EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme

The European Innovation Council Tech to Market Venture Building Programme provides targeted venture building support to research teams funded under EIC Pathfinder and Transition. Its aim is to turn promising research outcomes into investable start-ups by combining market validation, talent matchmaking and advisory services. The Venture Building journey is split into four activities which run from initial market exposure to hands-on venture support.

Four phases of the Venture Building journey

Team Creation activity explained

The Team Creation activity focuses on the gap that is common in academic and research teams, namely limited entrepreneurial experience. The objective is to inject business-oriented capabilities into science-led projects and to fast-track the transition from lab to market. The process combines assessment, candidate scouting and a short residency period intended to test fit and potential for long term collaboration.

Pay and detailed contractual terms are handled case by case. According to programme materials, the talent matchmaking and brokerage operated regularly during the programme implementation period up to the end of 2024, with two major talent brokerage events each half year. The Venture Building implementation was managed by external providers until December 2024.

Early cases: what the residencies look like in practice

Nine project teams have been onboarded to the Venture Building Programme and two were already working with Entrepreneurs in Residence at the time of reporting. The two public examples provide practical insight into how the residency operates and the expectations on both sides.

ChipScope, a project with roots in an EIC-funded research effort since 2017, was matched with Mattia Nuti. Mattia is a founder and CEO with experience in medical technologies. He says the team commitment influenced his decision to join, noting that the operational team members are heavily involved and that they work together daily. His focus during the residency is to facilitate go-to-market work and fundraising.

TAONas-LUAD was matched with entrepreneur Gerardo Marchesini, who has experience in science-based ventures. Gerardo emphasized that multiple meetings during the matchmaking process helped build trust and clarify roles. He reported that tough negotiations during matching helped solidify the team. Early priorities include learning the project in full, testing investor interest and shaping a fundraising story. Gerardo stated objectives that include validating the product, launching the company and starting fundraising in the following year.

Project representatives also commented on the process. Juan Valcárcel from the TAONas-LUAD team said the programme was instrumental in finding an enthusiastic and experienced Entrepreneur in Residence and in aligning innovation with business development for spin-off creation. Sergio Moreno from the ChipScope team said the group expects to finish documentation and investment plans with Mattia in the coming months and hopes to launch a spin-off.

Context in the wider EIC and EU innovation ecosystem

The Tech to Market Venture Building Programme is delivered under EIC Business Acceleration Services. It targets beneficiaries of EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition which fund early stage disruptive research and proof of concept work. The EIC Accelerator is the next funding and scaling instrument for later stage start-ups. Venture building efforts aim to bridge a well known gap in European innovation where good research does not always translate into investable companies because of missing business leadership, regulatory planning and investor narratives.

Assessment and caveats

The Team Creation activity addresses a real need in the research to market pipeline. The structured scouting and short residency are useful for testing chemistry and early commercial hypotheses. At the same time, several limitations deserve attention. A six month part-time residency is a limited window to evaluate co-founder fit for deep tech ventures which often require sustained commitment and deep domain immersion. Relying on short term matching carries the risk that entrepreneurs either move on before long term structures are in place or that teams underestimate the time needed to reach investor readiness.

There is also selection bias risk. Projects that are already motivated to spin out or that have existing connections to entrepreneurial networks will be easier to match. The programme depends on the quality and diversity of the Talent Pool and the external implementers who ran the service up to December 2024. Transparency on payment terms and success metrics such as follow-on funding, company formation and founder retention will be important for judging impact over time.

How to get involved

Entrepreneurs interested in residency opportunities could join the EIC T2M Venture Building Talent Pool when calls are open. Experts with experience in commercialising deep tech can apply to be part of the programme as mentors and evaluators. As of the most recent communications, applications were closed and expected to reopen in 2026. Candidates and project teams seeking more details should use the EIC Community contact page and select the relevant subject line for the Venture Building Programme to reach the helpdesk.

Contact and further information

For additional information or to raise specific questions choose the subject 'EIC T2M Venture Building Programme' on the EIC Community contact page. The EIC Business Acceleration Services pages and the Tech to Market programme pages provide background on service components and past implementation arrangements.