On 6 November 2025, the European Commission adopted the 2026 work programme of the European Innovation Council (EIC). With this programme, more than €1.4 billion will become available in the form of grants and investment instruments. The aim is to strengthen strategic key technologies in Europe and accelerate the growth of innovative start-ups and scale-ups.
The EIC instruments in 2026
EIC Pathfinder – groundbreaking research
EIC Pathfinder supports visionary, high-risk research that can lead to radically new technologies. These are activities in TRL 1 to 4. Consortia of at least three entities from different EU countries can apply for the grant. Under the Challenges call, individual organisations may also submit an application. A total of €262 million is available in 2026. The grant can cover up to €4 million per project. Deadlines in 2026:
- Pathfinder Open: 12 May 2026
- Pathfinder Challenges: 28 October 2026
EIC Transition – from research results to innovation
EIC Transition supports innovation activities in TRL stages 4 to 6. This allows you to validate research results, further develop them and prepare them for commercialisation. It can be applied for by individual organisations or consortia with 2 to 5 partners. A budget of €100 million is available for the 2026 round. The grant can amount to up to €2.5 million per project. The deadline for Transition Open is 16 September 2026.
EIC Accelerator – growth accelerator for start-ups and SMEs
With EIC Accelerator, start-ups and SMEs with highly innovative technologies receive support in the form of a grant, optionally supplemented by an additional investment (in the form of equity). It concerns innovation projects that create new markets or disrupt existing ones. The budget amounts to €624 million in 2026. The grant can go up to €2.5 million, supplemented by an investment of up to €10 million. Cut-off dates for full applications are: 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November 2026.
STEP Scale-Up (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) – additional tool for deep-tech companies to attract large investment rounds
STEP Scale-Up helps promising deep-tech companies attract large investment rounds. Investment via STEP Scale-Up range between €10 million and €30 million. The total budget in 2026 is €300 million. Application deadlines are 11 February, 6 May, 9 September and 25 November 2026.
Pilot: EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges – high-impact deep-tech in areas where Europe is strong
Through EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges, the EIC supports high-risk, high-reward deep-tech projects in which the EU is strong, but where commercial application is often lacking. For the pilot, €6 million is available. Per application, support is provided as a lump sum of around €300,000.
Support with EIC applications
For entrepreneurs and researchers with highly innovative research or innovation projects, the EIC instruments offer attractive opportunities to further develop groundbreaking ideas and scale them up internationally. The specialists at FirstBlue have extensive experience with EIC funding schemes and are happy to assess whether your project fits within one of the EIC instruments. Would you like to discuss your opportunities or have a project idea assessed? Contact our specialists for an introduction. We will be happy to answer your questions. Send an e-mail to info@firstblue.com or fill in the contact form below.
