What is the EIC Transition ?
The EIC Transition is a funding programme under Horizon Europe targeting innovation activities that goes beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory. It supports both the maturation and validation of novel technologies from the lab to the relevant application environments.
The EIC Transition offers support to SMEs, start-ups and organisations that:
- have identified EU-funded project result(s) with promising commercial potential that could be the basis for innovation and promising new businesses
- envision novel promising technology that is ready for the next steps towards its maturation and validation, to be further developed and validated for some specific, high potential, commercial applications
- have conducted a preliminary market research to identify potential markets for their innovation and explored potential competitors
- envisage building a motivated and entrepreneurial team with a mix of skills, including researchers, business people, marketers etc. to develop and drive the idea towards commercial success
- Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment (starting at TRL 3/ 4 aiming to achieve TRL 5/ 6) and develop business and market readiness.
- Booster grants of a fixed amount not exceeding EUR 50 000 to undertake complementary activities to explore potential pathways to commercialisation or for portfolio activities
Access to a range of tailor-made Business Acceleration Services (BAS) for beneficiaries:
- Access to global partners
- Access to coaches, mentors, expertise and training
- Access to innovation ecosystem and peers
The EIC Transition Open has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field of science, technology or application.
The overall budget for the EIC Transition Open in 2024 is EUR 94 million.
EIC Transition selection process comprises 3 steps. Each step passed successfully give access to the next step:
- Writing your proposal
- Evaluation by an EIC Jury
- Face to face interview with the EIC Jury
The European Innovation Council work programme 2024 opens funding opportunities worth over €1.2 billion for strategic technologies and scaling up companies. The majority is dedicated to SMEs and start-ups to develop and scale up “deep tech” innovations in critical fields such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), space, critical raw materials, semiconductors and quantum technologies.
Who can apply?
- Single legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country (‘mono-beneficiary’) if you are a start-up, SME or research performing organisation (university, research or technology organisation, including teams, individual Principal Investigators and inventors in such institutions who intend to form a spin-off company). Larger companies (i.e. which do not qualify as SMEs) are not eligible to apply as a single legal entity
- Small consortia of two independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries
- Consortia of minimum three and maximum five independent legal entities (‘multi-beneficiary’) following standard rules i.e. must include at least one legal entity established in a Member State and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries
Your proposal must build on results already achieved within an eligible project that are, at least, at experimental proof of concept (TRL 3) or, ideally, technology validated in the lab level (TRL 4). Proposals building on project results at TRLs other than TRL3 or TRL4 are not eligible.
The following list contains the research projects whose results are eligible for funding for further development and business exploration activities under the EIC Transition Open 2024 call.
Proposals originating from research projects funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF), though not all listed in this file, are also eligible with focus on civil applications (including dual use) in addition to the other eligibility criteria.
This list does not constitute proof of eligibility and is provided as indication only.
Applicants, in case of doubt, are invited to contact the NCP network.
Eligibility will be verified during the evaluation after the cutoff date on the base of the EIC Work Programme 2024 text.
How to apply for the EIC Transition?
The application process consists of 3 steps:
- Step 1Write your proposal
Submit your proposal via the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal before the given deadline.
Sections 1 to 3 and the cover page (that includes the information about the related project on which the current EIC Transition proposal is built on) of part B of your proposal must consist of a maximum of 22 format A4 pages.
- Step 2Evaluation by an EIC Jury
Your proposal will be evaluated first by EIC expert evaluators. You will be informed about the result of this evaluation, including feedback on your proposal, indicatively within 9 weeks after the deadline. If your proposal successfully passes this first evaluation phase (see details below), you will be invited for an interview, which will be organised approximately between 12-14 weeks after the deadline.
- Step 3Interview
At the interview, you will be assessed by a panel of maximum 6 EIC Jury Members. You will be informed about the result of the interview indicatively within 4 weeks from the start of the interviews.
Deadline for submitting your proposal: 18 September 2024 at 17.00 Brussels time (CET).
Applications that meet all the criteria at the remote evaluation stage and assessed positively by the EIC jury but are not recommended for funding will be awarded a Seal of Excellence to help them secure funding from other sources.
Do you need help ?
The network of National Contact Points (NCPs) is the main structure providing guidance, practical information, and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe.
Find answers to questions frequently asked by applicants about types of funding, eligibility, submission of proposals, and more.
All EIC supported projects and companies get access to coaching, mentoring, partnering and other EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS).
Direct submissions
The Fast Track scheme allows specific treatment of proposals that result from existing Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 projects. Such projects can submit projects directly to the full application stage of the EIC Accelerator subject to a review of the ongoing project.
The Plug-In scheme is equivalent to the Fast Track, except that it applies to proposals that result from existing national or regional programmes. So far, 50 programmes have been certified for the scheme.
News
Find out about all achievements and great successes of the EIC Summit 2024
The report focuses on the Horizon Europe portfolio of approximately 500 start-ups, 275 advanced research projects, and 140 projects commercialising research results funded in 2021-2023, along with the longer-term impacts of projects/companies supported during the EIC pilot phase and its predecessor.
A new set of 27 projects have been selected to receive EIC funding following the final 2023 EIC Transition cut-off in September.
The European Council Board publishes the Code of Conduct [link] for consultants offering services to organisations applying to EIC calls.
Watch the video of Michiel Scheffer, the EIC Board President, summarising EIC's collaboration with the European Patent Office.
The EIC Tech Report 2023 highlights novel technologies and innovations submitted to the EIC under Horizon Europe.