EIC 2026 work programme

The EIC work programme 2026 details the funding in five main schemes:

EIC Pathfinder (€262 million) for multi-disciplinary research teams to undertake visionary research with the potential to lead to technology breakthroughs (grants up to €4 million).

• APPLICATION DEADLINE:EIC Pathfinder Open: 12 May 2026 at 5:00 PM Brussels local time.EIC Pathfinder Challenges: 28 October 2026.

EIC Transition (€100 million) to turn research results into innovation opportunities, following up on results generated by EIC Pathfinder, European Research Council Proof of Concept, Horizon Europe Pillar 2 (societal challenges) collaborative projects and Research Infrastructures projects (grants up to €2.5 million).

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM Brussels local time.

Advanced Innovation Challenges (€6 million) to support high-risk, demand-driven deep tech innovation with transformative potential especially in areas where there is extensive research but lack of commercial uptake (€300,000 lump sum)

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM Brussels local time.

EIC Accelerator (€634 million) for start-ups and SMEs to develop and scale up innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones (grants below €2.5 million, investments from €0.5 to €10 million).

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: Short proposals can be submitted at any time and will be evaluated remotely by EIC experts. Applicants whose short proposals are selected will be invited to prepare a full proposal.

The EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Scale Up (€300 million), which will provide additional equity funding to promising companies (SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs and small mid-caps) driving innovation in critical areas to help them secure larger private co-investment rounds of €50 million or above for further scaling their businesses (investments from €10 to €30 million). 

• APPLICATION DEADLINE: You can submit your application for the EIC STEP Scale Up call at any time. Applications will be evaluated in quarterly batches.

In each case, the direct financial support to innovators is complemented with access to a wide range of Business Acceleration Services providing access to leading expertise, corporates, investors and ecosystem actors.

More information at European Commission