EIC relaunches Tech to Market to push deep tech from lab bench to investable ventures

Brussels, February 27th 2026

Summary

›European Innovation Council opens the second edition of its Tech to Market programme with two tracks: Entrepreneurial Trainings and Venture Building Services.
›Applications for trainings open on a rolling basis from 11 March 2026, with Venture Building cycles opening throughout the year.
›The offer targets EIC Pathfinder and Transition teams, Transition Seal of Excellence holders, entities eligible for Transition, and Women TechEU awardees, with programme fees covered by the EIC but travel costs excluded.
›Structured 2026 calendar includes seven foundation training cycles, two immersion cohorts, two idea validation cohorts, and four venture building calls.
›Key questions remain on scale, measurable outcomes from the first edition, and overlap with national and EU tech transfer schemes.

A fresh push to bridge Europe’s deep tech from discovery to market

The European Innovation Council has launched the second edition of its Tech to Market programme, a Business Acceleration Service that aims to help research teams and early-stage innovators convert frontier science into investable ventures. The offer combines skills training with structured venture building and runs on repeated cohort entry points over a 24 month cycle. An online information session is scheduled for 11 March 2026 from 11:00 to 12:30 CET, after which applications for the Entrepreneurial Trainings open on a rolling basis. Venture Building Services follow thematic exploration cycles that open at set periods during the year.

What the programme promises and who it targets

At its core, Tech to Market is designed for deep tech teams facing the hardest step in commercialisation. It blends hands-on training, expert advisory and ecosystem access. The programme is open to EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition beneficiaries, EIC Transition Seal of Excellence holders, all entities eligible for EIC Transition projects, and Women TechEU awardees. Fees for eligible services are covered by the EIC. Participants must self-fund travel and accommodation for any in-person activities.

Two complementary tracks

The programme is built around two services that can be accessed independently or in sequence depending on a team’s maturity and needs. The first is the EIC Entrepreneurial Trainings, which focus on foundational skills, market understanding and validation. The second is EIC Venture Building Services, which select teams for feasibility-tested support on team formation, go-to-market, regulatory and funding readiness.

Aspect	EIC Entrepreneurial Trainings	EIC Venture Building Services
Primary goal	Build entrepreneurial foundations and validate business ideas	Shape and prepare teams for company creation and investment
Format	Online modules and workshops with optional in-person elements for validation	Modular, needs-based expert support including embedded talent
Selection	Open to eligible beneficiaries with rolling onboarding	Entry after feasibility assessment of market potential and execution readiness
Outputs	Sharpened value proposition, tested assumptions, early ecosystem links	Team formation, refined business model, legal and IP groundwork, investor readiness
Costs	Covered by EIC, travel and accommodation not covered	Covered by EIC, travel and accommodation not covered

Inside the EIC Entrepreneurial Trainings

The training strand is presented as a coherent journey that can be taken in parts. Sessions are predominantly delivered remotely to increase access across the EU and associated countries. One hands-on course may require in-person activities depending on format and provider decisions.

Entrepreneurship Foundation training:Three half-day sessions introducing core entrepreneurship concepts and the steps to translate research into market opportunities. Seven cycles are planned for 2026 at end of March, end of May, beginning of July, beginning of September, mid-October, mid-November and beginning of December.

Entrepreneurship Immersion training:Six online modules of 9 hours each delivered over three to four months. Deep dives cover product market fit validation, revenue and cost drivers, business models, team composition, funding options, and legal and IP topics. Two cohorts are scheduled in 2026 for April to July and September to December.

Business Idea Validation course:Ten sessions in total including one full-day kick-off, four half-day methodology sessions, four half-day project work sessions and a final half-day showcase. Teams are expected to complete at least 50 stakeholder interviews to gather market feedback and validate key assumptions. Two cohorts are planned in 2026 for June to September with a summer break and October to December.

Ecosystem Development events:Networking and visibility sessions that connect beneficiaries with mentors, industry experts, investors and potential strategic partners across European innovation hubs.

Inside the EIC Venture Building Services

This strand focuses on execution. Teams undergo a feasibility assessment of market potential, risks, IP position and team commitment before entry. Support is tailored and may include both advisory and embedded talent to address capability gaps ahead of venture creation and early scale-up.

Venture team formation:Definition of critical roles, identification of skill gaps, matchmaking with entrepreneurial and business talent, targeted networking to attract co-founders and the option to deploy embedded entrepreneurs or executives in residence for a defined period.

Venture support services:Targeted advisory across business intelligence and branding, legal and accounting for new ventures, IP protection and technology transfer, financial advisory for set up and investment sourcing, regulatory, certification and standardisation planning, and human resources advisory.

2026 venture building cycles:Four open calls are planned across March to April, May to July, September to October and November to January. Each cycle includes an open call with potential targeted outreach to identify strong candidates who are then invited to apply through the same process.

Key dates and deadlines in 2026

Track	Schedule	Notes
Info Session	11 March 2026, 11:00–12:30 CET	Online briefing on programme and Q&A
Entrepreneurship Foundation	Seven cycles: Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec	Three half-days per cycle
Entrepreneurship Immersion	Cohort 1: Apr–Jul; Cohort 2: Sep–Dec	Six modules of 9 hours each
Business Idea Validation	Cohort 1: Jun–Sep; Cohort 2: Oct–Dec	At least 50 stakeholder interviews per team
Venture Building Services	Cycle 1: Mar–Apr; Cycle 2: May–Jul; Cycle 3: Sep–Oct; Cycle 4: Nov–Jan	Feasibility assessment precedes entry
Applications open	Trainings from 11 March 2026; Venture Building per cycle	Initial Venture Building application example deadline: 25 March 2026

How to apply and what it costs

Applications for the Entrepreneurial Trainings open on a rolling basis from the day of the March info session. Venture Building Services open at the start of each thematic cycle and may include targeted outreach. Programme participation costs for eligible services are covered by the EIC. Beneficiaries are responsible for travel and accommodation related to any in-person meetings, events or activities.

Support infrastructure and contacts

The programme is delivered by a partnership of experienced service providers on behalf of the European Innovation Council. EISMEA, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, manages the initiative as part of the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services. Questions and requests should be submitted via the EIC Community contact page by selecting either EIC Tech to Market Entrepreneurial Trainings or EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Services. A Frequently Asked Questions document is scheduled for publication on 11 March 2026.

Work with the programme: experts and entrepreneurs in residence

The EIC regularly seeks market and business experts as well as entrepreneurs in residence to support idea validation and venture creation, including teaming up with researchers as potential co-founders or key team members. At present the calls for both roles are closed. Interested candidates can register their interest to be informed when new opportunities open.

Context in Europe’s innovation policy landscape

Tech to Market sits within the EIC’s broader push to turn high-risk research into companies that can scale from Europe. It complements financial instruments like EIC Transition and the EIC Accelerator as well as equity deployed through the EIC Fund. The EIC’s 2026 work programme has opened significant funding for strategic technologies and scale-up support, while Business Acceleration Services aim to close capability and network gaps that grants and equity alone do not fix. In parallel the Commission has launched a pre-accelerator for widening countries and continues to rely on national and regional innovation actors including technology transfer offices, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities and Enterprise Europe Network to support commercialisation.

Where this programme could add value

Deep tech ventures often stall between public research and market entry due to team formation, IP strategy, regulatory navigation and investor readiness challenges. Structured market discovery and 50-interview validation can reduce technology push bias and help teams prioritise regulated pathways in health, climate, space or quantum. Embedded entrepreneurs, if well matched, can address leadership gaps that universities and research institutes often struggle to fill. A modular approach allows teams to skip what they already know and focus on bottlenecks.

Where caution is warranted

The announcement offers few hard metrics from the first edition. Without published data on company formation, follow-on funding catalysed or time to first revenue, it is difficult to judge programme effectiveness. Capacity constraints may limit the number of teams that can access hands-on venture building at the point of need. The requirement for at least 50 stakeholder interviews is methodologically sound but can be onerous for lab-based teams with limited bandwidth. Overlap is likely with existing services run by national technology transfer offices, EIT KICs and ERC Proof of Concept, raising coordination questions. Finally, covering service fees while excluding travel can create unequal access for teams far from major hubs if in-person elements expand.

What to watch next

Prospective applicants should track the March information session and the detailed FAQs. Clarity on feasibility assessment criteria, the scale of embedded entrepreneur deployments and the list of implementing providers would help teams decide fit. Publication of outcomes from the first edition such as number of ventures incorporated, investment raised alongside the EIC Fund and sector distribution would allow a more grounded assessment. Alignment with the EIC Accelerator pipeline and national co-funding mechanisms, particularly for Seal of Excellence holders, will be important to avoid dead-ends after validation.

Glossary and programme concepts

EIC Business Acceleration Services:A suite of non-financial support offered by the European Innovation Council to its beneficiaries. Services typically include coaching, mentoring, corporate and investor matchmaking, global expansion support and training.

EIC Pathfinder:Grant funding for early stage, high-risk research to explore breakthrough technologies. Projects often sit at lower technology readiness levels and involve multidisciplinary science.

EIC Transition:Funding to mature results from Pathfinder or other EU projects towards market readiness by validating the technology and developing a business model.

EIC Transition Seal of Excellence:A quality label awarded to proposals that meet evaluation thresholds but cannot be funded due to budget limits. It is intended to support applicants in seeking alternative financing, often at national or regional level.

Women TechEU awardees:Participants selected under the EU initiative that supports early stage deep tech startups led by women CEOs. Awardees are eligible for additional EIC support services.

Feasibility assessment in venture building:A structured review of market potential, execution readiness, key risks, IP position and team commitment to determine if a project can realistically progress toward venture creation.

Embedded entrepreneurs or executives in residence:Experienced operators temporarily placed within a team to provide hands-on leadership and fill capability gaps as the venture takes shape.

Administrative notes and links

The programme is managed by EISMEA, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. The implementing partnership delivers services on behalf of the EIC. All services are covered for eligible participants, with participants responsible for travel and accommodation where relevant. For questions, use the EIC Community contact page and select either EIC Tech to Market Entrepreneurial Trainings or EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Services. A dedicated event page confirms the timing of the 11 March info session and notes that applications for trainings open that day, with venture building application windows at the start of each cycle.