EIC Transition

Key Features

The EIC Transition is a funding programme under Horizon Europe targeting innovation activities that goes beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory.

Programme:     European Innovation Council

Award:     Share of up to EUR 98 million.

Opens: 14th Mar 2025

Closes: 17th Sep 2025

Overview

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

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.

EIC Transition is restricted to proposals based on results generated by the following eligible projects:

  • EIC Pathfinder projects (including projects funded under the Horizon 2020 EIC pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open, FET-Proactive, CSA and CSA Lump sum FET Innovation Launchpad.)
  • European Research Council Proof of Concept projects funded Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe.
  • 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).

How to apply for the EIC Transition?

The application process consists of 3 steps:

Step 1: Write 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 2: Evaluation by an EIC Jury

Your proposal will be evaluated first by EIC expert evaluators. 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 3: Interview

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.

Timeline for submissions and evaluation in 2024:

  • 17/09 at 17:00 CET – Deadline for submissions
  • mid-October-mid-November – Evaluation
  • 2-6 December – Interviews
All applicants (including those unsuccessful in step 1) will be informed about the result of the evaluation in the course of January 2025. Proposals invited for grant preparations are expected to start the projects in April May 2025. 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.

Grant Funding

  • 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

EIC Transition Open

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 2025 is EUR 98 million.

Streamlined application process

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

Extensive support

Early stage business support services 

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

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.