Recording available: Tackling lab-to-market challenges for EIC innovators

The second EIC ACCESS+ educational session, titled 'Tackling the challenges faced by EIC innovators on their journey from lab to market', took place online on 11 December 2025 and the recording is now available. The event was organised by the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme and delivered by Fitter for Purpose, an EIC Ecosystem Partner that advises science-driven teams on execution, team dynamics, and evidence-based decision making.

Why this session matters

Moving a deep-tech idea out of the laboratory is widely recognised as one of the hardest transitions in innovation. The session focused on the middle ground between early proof of concept and market scale where technical progress alone often fails to produce commercial traction. Presenters argued that successful commercialisation requires synchronising technical maturity, manufacturability and market evidence, plus a credible, investable narrative and a team that can execute. These are familiar assertions in EU innovation policy debates but the session offered concrete diagnostic tools and stepwise decision points aimed at teams operating typically between TRL 4 and TRL 7.

Core concepts introduced in the session

What participants took away

Attendees were offered practical tools for diagnosing where their projects are stuck and what kind of support will address those gaps. The session covered why technically excellent solutions can fail commercially, how to conduct more effective customer discovery, how to ground narratives in proof and how to use structured decision rules to progress from discovery to scale. The underlying message was that technical validation must be paired with manufacturability and credible market evidence.

About the presenters and their approach

Fitter for Purpose is a UK-based consultancy that works with founders, teams, mentors and investors to strengthen execution and market readiness. The organisation describes its method as integrating three elements: People, Process and Progress, and uses a customer-value language to prioritise work. The co-founders Michael Rivers and Renzo Pellandini led the session and presented a framework and tools that they say are evidence based. These are consultancy offerings for which independent evaluation would be required to verify effectiveness at scale.

How this links to EIC ACCESS+ funding and services

The session was organised under the EIC ACCESS+ educational series. EIC ACCESS+ is a co-funding initiative managed under the EIC Business Acceleration Services which supports EIC awardees and Seal of Excellence holders to access specialised services listed in the EIC Service Catalogue. The ACCESS+ open call first opened in November 2024 and remains active until 31 May 2026, subject to official updates.

What the funding mechanism helps and what it does not

Cofunding of specialised services can lower barriers for deep-tech teams to access technical facilities, coaching, IP and fundraising support. The EIC ACCESS+ mechanism is useful for targeted, short to medium term activities such as prototyping, due diligence prep, or structured customer discovery. However, the funding is limited in total scale and duration. Structural obstacles that require sustained capital, long lead-times for manufacturing partnerships, or deep IP freedom-to-operate work may remain only partially addressed by a single co-funded service. The first-come, first-served selection also means that teams who move quickly and have prepared documentation will typically receive support earlier.

Critical perspective and caveats

The session and the EIC promotional material contain assertive claims about the impact of particular practices and the advantages of certain interventions. Those claims are plausible and consistent with common sector experience but are not uniformly backed by independent, long term outcome data in the public domain. Practitioners should treat consultancy frameworks as tools to be tested with rigorous metrics rather than as guaranteed solutions. Similarly, the EIC ACCESS+ grant can unblock specific next steps but it is not a substitute for the larger investment and industrial partnerships often required to get deep-tech products to scale. Finally, teams should be cautious about IP strategies and university licensing terms which can affect equity and control in ways that co-funding will not remedy.

Practical next steps for interested teams

1. Watch the session recording to assess whether the diagnostic tools presented match your project needs. 2. Map your TRL, MRL and CRL honestly and identify the nearest decision point where evidence could change your trajectory. 3. Check eligibility for EIC ACCESS+ on the project website and prepare required documents early. 4. Use the EIC Service Catalogue to shortlist providers and prepare a concise description of the service, expected deliverables and timeline. 5. Apply via the EIC ACCESS+ Community Hub and be ready to move quickly if selected because the scheme operates on a first-come, first-served basis.

Useful resources mentioned in the session and related material

The session used a slide deck and referred participants to the EIC ACCESS+ website, the EIC Service Catalogue on the EIC Community Platform, and EIC BAS information pages. Fitter for Purpose also promotes its Discovery Lab sprint programme and a Commit platform that supports evidence-based progression. For official eligibility, payment and reporting rules consult the EIC ACCESS+ documentation and the EIC Service Catalogue entries.

If you have technical questions about the EIC ACCESS+ application or the Service Catalogue contact the EIC ACCESS+ helpdesk and the EIC Community support channels. For a critical evaluation of any service provider you intend to work with request references, ask for measurable KPIs and align deliverables to specific decision points in your initiative.