor cooling

E-COOL proposes a direct contact spray cooling system for electric motors designed to maximise heat transfer and to target local hot spots. The project plans to combine the cooling hardware with new machine learning algorithms to optimise droplet application and localized temperature control. The stated aim is to achieve much higher cooling rates so that large electric motors can be used reliably in heavy duty and commercial mobility applications such as earth moving machinery or certain aircraft components.

ICONIC — organic CMOS like neuromorphic circuits and implantable AI electronics

ICONIC plans to develop ultra flexible and implantable organic electronic devices based on organic electrochemical transistors. The project intends to combine macromolecular synthesis with in situ and operando non destructive spectroscopic methods to study ion to electron transduction from the molecular scale up to micrometres. The long term vision described by the consortium is body friendly electronics able to recognise signals and eventually administer medication automatically.

4TunaTES — tunable thermochemical energy storage

4TunaTES aims to develop a flexible Thermo Chemical Energy Storage technology adaptable to different input and output temperatures and multiple use cases. The project promises a prototype suitable for domestic use and claims it can reduce development costs dramatically by rethinking materials selection, heat exchanger design and modular thermodynamic cycles that can couple to electricity generation or heat delivery systems.

FASTCOMET — future data storage using colloidal memory technology

FASTCOMET plans to treat colloidal nanoparticles as data carriers and to develop low cost, high density memories using particles smaller than 15 nanometres. The consortium sets ambitious density targets above 100 Gbit per square millimetre with potential pathways toward 1 Tbit per square millimetre. The approach departs from traditional solid state and magnetic storage by relying on colloidal assembly and addressing techniques.

Who applies and what the grants cover

The EIC Pathfinder is explicitly structured to support high risk, interdisciplinary efforts at low TRLs. The scheme accepts multi disciplinary research consortia. Participants are commonly higher education and research organisations with a minority share of SMEs and industry partners. Awarded funding is intended for early stage activities including fundamental research, prototyping and proof of concept rather than later stage product development.

Support beyond the grant and routes to market

In addition to grants, EIC beneficiaries gain access to Business Acceleration Services. These services offer coaching, mentoring, partnering opportunities, and help with investor outreach. Promising outcomes from Pathfinder projects can be pushed further through the EIC Transition scheme or via a Fast Track route into the EIC Accelerator where companies can access larger grants and equity investments aimed at commercialisation.

Context, caveats and realistic expectations

The EIC Pathfinder is a deliberate policy instrument for de risking ambitious research. It is not a guarantee of commercial success. The highlighted projects contain credible scientific ideas but also bold claims that will require years of work to validate. Examples include claims of dramatic cost reductions, implantable drug delivery electronics and orders of magnitude increases in memory density. Each of these faces substantial technical obstacles and non technical barriers.

Key challenges across projects include scaling laboratory demonstrations to manufacturable systems, materials availability and lifetime, reproducibility, integration with existing industrial value chains, safety testing and regulatory approvals especially for implantable medical devices. For energy related projects, chemical stability and cycle life are frequent constraints. For novel computing or storage approaches, error rates, read write speeds and interface electronics are central practical bottlenecks.

Policy makers and funders routinely describe Pathfinder style awards as essential for Europe to maintain a pipeline of deep tech innovations. That is defensible, but the public funds allocated reflect a portfolio approach rather than a prediction that each award will produce a marketable product. Observers should expect a small number of significant successes over a longer time horizon and many projects that advance scientific understanding without immediate commercial uptake.

Practical information and next steps for applicants

The EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2023 call opened on 20 June 2023 and closed on 18 October 2023. The EIC continues to run regular Pathfinder Open and Challenge calls as part of its rolling work programme. Researchers and research organisations from EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe can participate in future calls. Applicants should consult the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal and the EIC work programme for precise deadlines, eligibility criteria and application templates.

For successful consortia the recommended next actions are to engage proactively with EIC Programme Managers and to use the Business Acceleration Services to test commercial pathways and plan for possible Transition or Accelerator routes if results warrant further development.

Takeaway

The EIC has invested a substantial early stage sum in a diverse set of 53 high risk projects. The awardees illustrate both the scientific breadth and ambitious aims of the Pathfinder instrument. While these grants are necessary for exploratory deep tech research in Europe, the path from concept to market will remain long and uncertain. Independent technical validation, scalable manufacturing and regulatory clearance are typical hurdles that will determine which projects realise the transformative claims promoted in initial project summaries.