EIC PATHFINDER
EIC considers proposals with a requested EU contribution of up to EUR 4 million for Pathfinder Open and for Pathfinder Challenges as appropriate. Nonetheless, this does not prevent you from requesting larger amounts, if properly justified. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.
In general, there is no specific expectation on the duration of EIC Pathfinder projects, which should be “fit-for-purpose”, i.e. decided in line with the S&T ambition, by ensuring an efficient implementation strategy of the planned R&I, dissemination and exploitation activities and considering quickly changing research landscape in given area(s). However, the eligibility conditions of each call need to be satisfied. For some Pathfinder Challenges, projects are expected to have a set duration which is specified in the Challenge Guide.
Applications from single legal entities are not eligible under the EIC Pathfinder Open call. Single legal entities can however submit applications under the EIC Pathfinder Challenges call, in which they will compete with proposals submitted by consortia.
It is expected that the various activities within the EIC Pathfinder projects should cover low Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), typically in the range between TRL 1 and 4. Note, however that the TRLs range of some EIC Pathfinder Challenges may be narrower as specified in the given Pathfinder Challenge text call and Challenge Guide.
The main expected outcomes of Pathfinder projects are top-level scientific publications in open access and an adequate formal protection of the Intellectual Property that is generated (e.g. a patent application) as well as an assessment of relevant aspects related to regulation, certification and standardisation.
In addition, the expected output of Pathfinder Open projects is the proof of principle that the main ideas of the envisioned future technology are feasible, thus validating its scientific and technological basis. For Pathfinder Challenge projects, the expected outcomes are described in the given Challenge text call and Challenge Guide. Moreover, Pathfinder Challenge projects are also expected to contribute to the outcomes of the Challenge Portfolio activities as described in the Challenge Guide.
The participation of SMEs or industrial partners in the EIC Pathfinder consortia is not compulsory.
Please note, however that applicants are encouraged to involve and empower in their team key actors that have the potential to become future leaders in their field such as excellent early-career researchers or promising high-tech SMEs, including start-ups.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges call is open for participation of single legal entities established in a Member State (MS) or an Associated Country (AC). Please note that mid-caps and larger companies are not eligible as single applicants. Consortia of several legal entities can also participate in this call provided that they fulfil certain eligibility criteria:
- Consortia of two entities must be two independent legal entities from two different MSs or ACs.
- Consortia of three or more entities must include as beneficiaries at least three legal entities, independent from each other and each of the three established in a different country as follows:
o at least one legal entity established in a MS; and
o at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different MS or AC.
Important: associated partners participate in the project without funding but are not a party to the grant agreement which they do not sign. They are therefore not taken into consideration for the eligibility of the minimum consortium composition. An affiliated entity to an applicant is not considered as independent legal entity.
Examples of ineligible consortia:
- a French university, a German research organisation and a French SME (consortium of three legal entities, but only two MS or AC represented)
- a Polish university, an Italian university, a Polish SME and an Italian company (consortium of more than three legal entities, but only two MS or AC represented)
- a Finnish research organisation, a Finnish university, a Norwegian SME and a university from the United States (the US university participates as associated partner; hence this is a consortium of three legal entities, but only two MS or AC represented)
Examples of eligible consortia:
- a Maltese university and a Czech SME (consortium of two legal entities with two different MS or AC represented)
- A Greek research organisation and an Australian university (the Australian university participates as an associated partner; hence this is not counted as a consortium but as a single legal entity)
- A Portuguese company, an Israeli hospital, a Latvian university, and a US research organisation (there are three entities from two different MS and one AC, and one associated partner).
The evaluation process includes two steps: firstly, an assessment of each proposal separately and secondly, the Evaluation Committee will consider each proposal’s contribution to the establishment of a consistent portfolio of projects. Portfolio considerations for a given Challenge call are described in the Pathfinder Challenge Guide.
As a general principle, in order to balance out the portfolio, a mapping of the proposals in a number of categories will be used. A suitable portfolio of proposals will be selected by the evaluation committee by applying portfolio considerations (such as that there is diversity and synergies among the projects) in order to propose for funding a coherent set of projects to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts of the Challenge.
Projects in a Challenge portfolio are expected to interact and exchange, with each other, showing a flexible and proactive approach in the light of developments within the portfolio or in the relevant global scientific or industrial community. They will progress together towards common Portfolio goals and create new opportunities for radical innovation as described in the Challenge Guide. Applicants are advised to include a work package dedicated to portfolio activities in their proposal and allocate at least 10 person-months to these activities.
EIC Pathfinder Open projects may be invited to join one or more Thematic Portfolios during their execution. This allocation may change over time as new portfolios are created or evolve. EIC Portfolio activities will be identified and developed by EIC Programme Managers in consultation with the beneficiaries of the actions in each portfolio, and where appropriate with other interested EIC Community members and third parties.
The aim of Thematic portfolios is to develop cooperation within the portfolio in order to support the projects to achieve their objectives more efficiently, effectively, and more widely to enhance research, prepare transition to innovation and stimulate business opportunities, and strengthen the EIC Community. Such activities may include participation in conferences, workshops or meetings, data sharing, or participation in any relevant EIC Business Acceleration Services events, just to name a few.
The Pathfinder Open call is bottom-up and thus the level of adherence of a proposal to one or several existing portfolios is not an eligibility or evaluation criterion for proposals submitted to this call. Participation to a thematic portfolio will be on a voluntary basis.
EIC Pathfinder Open proposals do not need to allocate budget for these activities while those from EIC Pathfinder Challenges should include a work package dedicated to portfolio activities and allocate at least 10 person-months to it.
In specific cases, the participation in portfolio activities may be supported by Booster grants with fixed amounts not exceeding EUR 50 000 each which can be applied for after the grant signature. A maximum number of Booster grants per project is foreseen in the WP.
The Challenge-driven approach is expected to continue in future EIC work programmes beyond 2026. The topics identified for the challenge-driven calls in the EIC Work Programme 2027 may evolve, with newly identified topics. EIC Programme Managers are expected to play a central role in this process.
The European Commission supports the formation of consortia for EIC Pathfinder calls by means of its Partner Search tool on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Specific networking events may be organised and announced at a later stage. Please also contact your National Contact Point for further information and support.
The Work Programme indicates the order of all the factors that will apply in order to establish the priority to proposals with the same final score.
Applicants must include information about the gender of their work package leaders in the application form (part B, table 3.1a – list of work packages). This information will be used to assess the gender balance factor. Proposals with a more balanced composition in terms of gender of work package leaders get priority.
Work packages for which the gender of the work package leader is not clearly indicated will be counted as contributing to the gender which is already mostly represented. Work package leaders which are leading more than one work package will be counted only once. Proposals in which the information on the gender of work package leaders is entirely missing will be considered as not demonstrating gender balance.
The Work Programme indicates the order of all the factors that will apply in order to establish the priority to proposals with the same final score.
This factor is applied by calculating how many Member States (MSs) and Associated Countries (ACs) are represented in the consortium. Consortia with a larger number of MSs and ACs represented are assigned priority. Associated partners not requesting funding are not taken into account. Member States or Associated Countries in which several members of the consortium are established are counted only once.
Examples:
- Consortium A with 2 German, 3 Spanish, 2 Estonian entities and 1 Tunisian entity: 4 Member States and Associated Countries represented.
- Consortium B with 1 Greek, 3 Norwegian, 1 Lithuanian, 1 Swiss and 1 US entity: 2 Member States and 2 Associated Countries represented.
Consortium’s A proposal has priority over consortium’s B proposal with the same final score.
Yes. A natural person can be part of a consortium and can also act as the coordinator of the proposal.
The legal entities may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, startups, industrial partners or natural persons.
EIC Pathfinder Open calls support projects in any field of science, technology or application without predefined thematic priorities. It is therefore possible for applicants to resubmit an unsuccessful EIC Pathfinder Challenge proposal to an EIC Pathfinder Open call.
In this case, applicants should nevertheless ensure that their proposal is in line with the eligibility conditions and with the Award criteria of the EIC Pathfinder Open call, which are different from the EIC Pathfinder Challenge call to which they previously applied. They should also use the specific application form for Pathfinder Open calls.
The United Kingdom is associated to the entire Horizon Europe Programme, including Pillar III and the EIC Pathfinder and fully eligible for funding. Entities established in this country may both be consortia coordinators and partners. In this WP limitations apply to the EIC Accelerator (see EIC WP 2026).
Switzerland is in the list of third countries to which transitional arrangements apply. The transitional arrangement for Switzerland applies to the whole Horizon Europe Programme (all Pillars) for award procedures (e.g. call for proposals, prizes) implementing the 2025 budget and onwards.
Consequently, applicants established in Switzerland will be treated for such award procedures as entities established in an associated country, subject to the association agreement being applicable at the time of award. Therefore, grant agreements with beneficiaries established in Switzerland on the basis of the association agreement can only be signed if the association has started producing legal effects, i.e. the association agreement started to apply.
Further update is expected on 10 NOV 2025 once the association agreement is signed
The European Innovation Council (EIC) defines breakthrough innovation as an innovation that goes beyond incremental improvements of existing solutions.
The EIC Pathfinder aims at ambitious advanced research to develop the scientific basis to underpin breakthrough technologies (including deep-tech). This means funding projects at early stages of development that involve high-risk but potentially high-gain transformative research, typically in fields where commercial applications are not yet evident. It introduces radically new ideas, technologies, or solutions that have the potential to disrupt existing markets or create entirely new ones.
In order to set up the budget in a lump sum proposal, applicants need to complete the detailed budget table in the application. In this table, applicants have to provide cost estimations (approximation of the actual costs) for each cost category (personnel costs, subcontracting costs, purchase costs, other cost categories) per beneficiary and affiliated entity (if any), and per work package. The cost estimations must add up to the lump sum proposed by the applicants and must meet the usual cost eligibility criteria of Horizon Europe.
The Pathfinder Open template now allows for additional pages and introduces a new section on the lump sum approach, along with a few minor updates. Otherwise, the overall structure remains in continuity with previous versions.
The maximum length for proposal sections 1 to 3 of Part B is 22 A4 pages for Pathfinder Open and 30 A4 pages for Pathfinder Challenges.
For Challenges, proposals need to follow more specific requirements from the Challenge Guide, requiring a more precise and targeted focus, with additional sections that increase the page count. In contrast, Pathfinder Open allows more freedom, leaving some elements undescribed, making the proposal simpler for both applicants and evaluators.
The full list of evaluators is published and publicly accessible.
No. An increase in budget does not imply a higher TRL expectation. The focus remains on the breakthrough nature of the research, not on advancing to a specific TRL.
For EIC Pathfinder projects, Booster grants (up to €50,000) can be awarded to the project team or affiliated entities to explore potential innovation or coordinate portfolio activities. A maximum of three Booster grants can be given per project (more only in exceptional cases). They do not fund research already planned in the original project. Proposals can be submitted anytime following a recommendation or participation in Tech2Market BAS actions and are evaluated by a mixed committee, needing at least two “GO” votes to be awarded.
For Pathfinder projects, high-risk/high-gain innovations are expected to be at an early stage. Technologies can be at low TRLs, and experimental evidence can be limited, as the focus is on breakthrough ideas rather than fully validated solutions. The key is to demonstrate plausibility and a convincing rationale for the proposed innovation, even if only preliminary results are available.