EIC
Among the new features, the EIC launches the Advanced Innovation Challenges call, a pilot initiative focused on high-risk deep-tech innovation
At a glance: the essentials of this article
The European Innovation Council (EIC) will allocate €1.4 billion in 2026 to boost high-risk technological innovation across Europe. Among the key updates is the Advanced Innovation Challenges, a pilot call designed to fund deep tech projects with strong market orientation. The new framework also brings improvements to the Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator instruments, alongside expanded opportunities for SMEs and consortia seeking to scale disruptive technologies.
The European Innovation Council (EIC), whose work programme for next year foresees €1.4 billion in funding, has launched a new pilot initiative, the Advanced Innovation Challenges call, aimed at supporting high-risk, demand-driven deep-tech innovation. The objective is to foster transformative solutions in areas with a strong scientific research base but limited commercial uptake.
The call, with a budget of €31 million, is open to both individual applicants – SMEs, spin-offs, start-ups, research organisations, and universities – and small consortia composed of a minimum of two and a maximum of three eligible entities. Each project must align with one of the two proposed challenges:
The funding scheme is structured in two phases. The first phase, open only to individual applicants, offers up to €300,000 per project for a maximum period of nine months. Its purpose is to prepare and assess disruptive solutions and explore their technical and commercial feasibility.
The second phase, scheduled for 2027, will select a limited number of projects originating from the first phase. Selected projects may receive up to €2.5 million each, with 100% funding. In this stage, the participation of small consortia will be allowed to develop the most promising solutions and test them in real-world environments involving end-users over a period of up to two and a half years.
“The Advanced Innovation Challenges marks a shift in how Europe drives frontier innovation,” explains Sara Mateo, Head of the Entrepreneurship knowledge area in European Projects of Zabala Innovation. “With this new call, the EIC combines technological risk-taking with a clear market orientation, enabling the most disruptive technologies to move beyond the lab and into real-world applications with potential industrial and social impact,” she adds.
Advanced Innovation Challenges is among the new features introduced by the EIC in its 2026 Work Programme. Key changes include increasing the budget per Pathfinder project to €4 million – the EIC programme supporting research teams in early scientific and technological development – in order to facilitate progress towards the proof-of-concept phase. Lump-sum funding will also be introduced, along with improvements to the evaluation process.
The EIC is also expanding the scope of the EIC Transition call, which focuses on validating and maturing technological innovations beyond proof of concept in the laboratory. It will now include research results not only from EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, and Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe, as before, but also from Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructures.
For the EIC Accelerator – targeting SMEs seeking to bring innovative products or business models with global transformative potential to market – there will be more frequent calls and a more detailed technical due diligence process, with the aim of accelerating subsequent investment decisions.
The programme also foresees adjustments to the EIC STEP Scale-Up call, updating the Plug-In scheme after the conclusion of the 2023–2025 pilot, and the strengthening of Business Acceleration Services (BAS) to promote internationalisation and collaboration with large corporations. Finally, the EIC announces support for the Gender and Diversity Innovation Index, building on the outcomes of recent pilot projects.
As part of Pillar III of the Horizon Europe programme (2021–2027), the EIC combines research in emerging technologies with support for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups through funding for innovative projects. The 2026 Work Programme, published on 5 November 2025, will be officially presented during the Infoday on 13 November.
Overall, EIC 2026 consolidates its structure around three main instruments – Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator – covering all stages of technological and commercial development, from early research to market scaling of the most promising innovations.
The EIC Board has described the 2026 programme as a key milestone in advancing Europe’s ambitions in deep tech and business scale-up, highlighting its alignment with the EU Startups and Scaleups Strategy, the new Multiannual Financial Framework, and the recommendations of the Draghi report.
It also underscores the measures aimed at reinforcing the impact of Pathfinder, expanding Transition eligibility, refining the STEP Scale-Up call, and improving collaboration, diversity and international outreach within the European innovation ecosystem.
EIC Pathfinder
Pathfinder Open
Pathfinder Challenges
EIC Transition
EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges
EIC Accelerator
EIC STEP Scale-Up
Quarterly cut-off dates: 11 February, 6 May, 9 September, and 25 November 2026
Budget: €300 million.
News
MFF 2028–2034
This boost aims to consolidate scientific leadership, strengthen competitiveness, and foster a more resilient, inclusive, and innovative Europe
Opinion
Horizon Europe
Camino Correia
Head of European Programmes / Executive Commitee
Publication
Universities
Find out which European grant programme for Universities best suits your project
We provide advice to activities that encourage innovation, aimed at promoting the development of new innovative markets from the demand side, through public procurement.
To maximise the success and impact of a project, we manage the communication and dissemination activities, but we also define a social innovation strategy and tools to measure its impact.
We collaborate with public administrations to promote innovation and assist companies in integrating innovation into their overall strategy.