Library FAQ
How does the evaluation committee decide the final score for Open proposals?
A different set of EIC expert evaluators (the evaluation committee) considers the remote score and consensus discussions, taking into account rebuttal comments, and decides the final score, focusing on proposals with diverging opinions that have a realistic ch...
How is a Pathfinder Open proposal evaluated remotely?
Each proposal is evaluated and scored remotely by at least four EIC expert evaluators. For each award criterion the remote score is the median of evaluators’ scores, and the overall remote score is the weighted sum of the three median criterion scores.
What additional support do successful applicants receive besides funding?
Successful applicants receive tailor‑made access to Business Acceleration Services, interactions with EIC Programme Managers, and may be eligible for EIC Booster grants (up to EUR 50,000), to submit EIC Transition or EIC Accelerator Fast Track proposals, and t...
What are the award criteria, thresholds and weights for EIC Pathfinder Open?
Excellence: threshold 4/5, weight 60%; Impact: threshold 3.5/5, weight 20%; Quality and efficiency of implementation: threshold 3/5, weight 20%.
What are the basic consortium eligibility requirements for collaborative proposals?
The coordinator must submit the proposal on behalf of a consortium including at least three independent legal entities established in different countries: at least one in a Member State and at least two other independent legal entities each established in diff...
What are the key eligibility rules for applying to a Pathfinder Challenge?
Proposals must meet general eligibility requirements and any Challenge‑specific requirements. Challenges support collaborative or individual projects from consortia or single legal entities established in a Member State or Associated Country. For consortia, ru...
What are the submission deadline, page limit and timeline for Pathfinder Challenges?
Deadline: 18 October 2023 at 17:00 Brussels time. Submit via the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal. Sections 1–3 of Part B must be a maximum of 25 A4 pages. You will be informed about the outcome within 5 months (indicative) and, if accepted, can expect...
What budget and typical EU contribution are indicated for the Pathfinder Challenges?
The total indicative budget for the Challenges call is EUR 163.5 million, expected to be split approximately equally across Challenges. The EIC considers proposals requesting up to EUR 4 million EU contribution as appropriate, though larger amounts may be requ...
What happens after a proposal is retained for funding in a Challenge?
The coordinator receives a letter with next steps. Grant agreement preparation and signature is expected within three months. The Project Officer and EIC Programme Manager will support you to plan portfolio activities and prepare the Challenge roadmap. During...
What is an EIC Pathfinder Challenge and how are projects managed within it?
EIC Pathfinder Challenges build portfolios of multidisciplinary, high‑risk/high‑gain projects addressing a specific Challenge. A dedicated Programme Manager establishes a common roadmap, proactively steers the portfolio, and expects projects to interact, excha...
What is the rebuttal procedure after the remote evaluation for the Open call?
You receive evaluators’ comments about 1.5–2.5 months after the deadline and have eight calendar days (by 17:00 Brussels time) to submit a reply of maximum two A4 pages. Replies must not alter proposal content and should address misunderstandings or errors; th...
What is the scope of the EIC Pathfinder Challenge 'Clean and efficient cooling'?
The Challenge covers cooling as an essential process across society with applications in built environment (HVAC, building health and comfort, interoperable urban energy systems), data centres, electronics and superconductors, food production/processing/storag...
What is the submission deadline and format limit for the EIC Pathfinder Open call?
Deadline: 7 March 2023 at 17:00 Brussels time. Submit via the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal. Sections 1–3 of Part B (Excellence, Impact, Quality and Efficiency of Implementation) must be a maximum of 17 A4 pages.
What is the total indicative budget and typical EU contribution for the EIC Pathfinder Open call?
The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 179.5 million. The EIC considers proposals requesting up to EUR 3 million EU contribution as appropriate, though larger amounts may be requested if duly justified. Funding rate is 100% of eligible costs.
What types of legal entities can be beneficiaries?
Legal entities may include universities, research organisations, SMEs, start‑ups, industrial partners or natural persons; further eligibility details are in Annex 2.
When will you be informed of the evaluation outcome and when can you expect the grant agreement to be signed for the Open call?
You will be informed about the evaluation outcome within 5 months from the call deadline (indicative). If selected, you can expect the grant agreement to be signed by 8 months after the call deadline (indicative).
Where can you find the Model Grant Agreement?
The Model Grant Agreement can be found on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal.
Who should you involve and empower in your project team?
You are encouraged to involve and empower key actors who could become future leaders, such as excellent early-career researchers and promising high‑tech SMEs (including start‑ups), and to particularly empower female researchers and aim for gender balance among...
How are solar sails being used and what recent demonstrations exist?
Solar sails leverage radiation pressure from sunlight for propulsion or braking; recent demonstrations mentioned include the Gama Alpha and ADEO braking sail demonstrators, and space‑based lasers are studied for debris push, de‑tumble and de‑orbit tasks.
How can biomimetic and computational design reduce construction emissions, and which EIC projects illustrate this?
Algorithmic 3D‑printed slabs, fabric‑reinforced shells and hierarchical metamaterials reduce material use; EIC‑supported examples include BOHEME, ADAM^2, Svelte, Odico/SMARTSTAIR and Modvion for engineered timber towers.
How can the discovery and deployment of novel materials be accelerated?
By adopting safe‑and‑sustainable‑by‑design frameworks and materials informatics that couple empirical and computational data, and by leveraging HPC and AI/ML for prediction and optimisation across scales.
How does the EIC portfolio support active debris removal (ADR)?
The EIC supports ADR across TRLs through Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator instruments and ran an Accelerator Challenge (2023) to scale collision avoidance, debris collection/recovery/transformation, and in‑orbit servicing/ADR.
How is green hydrogen and downstream renewable fuel production supported and exemplified?
The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking supports green hydrogen via electrolysis; EIC commercialization pathways include INERATEC’s ImPower2X for renewable aviation fuel, Electrochaea’s biomethanation, and projects such as SolarCO2Value and FuturoLEAF for direct...
What alternative low‑carbon or carbon‑negative cement options are discussed?
Alternatives include alkali‑activated binders, RBPC, BYF, carbonatable calcium silicate clinker (CCSC), and magnesium oxides from magnesium silicates (MOMS); MOMS could enable carbon‑negative pathways but need breakthroughs in extraction and processing. MATERR...