The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 40 projects following the 2024 EIC Transition call, the most popular so far in terms of numbers of submissions. Significant proportion of those projects originates from the European Research Council Proof of Concept projects (19). It is also the first time when actions stemming from Horizon Europe pillar 2 and Horizon 2020 societal challenges and Leadership in Industrial Technologies could apple for the scheme. Each of these successful proposals, selected among 390 eligible submissions, will receive a grant of up to €2.5 million upon signing a grant agreement, as funding is dependent upon this signature. The selected participants come from 21 EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries. This funding stream, which has no predefined thematic restrictions, welcomes proposals from all fields of science, technology, and application.
Some examples include:
- HeartWise
The HeartWise initiative aims to revolutionise right ventricular (RV) support with a dedicated device tailored to disease and eliminating the need for external power sources or control units. The project integrates two Proof of Concept technologies: circulation support devices that operate without external power and patient-specific customised cardiovascular surgical planning. HeartWise aims to advance a revolutionary, fully implantable mechanical circulatory support (MCS) prototype, similar to an artificial mechanical heart, for practical clinical implementation.
- FOREVER-WATER
To date, more than 150,000 sites have been identified across Europe and US as contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals due to their extreme persistency in our environment and bodies. Exposure to PFAS is associated with multiple health risks, such as thyroid disease, infertility, cancer, and immunotoxicity.
The project is developing a sustainable, chemical-free treatment system. Using innovative graphene-enabled electrochemical technology, validated in real-world conditions, from groundwater to industrial wastewater, the project targets efficient PFAS destruction.
- UPSPRING
This project seeks to revolutionise microelectronics by drastically reducing energy consumption in chips by up to 1,000 times. The development of the new FerroElectric Spin-Orbit (FESO) device targets both performance enhancement and alignment with EU environmental sustainability goals. UPSPRING contributes to the EU’s ambition of attaining a 20% share in the global semiconductor market, thus bolstering European digital sovereignty.
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 build 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 cut-off date for EIC Transition applications is 17 September 2025.
More information
Details
- Publication date
- 22 January 2025
- Author
- European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency