The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 40 projects following the 2025 EIC Transition call. Each of these successful proposals, selected among 611 submissions, will receive a grant of up to €2.5 million upon signing a grant agreement. 130 of those submissions originate from the European Research Council Proof of Concept projects. The EIC supports selected projects to validate and demonstrate their technologies and to develop a business plan so they can get ready to go to the market. The selected participants come from 17 EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries. The EIC Transition, which has no predefined thematic restrictions, welcomes proposals from all fields of science, technology, and application.
In addition, for the first time, 228 Seals of Excellence have been attributed to the proposals that were excellent but could not receive funding due to lack of budget. These projects are judged to deserve funding and are recommended to receive support from other EU or national/regional sources.
Some examples of selected projects include:
BELFORT ASIC
Belfort has developed a groundbreaking technology that dramatically speeds up secure data processing. This innovation addresses a key digital security issue: currently, sensitive data must be decrypted for processing, exposing it to risks. Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) allows computation on encrypted data without revealing the actual information, crucial for sectors like finance, healthcare, and government.
Previously, FHE was too slow and costly for widespread use, but Belfort's new hardware accelerator changes that. It speeds up encrypted data processing by up to 2000 times compared to general purpose processors and easily integrates with existing FHE software.
OFFSPRING
Millions of couples face emotional and financial challenges due to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) failures, primarily caused by most retrieved eggs not developing into viable embryos. This is a significant issue for both patients and clinics. Traditional methods focus on selecting the "best" embryos without addressing the core problem. OFFSPRING introduces a pioneering approach to improve IVF success rates by enhancing the development of each fertilised egg. By catering to the specific metabolic needs of eggs, OFFSPRING aims to produce a larger number of high-quality embryos, increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy.
EASY
The EASY project is revolutionising ammonia production by advancing the Atmonia process from lab concept to practical application. Unlike the traditional, carbon-heavy Haber-Bosch method, EASY uses a sustainable approach to create ammonia from air and water, effectively harnessing renewable energy without the need for high pressure or temperature. This new method sets a standard for safe and decentralised ammonia production, tailored for intermittent energy sources. By the project's end, EASY aims to deliver an operating prototype ready for scaleup and demonstrated on farm, a market confirmed business-plan and a clear permit pathway for fertilizer and e-Fuel.
Background information
EIC Transition projects focus on results generated by:
- EIC Pathfinder,
- FET (Future and Emerging Technologies – as the predecessor of EIC Pathfinder),
- European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept projects,
- Research and Innovation Actions funded under Horizon 2020 Societal challenges and Leadership in Industrial Technologies and under Horizon Europe pillar II, with an eligible TRL
- European Defence Fund (EDF), including the Preparatory Action on Defence Research, research projects, but only for proposals which are focused on civil applications (including dual use).
The funding is devoted to maturing the technologies and building a business case for specific applications. Grants of up to €2.5 million are available to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment and develop market readiness.
The selected projects will have access to EIC Business Acceleration Services including coaching, mentoring, and partnering events. Projects are also eligible for the fast-track scheme to access the EIC Accelerator for supporting the commercialisation and scale up phases.
Looking ahead, the next deadline for EIC Transition applications is 16 September 2026.
More information
Details
- Publication date
- 9 February 2026
- Author
- European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency