EIC Tech to Market: 13 teams advance to Feasibility Assessment in first venture building cycle
- ›Thirteen projects from the first EIC Tech to Market venture building cycle passed the Exploration phase and entered the Feasibility Assessment stage.
- ›The Exploration phase used interviews, pitch coaching and panels of industry experts, investors and entrepreneurs to evaluate market potential and readiness.
- ›The Feasibility Assessment is an expert led, evidence based review structured into eight chapters that investigates technology, IP, market, team and risk.
- ›Each team will receive a full Feasibility Assessment report and a go or no go decision on delivery of tailored Venture Building Services.
- ›The assessment provides actionable insight for teams but does not guarantee funding or commercial success and is the gateway to modular venture building support.
EIC Tech to Market venture building reaches Feasibility Assessment milestone
Thirteen projects and nascent ventures have moved from the Exploration phase into the Feasibility Assessment stage of the first cycle of the European Innovation Council Tech to Market Venture Building Services. The cohort spans four sector areas of the programme cycle: AI, Data and ICT, Energy, Medical Technologies, and Health Biotechnology. The progression marks a formal decision point in a structured programme that aims to convert Horizon Europe research outputs into investable deep tech companies.
What the Exploration phase did and how teams were judged
During Exploration every participating team underwent a combination of assessment steps designed to test market orientation and readiness. The process included a programme to team interview, pitch coaching and a live pitch in front of a panel made up of industry experts, investors and entrepreneurs. Following that evaluation each team received a written evaluation report and a go or no go decision. Thirteen teams earned a positive decision and advanced to the Feasibility Assessment.
What the Feasibility Assessment is and how it is structured
The Feasibility Assessment is positioned as a rigorous, expert led and evidence oriented review of each project. The EIC sets two explicit objectives for the assessment. First, to deliver insight the team can act on immediately. Second, to provide a documented and defensible basis for designing the subsequent Venture Building support package. The assessment covers technology and commercial aspects, intellectual property and freedom to operate, the market and competition, the strength and readiness of the team and ecosystem partnerships, and an explicit risk and mitigation roadmap.
| Assessment chapter | Purpose and typical evidence examined | Examples of outcomes |
| IP and Freedom to Operate | Ownership and protection strategy, patent landscape and third party rights that could block commercialisation | FTO risk rating, recommended IP actions and filing priorities |
| Technology Potential and Value Proposition | Technical maturity, differentiation, performance claims and commercial relevance | Validated value claims, technical gaps and milestone plan to de risk the technology |
| Market, Competition and Entry Barriers | Market sizing, customer segments, competitor analysis and regulatory or operational entry hurdles | Realistic TAM/SAM/SOM estimates, go to market constraints and priority customer targets |
| Regulatory and Certification Pathway | Applicable standards, approvals, clinical evidence requirements and timing for regulated sectors | Regulatory roadmap, estimated timelines and data requirements |
| Business Model and Financial Viability | Revenue model, unit economics, initial financial projections and capital needs | Feasibility of commercial model and funding needs with suggested milestones |
| Team, Ecosystem and Governance | Team capabilities, gaps, commitment, potential partners and governance structures | Talent gaps, recommended hires, partnership options and governance plan |
| Commercialisation Roadmap and Milestones | Sequenced activities to reach first customers and initial scale | Practical roadmap with near term deliverables and required resources |
| Consolidated Risk and Mitigation Roadmap | Identification of technical, commercial, legal and operational risks and mitigations | Prioritised risk register and recommended mitigation actions |
Why a Feasibility Assessment matters and what it does not promise
Feasibility Assessments are valuable because they force a structured, evidence based look at the gaps between lab prototypes and a commercial proposition. For investors and corporate partners a documented assessment lowers information asymmetry and helps prioritise resource allocation. For teams it crystallises the priorities for next steps. At the same time it is important to be realistic about what the assessment is not. It is an advisory and diagnostic tool. It does not guarantee investment, procurement contracts, regulatory approvals or market success. The suggested mitigations and roadmaps are conditional on execution, resource availability and external factors such as regulatory outcomes and competitive responses.
How the Feasibility Assessment feeds into Venture Building Services
The EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Services are modular and needs based. Where the Feasibility Assessment identifies gaps the subsequent support can include venture team formation, targeted matchmaking to find entrepreneurial talent, embedded entrepreneurs or executives in residence, business intelligence advisory, legal and accounting support geared to venture creation, IP and technology transfer advisory, financial advisory for new venture structures and regulatory and certification support. The assessment document is the blueprint used to tailor these services.
Parallel entrepreneurial training available under Tech to Market
The Tech to Market Programme also runs entrepreneurial training that teams can access independently of the Venture Building Services. The main courses are Entrepreneurship Foundation, Entrepreneurship Immersion and Business Idea Validation. These cover core entrepreneurship concepts, product market fit validation, revenue models, team composition, IP and legal basics and require practical market work such as stakeholder interviews. Training cohorts run throughout 2026 on scheduled cycles.
| Training | Format and focus | 2026 delivery cadence |
| Entrepreneurship Foundation | Three half day sessions introducing entrepreneurship fundamentals | Multiple cycles across the year |
| Entrepreneurship Immersion | Six intensive online modules across three to four months covering go to market, funding and legal aspects | Cohorts in April–July and September–December |
| Business Idea Validation | Hands on sequence with interviews and project work, culminating in a showcase | Cohorts in June–September and October–December |
Practical checklist for teams preparing to engage with the Feasibility Assessment
Broader context in the EU innovation ecosystem
The Feasibility Assessment sits inside the EIC Business Acceleration Services ecosystem, which aims to shepherd EIC supported research into commercial opportunities. The EIC BAS umbrella includes corporate partnership days, investor readiness programmes, trade fair support and access to a curated Service Catalogue. The EIC reports high activity metrics across its BAS since 2021 such as thousands of one to one meetings, hundreds of deals and aggregated fundraising figures. Those figures are self reported by the EIC and should be used as directional indicators rather than audited proof of outcomes.
What comes next and why observers should watch the programme
After the Feasibility Assessment the teams that receive a go decision will enter tailored venture building support. For policy watchers and investors the outcomes to watch are whether the interventions lead to funded pilots, successful regulatory milestones in medical or biotech domains, the formation of committed founding teams with proven commercial skills and whether the EIC can demonstrably lower time to first commercial contracts. For teams the immediate measures of success will be concrete de risked milestones, early customers or pilots and credible investor interest.
The Feasibility Assessment is an important quality control step. It reflects a broader trend across public innovation programmes to apply stricter, more business oriented gating to lab to market transitions. That makes sense given the scarce capital and long timelines in deep tech. At the same time, funders, corporates and programme managers must avoid assuming that assessments automatically translate into market outcomes. Execution, market timing and the quality of follow on support remain decisive.
Teams and stakeholders who want more detail can consult the EIC Tech to Market Programme pages on the EIC Community platform where the Venture Building Services and the Entrepreneurial Trainings are described and where upcoming calls and cohort schedules are posted.