EIC Transition: practical tips for applicants and how to build on EU-funded results

Brussels, March 31st 2023

Summary

›EIC Transition proposals must build on results from an eligible EU-funded project at least at TRL 3 and at most TRL 4
›You do not need to be the original project participant or owner of the results but you must secure a commitment to negotiate access to the results and relevant IPR
›Use targeted discovery tools to find eligible innovations and verify funding scheme and project dates before you plan an application
›Get connected early with the result owners and relevant support networks such as National Contact Points, Enterprise Europe Network, and Access2EIC
›Include a commitment letter in your application that confirms the owner will negotiate fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to the results for future commercial exploitation

EIC Transition: practical tips for applicants

If you are a deep‑tech start‑up or SME considering an EIC Transition proposal, the single most important eligibility constraint is that your application must be built on demonstrable results from an eligible project. Those results should already have reached at least the experimental proof of concept stage and typically correspond to a Technology Readiness Level between 3 and 4. You do not have to be the original project participant or the owner of the research result. New teams are welcome but you must plan to secure access rights and cooperation from whoever owns the result before you submit.

What the eligibility rule means in practice

Minimum and maximum TRL for EIC Transition proposals:EIC Transition is designed to move early research results towards market‑relevant demonstrations. That is why proposals must be based on innovation outcomes at a demonstrated proof of principle level. In Horizon practice this is usually expressed as TRL 3 (experimental proof of concept) up to TRL 4 (technology validated in lab). Proposals building on lower or substantially higher TRLs are not eligible for this scheme. If you are unsure how a particular result maps to TRL 3 or TRL 4, document the experiments or validation already performed and seek an early check with your National Contact Point.

A practical implication is that EIC Transition looks to fund the next steps that prepare a specific application and business case. The call is not for basic research nor for late stage scale‑up that requires TRL 6 plus. If your plan is to mature beyond TRL 4 towards TRL 6, EIC Transition can be a bridge to later EIC schemes such as EIC Accelerator.

Find eligible innovations and their owners

Identifying an eligible innovation and who controls the results is the first operational hurdle. Unless you were inside the original project, innovations and result owners are not always obvious. The EIC and other Commission services publish multiple searchable resources. Use them to locate innovations and then verify the funding scheme and project dates against the list of eligible projects for the Transition call.

Innovation Radar:Innovation Radar is an innovation discovery and assessment tool for Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe project results. The EIC has created focused views of Innovation Radar content to highlight Pathfinder/FET outputs that are relevant to Transition applicants. Use the tool's filters and the 'tips for using this tool' guidance to find candidate innovations and contact details.

ERC Research Information System (ERIS):ERIS is where you search for projects and Proof of Concept (PoC) work funded by the European Research Council. PoC projects that produced results can be eligible. To inspect PoC items, log in to ERIS, go to portfolio analysis and explore clusters or consult the project database and filter on 'PoC'.

CORDIS database:CORDIS is the Commission’s publicly searchable repository for project information and results from Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. Search there to find project descriptions and contacts, but always double check funding scheme and dates to confirm eligibility.

Horizon Results Platform:Project teams sometimes publish key exploitable results on the Horizon Results Platform. That can help you locate a result and identify the linked project and contact people.

After you identify a candidate innovation, cross‑check that it appears on the EIC Transition specific list of eligible projects or on the published list for the open Transition call. When you search CORDIS, ERIS or the Innovation Radar generic database always make sure the underlying project was funded under a scheme that the EIC Transition call accepts and that it satisfies any start and end date conditions.

Verify eligibility and timing early

The EIC work programme specifies which funding schemes and project timelines produce eligible results. Eligibility is not only about the funding source but also about when the project ran and finished. Read the relevant EIC work programme section for the Transition call you intend to target and double check the cut‑off dates and deadlines. Timing matters both for eligibility and for practical negotiations with result owners.

Get connected: how to approach result owners and consortia

Once you have identified a promising innovation, reach out to the result owner or the consortium members. Their intellectual property rights situation may differ. Some projects have a single owner, some results are owned collectively by a consortium. Your first conversations should establish three things: (1) who legally owns the results and any IPR, (2) whether they have an interest in further development or marketisation, and (3) whether they are willing to negotiate access terms to allow you to use the results in your proposed Transition project.

National Contact Points, Enterprise Europe Network and Access2EIC:If you need help identifying who to contact or how to approach them, your National Contact Point (NCP), the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and the Access2EIC network can provide practical assistance and introductions. They are a first line resource for applicants across Member States and associated countries.

Get involved: negotiate access and include required paperwork

If you plan to use project results that you do not already own you must secure a formal commitment from the owner that they will negotiate access. This is not optional. The Transition proposal must include a commitment letter from the relevant owner(s) confirming they will negotiate with you on terms that enable future commercial exploitation.

What the commitment letter should say:The letter should clearly identify which project result is being linked to the Transition proposal and confirm that the owner will negotiate in good faith to grant access for further development. The letter must commit to negotiate fair, reasonable and non‑discriminatory access to such results, including any IPR that is needed, for the purpose of future commercial exploitation. In practice that means the result owner confirms willingness to discuss licensing or assignment terms large enough and timely enough for your project to proceed if selected.

Practical tip: involve your legal or IP adviser in the discussions early. Owners may be protective and negotiations over rights and royalties can be complex. For a competitive Transition proposal you will be judged on the technical and business case and on how credible your path to freedom to operate is. A signed commitment letter that acknowledges negotiations over IPR is an application requirement.

Apply solo or as a consortium?

EIC Transition accepts mono‑beneficiary proposals from eligible single legal entities and consortia (minimum 2, maximum 5 legal entities) where appropriate. Mono‑beneficiary applications are common when a start‑up or spin‑off has secured rights to the results. Consortia are appropriate when several stakeholders are needed to demonstrate technology in realistic application environments or to cover market validation activities across territories or sectors.

Practical considerations for choosing your route:If you can secure robust access and control of the required project results and own the IP or have an exclusive licence then a single‑party application may be simplest. If access will remain complicated or multiple expertise or assets (test sites, regulatory partners, lead customers) are required, build a consortium but keep it tight. Evaluators look for clear responsibility allocation, coherent plans for validation at application‑relevant environments and a credible path to market.

A practical checklist for applicants

Step	Action	Why it matters
1. Discovery	Use Innovation Radar, ERIS, CORDIS and Horizon Results Platform to find candidate innovations and owners	Locate eligible results and the people who can grant access
2. Verify eligibility	Cross‑check funding scheme and project start/end dates against EIC Transition eligibility and the current EIC work programme	Ineligible projects waste time and disqualify applications
3. Contact owners	Reach out early to result owners, consortium coordinators or institutional TTOs and explain your development plan	Establish whether they are willing to negotiate access and cooperation
4. Secure commitment letter	Get a signed commitment letter from owner(s) confirming intent to negotiate fair, reasonable and non‑discriminatory access to results and IPR	This letter is required for the proposal and demonstrates freedom to operate planning
5. Decide structure	Choose mono‑beneficiary or consortium and document roles, resources and milestones	Matching legal structure to the work plan increases credibility with evaluators
6. IP due diligence	Run a basic IP and freedom‑to‑operate check and plan how access to background and IPR will be managed and financed	Avoid surprises at grant preparation stage and strengthen commercial plan
7. Use support networks	Consult your NCP, EEN member or Access2EIC contact for guidance and introductions	These services can speed identification of results and facilitate negotiations
8. Prepare proposal	Include the required commitment letter and be explicit about how the linked result will be used to reach TRL 5 or 6 and build market readiness	Clarity about the link to an eligible result is a gatekeeper for admissibility

Funding context and support services you should know about

EIC Transition awards non‑dilutive grants intended to mature technology and prepare a business case for specific applications. For context, the EIC Transition scheme has historically offered grants up to around €2.5 million for eligible projects and small fixed booster grants (typically up to roughly EUR 50 000) for complementary activities. Successful Transition projects also gain access to Business Acceleration Services such as coaching, mentoring, partnering and market introduction support. Use these services to develop your commercial strategy and to link to investors or procurers.

If a proposal passes the evaluation threshold but is not funded for budget reasons the EIC may award a Seal of Excellence. That certificate can help applicants access other public or private funding sources in some Member States.

Risks, common pitfalls and a pragmatic, sceptical checklist

A transition proposal that rests on third party results carries extra risk. Below are recurring pitfalls we see applicants fall into and practical mitigations.

Pitfall: weak freedom to operate and IP assumptions:Do not assume access will be simple. Some research organisations or consortiums have policies that make licensing slow or costly. Perform early IP due diligence, involve technology transfer offices and budget for licensing or acquisition of rights.

Pitfall: misjudging TRL and overselling readiness:Evaluators are experienced in assessing TRL claims. Document the experiments and validations you rely on. If the linked result is still exploratory, your proposal will likely be deemed ineligible. Do not stretch TRL beyond what evidence supports.

Pitfall: late contact with result owners:Contact owners early. Negotiations over access and IPR can take months. A signed commitment or at least a clear plan to secure rights must be available at submission time.

Pitfall: confusing discovery tools and lists:Different databases index different sets of projects and results. Use the EIC Transition specific eligible project list where available and cross‑check entries in Innovation Radar, CORDIS and ERIS.

Where to get help

If you need support at any stage contact the following ecosystem actors: your National Contact Point for Horizon Europe, Enterprise Europe Network members in your country, and the Access2EIC network. The EIC Business Acceleration Services offer coaching and mentoring to EIC awardees and can help with business planning and investor outreach. If you need help with IP and legal aspects consider consulting your institution's Technology Transfer Office and national helpdesks that support due diligence and licensing.

Final practical checklist before submission

Item	Status you should aim for
Identification of eligible result	Found in Innovation Radar / ERIS / CORDIS and cross‑checked against EIC Transition eligible list
Ownership and IPR clarity	Owner identified, basic IP situation mapped, TTO contact known
Commitment letter	Signed letter from owner confirming commitment to negotiate fair, reasonable and non‑discriminatory access to results and IPR
TRL mapping	Supporting evidence that the linked result is TRL 3 or TRL 4
Application structure	Mono‑beneficiary or consortium chosen with clear roles, milestones and budget
Support contacts	NCP / EEN / Access2EIC contacted for advice and introductions

Good luck. The Transition scheme is a deliberate bridge from funded research into market pathways and can be an effective way to turn EU-funded deep‑tech research into products and businesses. Prepare early, document everything, secure the commitment letter and use the EU support ecosystem to strengthen your application. Remain realistic about IP negotiations and timelines and plan for those contingencies in your proposal.