EIC TRANSITION
EISMEA services will check that the submitted proposals comply with the (minimum) participation conditions, e.g.:
• For three or more beneficiary proposals: must include at least one independent legal entity established in an EU Member State (MS) and two independent legal entities established in two other EU MSs or Associated Countries (AC);
• For two beneficiary proposals: two independent legal entities from two different EU MSs or Associated Countries;
• For single legal entity proposals: one legal entity established in an EU MS or Associated Country.
For the purposes of the eligibility conditions, applicants established in Horizon 2020 Associated Countries or in other third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe, will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country, provided that the Horizon Europe association agreement with the third country concerned applies at the time of signature of the grant agreement.
If it becomes clear that a proposal is no longer eligible, services must inform concerned applicants that their proposal is no longer eligible due to new circumstances regarding the current status of the third country’s association to Horizon Europe.
In case further clarifications are needed, please see FAQ "In Horizon Europe, what is the status of participants from non-EU, Associated or Third Countries?".
Associated Partner(s) and Affiliated entity(ies), which can be part of a proposal, do not count towards the minimum eligibility criteria for consortium composition. For additional details, you can also check the related FAQs on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
The transition towards innovation and market asks however for single legal entity proposals and/or lean consortia. The evaluation criteria Quality and efficiency of the implementation asks if the number of project partners is well justified.
It is expected that the various activities within the EIC Transition projects should cover TRLs, typically in the range between TRL 4 and 5/6. Note that the starting TRL fully achieved at the submission of the proposal, must be at least TRL3 (i.e. TRL3 accomplished) or maximum TRL 4. Eligibility requirements of minimum achieved TRL3 and max TRL 4 apply for both the linked eligible project as well as the proposal. The overall TRL will be maximally equal to the lowest TRL of its core technological components/subsystems.
The final TRL achieved at the end of the EIC Transition project must be at least TRL 5.
For further guidance, please check the Euraxess and Horizon Europe NCP Portal pages on TRLs.
In this context, it should also be noted that additional checks to verify that a proposal is within the scope of the call may be conducted, leading, potentially, to the rejection of a proposal or the termination of the grant 12 preparation phase if a given proposal has been recommended for funding. False declarations in of selected proposals to obtain EU funding, are grounds, among others, for suspension of payments, suspension of the project implementation and grant agreement termination, according to Article 30, 31 and 32 of the Grant Agreement.
At the end of your EIC Transition project, you should be ready for the next stage, which can be to apply for EIC Accelerator, to enter licensing or collaboration agreements with third parties, or other routes to market deployment.
Proposals to EIC Transition calls must build on results from an ongoing or recently finished eligible project (i.e. linked project), funded from a call as indicated in the Work Programme. In the application form, the eligible linked project needs to be clearly identified, referenced, relevant results to build on described and the relation with the proposal and the innovation contribution made evident. Failing to provide the required information where it is requested in the application form, may result in the rejection of the proposal as ineligible.
For ERC PoC projects for example, aside the eligible ERC PoC project reference, the main result is also to be described, generated from the earlier ERC project for which ERC PoC was granted, to study the commercial feasibility or to look for possible/promising application domains.
The application template format is to be respected. It is provided in the Funding & Tenders Portal during the application process.
Your proposal must build on results already achieved within an eligible project as specified in the Work Programme, meeting all eligibility requirements. Applicants must prove the project, from which the result was generated, was funded by Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe (including Joint-Undertakings, unless they implement financial support to third parties’ grants), by specifying the relevant grant agreement number and acronym as indicated in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must encode this information in a specific box in the application form.
Namely, the EIC Work Programme explicitly states that: “In all cases you need to specify in your application the grant number and acronym of the eligible project(s) which generated the result ...”.
You also need to add the reference(s) to where the result has been reported: in the periodic reporting, the Horizon results platform, EIC Transition ‘innovation discovery’ tool powered by the Innovation Radar or CORDIS.
The dedicated pages are:
• Horizon Results Platform: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/horizon-results-platform
• The dedicated page of the Innovation Radar about EIC Transition / EIC Transition innovation discovery tool: https://innovation-radar.ec.europa.eu/eic-transition
• CORDIS: https://cordis.europa.eu/
In the case of the result being already listed on the Innovation Radar platform, the unique id of that innovation/result needs to be provided during the proposal submission process and will look like this: (serving 13 as example for illustrative purposes) https://innovation-radar.ec.europa.eu/innovation/13
Failing to provide the required information where it is requested, may result in the rejection of the proposal as ineligible.
As from the opening of the call, the EIC Transition website contains a list of indicative eligible projects (non-exhaustive, in excel format). This list does not constitute proof of eligibility and is provided as indication only.
Eligible projects funded through Flagships of the European Commission do not find the project number in the above mentioned indicative list and should refer to their Specific Grant Agreement (SGA) number instead as well as list their specific grant/project.
UK entities, having passed the ERC PoC evaluation, but funded through the UK Horizon Europe Guarantee are not eligible to apply to the EIC Transition. Namely, the Work Programme states that European Research Council Proof of Concept projects funded by Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe are eligible for EIC Transition.
It means indicating where it is requested in the proposal template, the weblink where the result is published (the periodic reporting, the Horizon results platform, the Innovation Radar or CORDIS).
If exceptionally there is no CORDIS link (e.g. for EDF eligible projects) or no result(s) published yet (e.g. the public part of the periodic report was not yet made available as the start date of the grant should be at least 18 months before the cut-off date of the relevant EIC Transition call), please explain and duly justify. Other accessible sources may be accepted in such exceptional cases.
Please note if you are in a situation that no result is published yet, perhaps your application might not be eligible or is too early to apply to EIC Transition. Please verify
Yes, if the proposal respects all eligibility conditions as indicated in the Work Programme (e.g. within time limits of 24 months since the end of the “linked” project), using the proposal template of the respective call (i.e. making sure that any novelty in the proposal template is incorporated
Proposals must include the confirmation that the applicants are the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) owners or holders or have the necessary rights to commercialise the results of the project on whose results the current proposal is building.
Applicants that are not the owner of the result to be further developed in the proposal must provide, in addition (as annex to be uploaded as separate file) a commitment letter from the relevant owner(s) of the result(s), which confirms the commitment of the owner of the “linked” project research result(s) to negotiate with the applicant a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access to such results, including IPR, for the purpose of future commercial exploitation.
An indicative template for this letter is provided in the Funding & Tenders Portal during the application stage.
The Seal of Excellence (SoE) will be awarded to all EIC Transition proposals that meet the evaluation thresholds on all evaluation criteria but are not funded due to lack of available budget. Previously the SoE was only available for mono-beneficiary SME proposals. In case of multi-beneficiary applications, the SoE is awarded to the coordinator, citing all other applicants. It is awarded to positively evaluated but unfunded proposals as defined in the call texts, to facilitate access to funding from other sources. SoE Awardees (coordinators and project partners, if applicable) have access to the EIC Business Acceleration Services, including the EIC Tech to Market Programme.
The EIC considers as appropriate proposals with a duration between 1 and 3 years. The minimum amount (requested EU contribution) envisaged for a project is EUR 500 000. The maximum amount for a project is EUR 2.5 million.
The duration or budget may depend on the path chosen, the sector and amount of work proposed in the application. E.g.: for mono-beneficiary proposals, the budget may be smaller than for multi-beneficiary proposals, and certain sectors may be more expensive than others or have longer lead times than others.
Proposals with a different duration and/or budget will be declared ineligible or scored down accordingly.
The EIC Work Programme allows for proposals involving a single legal entity being an academic institution or proposals composed of academic partners only, without an SME or industrial partner. However, during the evaluation the quality and motivation of the team will be assessed, notably the “necessary high-quality capabilities and high motivation to move decisively towards market” and “to what extent the applicant(s) have the necessary expertise to create a unique commercial value from the emerging technology and develop an attractive business and investment proposition”. A spin-off at some point during the project implementation or at the end of the project could therefore also be envisaged.
Otherwise, it is therefore generally encouraged that companies participate, including SMEs/start-ups, which may include companies that did not take part in the previous consortia that originated the results. Technology Transfer Offices or business schools are also encouraged to actively participate in the EIC Transition project, as they can play a key role in enabling and supporting researchers with the development and commercialisation of their research results.
Academic spin-offs could possibly be considered as Affiliated entities to the academic organisation that has created them, provided they comply with Article 187 of the Financial Regulation and Article 8 of the HE Model Grant Agreement. Affiliated entities, which can be part of a consortium, are not taken into consideration for the eligibility of the consortium’s composition. For additional details, you can also check the related FAQs on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
EIC funded projects may be allocated in at least one thematic or challenge-based portfolio of projects. 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 member-projects in achieving more efficiently and effectively their objectives, and more generally to enhance research, prepare transition to innovation and stimulate business opportunities, and strengthen the EIC Community. Such activities may include participation to conferences, workshops or meetings, data sharing, or participation to any relevant EIC Business Acceleration Services events, just to name a few.
The applicants should have sufficient preliminary business case/business model and market analysis for the application area(s) they have in mind at the proposal stage, based e.g. on desk research, collaboration with their TTOs or local accelerators & incubators or business schools, etc. As indicated in the Work Programme, applicants should have conducted preliminary market research to identify potential markets for their innovation and explored potential competitors. Essential elements of an incipient business model are to be included in the proposal (e.g. value proposition, key resources) and elements of an incipient business plan are expected to be included as well and/or at least presented at the Jury phase. Proposal should include minimum performance KPIs that should be achieved during project life.
The EIC Transition projects should advance both the technology and business aspects. The business plan and business model will be further developed and refined during the project duration, with field and user research (including e.g. further customer discovery and customer validation), as to become a credible basis for entrepreneurship, business creation and investment.
Applicants that are selected for funding are expected to start their project within 2 months after grant agreement signature. The grant agreement signature occurs normally within 6 months from the call deadline.
Applicants are advised to start their preparation (e.g. publish vacancy notices to recruit staff or call for tender to procure equipment) from the moment they have been informed of the positive outcome of the evaluation, even if the information does not constitute a legal commitment for funding the proposal. If the applicants are not able to start swiftly after the grant agreement signature, they are advised to submit their proposal in the next call (or cut-off, if applicable)
Grants funded via financial support to third parties (e.g., ERA NETs/co-funded partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities) will not be eligible as it is not possible to verify if the result was generated by 16 such projects. Also, projects that fall under the QuantERA, FLAG-ERA and ChistERA ERANETs are not eligible (anymore).
Projects with results from Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 research infrastructures as now also eligible for the EIC Transition call (provided all other eligibility criteria are complied with).
Research and Innovation Action projects funded under H2020 Societal Challenge and Leadership in Industrial Technologies and/or under Horizon Europe Pillar II, with a correct TRL, are eligible, provided all other eligibility requirements are met. For more details consult the EIC Work Programme 2026 and other relevant FAQs here.
From the process point of view both options are possible, considering the eligibility conditions. For example, a spin-off can be an additional affiliated entity for a mono-beneficiary project, provided the conditions are met as per Article 187 of the Financial Regulation and Article 8 of the HE Model Grant Agreement. Affiliated entities are not taken into consideration for the eligibility of the consortium composition. For additional details, you can also check the related FAQs on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
It is important to choose the option that makes most sense taking into account timing, market, team, readiness issues, etc. If done during project implementation, the normal grant agreement amendment procedures are to be followed as long as the changes do not call into question the award decision. A transfer of relevant tasks, roles and related budget can be envisaged in such cases as part of the request.
Your proposal should build mainly but not necessarily exclusively on the results of the previous project(s). Activities not linked to previous funded work of the eligible project for further maturation and validation could be included in the proposal provided it is essential and needed for the further development of your innovation (the same logic applies if activities would be included from (an)other additional eligible project(s)). The EIC Work Programme 2026 indicates that your proposed activities must include further technology development on the results achieved in a previous project. The proposal template asks to describe the relation between the research result of the previous project and the innovation within your proposal and whether the result from the previous project is the main component of your proposal and how it contributes to the innovation in this proposal.
In principle this is possible in well justified cases, provided all eligibility conditions are met (e.g. end date of the eligible project), except for an eligible originating ERC Proof of Concept and FET Innovation Launchpad project, for which only one proposal in the same call is allowed (see work Programme text).
In any case, such proposals are to be different and distinctive from each other, building on the same or (a) different result(s) from the eligible originating project. For example, when the technology developed can be used for different innovations in different markets with other requirements. Also, operational capacity is to be taken into account.
A reference of the other proposal or already funded project is to be provided as part of the proposal (see proposal template).