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Unlocking ERC and EIC Pathfinder funding to find the perfect fit for your idea

ERC and EIC Pathfinder

European Commission has long been a beacon for scientific excellence and technological innovation, offering researchers and institutions pathways to bring their ideas to life. Among these, the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC) stand out as distinctive funding programmes offering unparalleled opportunities to universities, researchers, and institutions, each tailored to support specific types of research.

Yet, the challenge often lies in knowing where an idea fits best. Is yours a ground-breaking idea that could become a project aimed at pushing the boundaries of knowledge in your field? Or is it one to transform a fundamental discovery into disruptive technology? While both embrace risk and ambition, they differ fundamentally in their scope and intent. Understanding this distinction is crucial to unlocking the full potential of these programmes and answer the question: ERC and EIC Pathfinder, which one to choose?

A vision for knowledge: the ERC’s frontier science

The ERC represents the essence of frontier science and the home of curiosity-driven research. Its mission is to empower the most talented researchers to explore uncharted territories in knowledge. Projects funded by the ERC often stem from a fundamental curiosity to understand the universe, without the immediate pressure of application. Ideas suited to the ERC are inherently ambitious, risky, and transformative, seeking to redefine fields of knowledge.

Imagine a researcher probing the quantum properties of black holes, providing new insights and shedding light on the emergence of pandemic viruses, or uncovering the cognitive pathways of human creativity — these are questions that expand the limits of understanding. “For the ERC, scientific excellence takes precedence up to the point of being the sole evaluation criterion through the assessment by recognized leaders in each field of the originality and transformative potential of the research and the Principal Investigator’s ability to correctly steer high-impact projects in science”, explains Germán Zango, Science & Education Knowledge Area Leader at Zabala Innovation.

The proposed project should therefore run away from incremental approaches confined to the obvious continuation of open research lines. Proposals must clearly articulate the ground-breaking nature of the research question, why it is ambitious enough to challenge the state of the art, and how it is feasible within the given timeframe. Here, in Zango’s words, researchers should ask themselves: “Does my idea fundamentally seek to advance knowledge, irrespective of its immediate utility?”

Moreover, the Principal Investigator’s profile is critical. The ERC funds exceptional individuals who can demonstrate a strong track record, intellectual independence, and capacity to lead transformative research. For that, the ERC’s division of main calls into Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, and Synergy categories reflects its commitment to supporting excellence at every stage of a researcher’s career and fostering innovative collaboration.

“Each call addresses distinct career phases and research dynamics, ensuring that pioneering ideas are not hindered by career seniority or structural limitations”, states Zango. “Starting grants provide emerging researchers with the opportunity to establish their independence, while Consolidator grants support those building on promising early work to create a cohesive research program and a research group/team”, he adds.

Advanced grants empower established leaders to push the boundaries of their fields, and Synergy grants facilitate team-based efforts to tackle complex questions that require interdisciplinary collaboration. This structure embodies the ERC’s principles of promoting intellectual freedom, nurturing potential at all stages, and enabling the pursuit of challenging high-reward research. “By aligning its calls with the varying needs of researchers, the ERC ensures a holistic ecosystem that maximizes scientific creativity and impact”, according to Zango.

A path to impact: the EIC Pathfinder’s transformative innovation

By contrast, the EIC Pathfinder Open takes a different route: the one focused on application-driven innovation. It operates at the interface of science and innovation, bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and technological breakthroughs through ideas that can transform industries and create new markets. “While it shares the ERC’s appetite for boldness and disruptive innovations, the Pathfinder is geared towards the early-stage development of technologies that address pressing societal and industrial challenges”, underlines Javier Uranga, Entrepreneurship consultant and expert of the EIC, of Zabala Innovation.

Think of projects like a new class of bio-inspired robotics, a game-changing energy storage solution, or a quantum computing framework ready to disrupt industries. Unlike the ERC, the EIC Pathfinder prioritizes the transformative potential of the innovation, the devise of clear pathways to societal or industrial application, and collaboration between disciplines to ensure feasibility. So, in this case, for Uranga researchers should ask: “Do I have an ambitious vision for a novel future technology that could make a real difference to our lives or create a market-shaping innovation?”

This emphasis on applicability and future impact sets the EIC Pathfinder apart, requiring interdisciplinary collaboration and detailed planning for potential implementation. Collaborative and interdisciplinary approach is central to the Pathfinder. “These proposals must integrate diverse expertise—engineers, biologists, economists—to show how the project transitions from scientific novelty to disruptive technology with future market potential”, insists Uranga.

Within the EIC Pathfinder, there are also two calls for proposals, an Open call with an open theme that allows for any types of future technologies to apply and a Challenge call, in which EIC experts annually define the main technological challenges in specific fields that are needed to be solved. In this year’s call, these challenges are focused on: Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing, Generative-AI based Agents to Revolutionize Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer, Towards autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments and Waste-to-value devices – circular production of renewable fuels, chemicals and materials.

ERC and EIC Pathfinder: finding the right fit

Despite these distinctions, researchers often find themselves at a crossroads. The challenge lies in determining whether an idea is better suited to pushing knowledge frontiers or driving real-world applications. To resolve this, these two experts suggest to consider these guiding questions:

  • What is the primary goal of the project? If it is to unravel a scientific mystery or propose a new paradigm, it aligns with the ERC. If it is to engineer a functional prototype or envision a product with societal or market impact, the EIC Pathfinder is the right fit.
  • What is the expected outcome? ERC projects generally result in paradigm-shifting knowledge and scientific publications. EIC Pathfinder projects aim for proof-of-concept prototypes or technological advances that can evolve into practical applications.
  • Who needs to be involved? ERC proposals are typically led by a single Principal Investigator with a supportive host institution and a research team around them. EIC Pathfinder projects require interdisciplinary teams and collaborative partnerships among consolidated research and development institutions.
  • What is the risk and reward? Both programmes embrace risk and represent the main funding examples of cutting-edge research, but the ERC focuses on intellectual risk and conceptual challenges to the state of the art, while the Pathfinder emphasizes technological and market risk, seeking the feasibility of application to bridge the valley of death in technology development.

Leveraging expert support for success

“At Zabala Innovation, we specialize in helping researchers navigate these complexities. Our role is not only to sharpen your proposal but to guide you in identifying the most suitable programme for your idea. This distinction often defines success. For ERC applicants, we help craft narratives that highlight the boldness of the research question and the Principal Investigator’s capacity to deliver frontier science. Our deep understanding of ERC evaluation criteria ensures every proposal resonates with evaluators”, says Zango.

As for EIC Pathfinder projects, “we work alongside researchers to build consortia that bring together the right mix of disciplines and expertise. We ensure the proposal not only demonstrates novelty but also a viable path to disruptive innovation that will bring a new solution to the market”, states Uranga.

Here’s how Zabala Innovation can help you:

  • Strategic proposal development: from idea evaluation to aligning your project with the appropriate funding programme, we ensure your ERC or EIC proposal is strategically tailored.
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration facilitation: for EIC Pathfinder proposals, we coordinate different partners with diverse backgrounds and expectations (academic and non-academic partners) to maximize your consortium performance and synergies.
  • Preliminary assessment and expert review for ERC proposals: for ERC applicants, we offer a two-fold approach. First, if needed, we perform a thorough preliminary assessment of the research idea and candidate CV to evaluate their competitiveness for the ERC program. Then, we provide in-depth reviews of the proposal—often across multiple iterations—to refine and elevate it. Our team of specialists, with deep experience in ERC and EIC calls, will work with you to develop high-quality narratives that emphasize the unique strengths of your project and research team.
  • Proposal support for EIC Pathfinder: we support researchers throughout the entire proposal preparation process. This includes helping to write sections such as Impact and Implementation, where our expertise at Zabala truly shines. These sections are critical for demonstrating the feasibility and transformative potential of Pathfinder projects, and we bring unparalleled knowledge and precision to their development. Reviews of the full proposal are also integral to this process, ensuring every aspect meets the highest standards.
  • Comprehensive support: beyond writing, we provide guidance on project management, ethical considerations, and budget planning, ensuring every aspect of your proposal meets the evaluators’ expectations.
  • Project implementation: we participate in EIC proposals as partner supporting the consortium with the dissemination, communication and exploitation activities, coordinating the research partners that are usually not experienced in these activities in maximizing the impact of their projects.

By offering tailored support—from proposal development and review to strategic positioning—Zabala Innovation empower researchers to maximize their chances of success. Whether pursuing knowledge for its own sake or envisioning a transformative application, the right guidance can make all the difference.

“In the vast landscape of European funding, choosing between the ERC and EIC Pathfinder is more than a matter of preference; it’s a strategic decision that shapes the future of your research. By understanding the essence of each programme and aligning your vision accordingly, you can embark on a path that not only secures funding but transforms ideas into impact”, concludes Zango.