Library FAQ
When will I be informed of the evaluation outcome and when can I expect the grant signed?
You will be informed about the outcome within 5 months after the call deadline (indicative). If selected, you can expect the grant agreement to be signed by 8 months after the call deadline (indicative). For retained Challenge proposals, grant agreement prepar...
Where can I find the Model Grant Agreement?
The Model Grant Agreement can be found on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal.
Where do I submit an EIC Pathfinder proposal?
You must submit your proposal via the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal before the call deadline.
Who is eligible to apply and what are consortium composition rules?
Proposals must meet the general eligibility requirements (Annex 2) and any Challenge-specific requirements. The Challenges support collaborative consortia or single legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country. Consortia of two entitie...
Who should apply to a Pathfinder Challenge and what should projects deliver?
You should apply if you have a cutting-edge project that contributes to the specific objectives of the Challenge and aims to deliver the expected outcomes by project end. Starting TRL is generally early (e.g., TRL 2 up to proof of concept TRL 3–4). Project res...
Are proposers encouraged to use digital tools in Advanced Materials projects?
Yes. Leveraging digital tools such as AI to accelerate identification, design, fabrication and characterisation of new materials is encouraged.
How are proposals evaluated for EIC Pathfinder Challenges?
Evaluation is in two steps: (1) each proposal is assessed separately against the award criteria; (2) portfolio considerations are applied to select a coherent set of projects that together achieve the Challenge's expected outcomes and impacts.
What are important scope and exclusion notes for Healthy Ageing proposals?
All proposals should consider biological sex and gender-specific health determinants (including reproductive ageing). Precision nutrition, novel ageing-clock discovery and wellness applications are explicitly out of scope.
What are the award criteria and their weights for EIC Pathfinder Challenges?
Three criteria: Excellence (weight 50%, threshold 4/5), Impact (weight 30%, threshold 3.5/5), and Quality and efficiency of the implementation (weight 20%, threshold 3/5).
What aspects are assessed under the 'Excellence' criterion?
Objectives and relevance to the Challenge, novelty (ambition beyond state-of-the-art), and plausibility of the methodology including concepts, models, assumptions, gender dimension in research content, and open science practices.
What does 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation' assess?
Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan and risk mitigation, appropriateness of resource allocation (person-months and costs), and the capacity and expertise of the applicant/consortium to perform the project tasks.
What impacts are expected from the Advanced Materials Challenge?
Development of energetically autonomous systems enabling new services (e.g., point-of-care diagnostics, smart cities), support for energy sustainability goals (RePowerEU, Green Deal), and enhanced sustainability of IoT and autonomous systems.
What impacts should Healthy Ageing projects aim to deliver?
Deliver biotechnology-based interventions for healthy ageing, accelerate personalised care via molecular phenotyping, provide recommendations for regulatory pathways addressing ageing, and improve citizen literacy on longevity.
What is evaluated under the 'Impact' criterion?
Potential credibility of pathways to expected outcomes, innovation potential including proof of principle and protection/exploitation measures, and communication and dissemination measures to maximise outcomes and raise awareness of results' market or societal...
What is the DeepRAP Challenge about?
DeepRAP targets advances in Reasoning, Abstraction and Planning (RAP) to close the gap between human cognition and AI, aiming for trustworthy cognitive AI systems beyond current symbolic or neural paradigms.
What is the focus of the 'Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing' Challenge?
To develop biotechnology-based proof-of-concept interventions, tools, or new approach methodologies addressing ageing and promoting healthy longevity, tackling age-related chronic diseases and associated societal and healthcare challenges.
What is the goal of the 'Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems' Challenge?
To develop a new generation of advanced materials for miniaturised integrated energy harvesting devices with significantly enhanced performance versus the state of the art, reducing reliance on critical raw materials and improving energy autonomy of connected...
What outcomes and portfolio targets are expected for Healthy Ageing projects?
Expected outcomes include completed TRL3 proof-of-concept interventions in vertebrate models, validated tools (e.g., biomarker signatures, pre-clinical models), and approaches addressing regulatory and societal challenges. Portfolio targets: up to 5 interventi...
What outcomes are expected from DeepRAP projects?
Models/architectures handling multimodal data and uncertainty with constrained compute, provable trustworthiness mechanisms (explainability, transparency, fairness, risk evaluation, security, alignment with legal/ethical standards including the EU AI Act), and...
What outcomes are expected from the Advanced Materials Challenge?
A new generation of advanced materials for miniaturised energy harvesting modules and achievement of TRL4 for the resulting energetically autonomous systems.
What portfolio diversity is expected for selected Advanced Materials projects?
The portfolio should cover a variety of advanced materials applied to a range of harvesting modules and systems, spanning different phenomena (solar, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, nanotribological), material compositions and application fields (e.g., agricult...
What research directions are sought in DeepRAP proposals?
Novel approaches such as neuro-symbolic AI or entirely new frameworks (potentially inspired by neuroscience, biology, physics, philosophy) addressing deep reasoning (causal, logical, commonsense), deep abstraction (transferable high-level concepts and internal...
What specific objectives are required for Advanced Materials proposals?
Identify innovative advanced materials harnessing new physical/chemical phenomena; implement them in miniaturised harvesting modules (e.g., mini solar cells, thermoelectrics, piezoelectric/nanotribological, electromagnetic wave harvesting); integrate modules i...
What types of projects are sought in the Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing Challenge?
Three areas: (1) preventative or therapeutic biotechnology/pharmaceutical interventions with proof of concept in a physiologically aged vertebrate model; (2) biomarker-based tools (using existing biomarker candidates/ageing clocks) demonstrating proof-of-conce...