Library FAQ
Why is construction a focus for carbon neutrality and what role does cement play?
Global building growth will add vast new floor area through 2060, and cement production accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions, so supply‑ and demand‑side strategies are needed to reach carbon neutral or negative construction.
Are there additional non-financial supports for funded projects?
Yes. Successful applicants receive tailor-made access to Business Acceleration Services and interactions with EIC Programme Managers. For Challenges, the EIC Project Officer and Programme Manager support planning of portfolio activities and the preparation of...
Can funded Pathfinder grant personnel participate in the ‘Next Generation Innovation Talents’ scheme?
Yes. The personnel costs of researchers participating in the ‘Next Generation Innovation Talents’ scheme are eligible under Pathfinder grant agreements.
How are proposals evaluated for the Pathfinder Open call?
Each proposal is evaluated and scored individually by at least four EIC expert evaluators. The median of evaluators’ scores is used per award criterion. The overall score is the weighted sum of the three median scores. An evaluation committee (different evalua...
How are ties between proposals with the same final score resolved?
Priority is given in the following order: higher score under Excellence; higher score under Impact; gender balance among work package leaders as identified in the proposal; number of applicants that are SMEs; number of Member States and Associated Countries re...
How does evaluation differ for Pathfinder Challenges?
Challenges use a two-step evaluation: Step 1—EIC expert evaluators assess proposals individually, followed by consensus and an evaluation committee check; Step 2—portfolio considerations are applied by the evaluation committee (including Programme Managers) to...
How must proposals be submitted?
You must submit your proposal via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the indicated deadline.
What are applicants to a Pathfinder Challenge expected to deliver by project end (TRL expectations)?
Proposals generally start at early TRL (e.g., TRL 2) up to proof of concept or validation in the lab (e.g., TRL 3 or 4). For the Biotech Challenge, funded projects are expected to develop breakthrough technologies that reach TRL4 (validation in laboratory envi...
What are Booster grants and who is eligible?
Projects funded through EIC Pathfinder (including certain EIC pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open and Proactive calls) may be eligible for Booster grants of up to EUR 50 000 to undertake complementary activities or portfolio activities (see Annex 5).
What are the award criteria and thresholds for EIC Pathfinder Challenges?
Three criteria: Excellence (threshold 4/5; weight 60%), Impact (threshold 3.5/5; weight 20%), and Quality and efficiency of the implementation (threshold 3/5; weight 20%). Criteria focus on relevance to the Challenge, novelty, methodology plausibility, potenti...
What are the award criteria and thresholds for EIC Pathfinder Open?
Three criteria: Excellence (threshold 4/5; weight 60%), Impact (threshold 3.5/5; weight 20%), and Quality and efficiency of the implementation (threshold 3/5; weight 20%). Each criterion comprises detailed subpoints such as long-term vision, novelty, objective...
What are the consortium eligibility rules for Pathfinder Challenges?
Consortia of two entities must be comprised of independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries. Consortia of three or more beneficiaries must include at least three independent legal entities each established in a different...
What are the Part B page limits for proposals?
For the first call, Sections 1 to 3 of Part B (Excellence, Impact, Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation) must be a maximum of 20 A4 pages. For Pathfinder Challenges, Sections 1 to 3 of Part B must be a maximum of 30 A4 pages.
What are the scope and specific objectives of the Generative-AI Agents for Cancer Challenge?
The Challenge aims to develop interactive GenAI autonomous agents or super-agents for clinicians that integrate and interpret multimodal medical imaging and health data and generate reliable synthetic medical data. Each project must focus on exactly one cancer...
What are the specific objectives of the Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing Challenge?
Projects should: (1) increase plant growth, yields and resistance to stress by enhancing tolerance to combined climate stresses, increasing water and nutrient use efficiency, improving reproduction and seed filling under combined stress, and investigating/enha...
What are the submission deadlines mentioned in this chunk?
For the first described call the deadline is 21/05/2025 at 17:00 Brussels local time. For the EIC Pathfinder Challenges call the deadline is 29/10/2025 at 17:00 Brussels local time.
What funding is available for EIC Pathfinder Challenges in this chunk?
The total indicative budget for the Challenges is EUR 120 million (expected to be allocated approximately equally across Challenges). The EIC considers proposals requesting up to EUR 4 million as appropriate. Funding rate is 100% of eligible costs; eligible co...
What funding is available for the EIC Pathfinder Open call in this chunk?
The total indicative budget for the call is EUR 142 million. The EIC considers proposals requesting up to EUR 3 million as appropriate (larger amounts may be requested if duly justified). Funding rate is 100% of eligible costs via a Research and Innovation Act...
What portfolio activities are expected in Challenge projects?
Applicants are advised to include a work package dedicated to portfolio activities. For Challenges, projects should allocate at least 10 person-months to portfolio activities. All projects in the Biotech Challenge will participate in a work package dedicated t...
When will applicants be informed of the evaluation outcome and grant signature timelines?
You will be informed about the evaluation outcome within 5 months from the call deadline (indicative). If selected, you can expect grant agreement signature by 8 months after the call deadline (indicative). For Challenge projects retained for funding, grant ag...
Where can I find the Model Grant Agreement?
The Model Grant Agreement can be found on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Are single beneficiary projects restricted in terms of company size?
Yes. For single beneficiary projects, mid-caps and larger companies will not be permitted.
How are proposals evaluated in EIC Pathfinder Challenges?
Evaluation is in two steps: Step 1 – each proposal is evaluated and scored individually by at least three EIC expert evaluators, who then form a consensus group. Step 2 – an evaluation committee (including Programme Managers) maps proposals against Challenge c...
How are proposals evaluated in the EIC Pathfinder Open?
Proposals are first evaluated and scored individually by at least four EIC expert evaluators; the score for each award criterion is the median of evaluators’ scores. An evaluation committee then decides the final score based on individual scores and consensus...