ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Programmes such as EIC Pathfinder, EIC Accelerator and Eurostars address different stages of technological and business development in Europe
At a glance: the essentials of this article
The European Union has built a funding pathway that supports startups and innovative companies from early-stage research to industrial scale-up and international expansion. Programmes such as EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, Innowwide and Eurostars provide tailored support according to each project’s technological and business maturity, combining grants, investment and international collaboration.
Over recent years, the European Union has strengthened a public funding ecosystem designed to support innovative companies from the earliest research stages to international expansion and market consolidation. Instruments such as EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, Innowwide and Eurostars address different needs depending on each company’s technological and business maturity.
These programmes can be understood as part of a broader roadmap connecting the different growth stages of startups and innovative companies. From the initial development of an idea to market deployment and international scaling, European mechanisms combine grants, blended finance and collaborative programmes tailored to each phase.
At the earliest stage of the business lifecycle, focused on disruptive ideas and breakthrough technologies, EIC Pathfinder targets research projects with strong transformative potential. The instrument is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and aims to support high-risk technologies before commercial validation.
This phase is usually linked to technologies that are still far from reaching the market (including the laboratory itself!), but which may create new industrial value chains or help address strategic European challenges. The programme prioritises advanced research and the development of scientific and technological foundations for future business applications. In this call, close collaboration with research centres and universities is key, as they are the natural drivers of ideas in the early stages of research.
As technologies evolve towards a minimum viable product (MVP), the European funding pathway introduces EIC Transition. This instrument is designed to help convert research results into applications with commercial potential, particularly during early business development stages.
EIC Transition is not broadly open to all companies, as it mainly targets projects stemming from previous European research and innovation initiatives. Nevertheless, it plays an important role in bridging publicly funded research and early-stage commercial exploitation. It ensures continuity in the Commission’s investments, supporting projects from early research through to deployment and helping bridge the so-called “valley of death”.
As companies move towards commercial validation and investment readiness, EIC Accelerator becomes a central funding instrument. During the seed stage, the programme provides grant funding to support technological development and market preparation.
The instrument mainly targets startups and SMEs developing high-impact technologies with strong scaling potential. Beyond supporting innovation activities, the programme also aims to reduce the risks associated with emerging technologies that still face difficulties attracting private investment.
Depending on the acceleration and growth needs, EIC Accelerator also offers blended finance schemes combining grants and equity investments. The objective is to facilitate the industrial and commercial scale-up of innovative European companies operating in strategic sectors.
At the same time, Innowwide complements this expansion phase by supporting SMEs seeking to validate international markets or develop commercial activities beyond Europe. The programme is aimed at companies with global ambitions and internationalisation needs.
As companies reach higher levels of technological and business maturity, access to European funding expands towards more specialised and collaborative programmes. Horizon Europe remains one of the main European frameworks supporting research and innovation activities.
Alongside Horizon Europe, Eurostars provides targeted support for innovative SMEs developing international R&D projects together with partners from different countries. The programme combines transnational cooperation with a strong market-oriented approach.
At this stage, companies may also access specialised sectoral programmes and large-scale European industrial initiatives linked to areas such as defence, energy, decarbonisation and strategic technologies.
Depending on the sector, companies can participate in calls launched under the European Defence Fund (EDF), the Innovation Fund or different European Joint Undertakings. These instruments respond to specific industrial priorities and generally require stronger technological, industrial and international collaboration capabilities.
The European funding landscape continues to evolve through new mechanisms designed to reinforce Europe’s technological competitiveness. Recent EIC initiatives include programmes such as Advanced Innovation Challenges and STEP Scale-up, aimed at supporting strategic technologies and facilitating company growth.
The introduction of these instruments reflects the European Union’s intention to address funding needs more comprehensively across all development stages of innovative companies. It also aligns with broader objectives related to strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in key industrial sectors.
In this context, defining a funding strategy aligned with each company’s maturity level is becoming increasingly important to identify the most suitable instruments and build sustainable growth pathways. Zabala Innovation supports companies, startups and innovation stakeholders in analysing European opportunities and designing funding strategies adapted to each stage of development.
News
EIC
The European Innovation Council allocates €166 million to projects at very early stages of development and requires stronger, deeper proposals geared towards clear technical decisions
Opinion
Start-ups
Xabier Semperena
EU Finance Knowledge Area consultant
Publication
European Programmes
We have gathered the most relevant European Programmes calls for proposals in a calendar until 2026, available for download!
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.
The expertise gained working with different EU programmes over the past decades has made Zabala Innovation the best partner to manage your European project.
We are experts in European funding programmes, which provide the opportunity to finance the development and market access of your company's innovative projects.