EIC Pre-Accelerator supports 70 early-stage deep tech companies from countries with lower innovation performance

The European Commission has selected 70 companies under the EIC Pre-Accelerator call, aimed at strengthening the capacity of early-stage deep tech companies in Horizon Europe  widening and associated countries and outermost regions.

In total, the selected companies will receive around €32.5 million in EU funding, with up to €500,000 awarded per company. They represent 22 countries, with Portugal, Estonia and Turkey recording the highest number of successful proposals. Notably, 24% of the selected projects are coordinated by women.

Examples of selected companies:

• Biotts (Poland) - developing multifunctional transdermal carrier technology for non-invasive transdermal delivery of insulin
• ENMOS (Turkey) - developing smart optical sensor for water and energy efficiency
• Frenesim das Ondas (Portugal) - developing breakthrough technology for wave energy commercialisation
• Myceen (Estonia) - scaling carbon-negative mycelium insulation through fully automated AI-controlled bio-manufacturing
• Skylabs (Slovenia) - Fault-tolerant, low-power microcontroller for smart sensing and control in space

In addition, 320 high-quality applications that could not be funded due to budget constraints will be awarded Seals of Excellence, helping them access alternative or complementary EU and national funding sources.

Next steps
All selected companies have been informed of the results and are now preparing their grant agreements. Funding will be confirmed upon the signature of these agreements.

About the EIC Pre-Accelerator 

The EIC Pre-Accelerator aims to boost the capacity of SMEs and start-ups to successfully apply for EIC Accelerator funding, attract private investment, and access national or regional support schemes, including Seal of Excellence programmes. The programme is designed to unlock the innovation potential of early-stage deep-tech companies in widening countries. 

The 2025 call offers: 

• Up to €500 000 in funding per company
• Intensive support to strengthen business, investor, and technology readiness
• Tailored guidance to help start-ups secure follow-on funding 

The call is a joint initiative between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA) programme and is funded under the WIDERA Work Programme 2025. 

The next EIC Pre-Accelerator call is planned in the WIDERA work programme 2026-2027 for next year with €40 million budget. Funding per company will be raised to €1 million and the companies will be invited to apply by November 2027.