EIC Pathfinder Open 2026

EIC Pathfinder Open is a Horizon Europe call under the European Innovation Council (EIC) that funds early‑stage, science‑towards‑technology research aimed at radically new future technologies capable of creating new markets, addressing major societal needs and tackling global challenges. The call is designed for interdisciplinary consortia with ambitious long‑term technology visions, where achieving a proof of principle requires tackling fundamental scientific unknowns and accepting high levels of technical and scientific risk.​

The scheme specifically targets projects at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 1–4), supporting activities such as exploratory research, concept validation, modelling, lab‑scale experiments and first integrated proof‑of‑principle demonstrations. Proposals must meet three essential “gatekeeper” characteristics:​

• A convincing long‑term vision for a radically new technology with transformative potential for the economy and society.
• A concrete, novel and ambitious science‑towards‑technology breakthrough that clearly advances the state of the art toward that envisioned technology.
• A high‑risk/high‑gain research approach and methodology, with plausible but challenging objectives and appropriate risk‑mitigation and alternative pathways.

Typical Pathfinder Open projects are highly interdisciplinary, bringing together complementary expertise from distant fields (e.g. physics, engineering, life sciences, ICT, social sciences) to spark genuinely new ideas and open new research and innovation trajectories. The expected scientific outputs include top‑tier open‑access publications and a validated proof of principle showing that the main ideas behind the envisioned technology are feasible. While full commercial or societal impact is not expected within the project duration, teams must actively prepare for future uptake through:​

• Appropriate IP protection and management (e.g. patents, copyright, industrial designs).
• A plan for exploitation and further development, including follow‑on funding routes (e.g. EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator).
• Early consideration of regulation, certification and standardisation requirements for future deployment.

The programme encourages the inclusion and empowerment of early‑career researchers, high‑tech SMEs/start‑ups, and female researchers, and promotes gender balance among work package leaders to strengthen Europe’s deep‑tech talent pipeline.​

Successful Pathfinder Open projects gain access not only to grants but also to the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services, networking with EIC Programme Managers and the possibility to access Booster Grants (up to EUR 50 000), apply for EIC Transition, and use Fast Track to EIC Accelerator for innovation‑driven SMEs.​

Countries eligible to apply

EIC Pathfinder Open is a collaborative Horizon Europe action open to consortia that meet the standard Horizon Europe country rules.​

A proposal must be submitted by a consortium of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different eligible country, as follows:​

• At least one legal entity established in an EU Member State, and
• At least two other independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country.

Eligible participants include (but are not limited to) universities, research organisations, SMEs, start‑ups, industrial partners and natural persons established in:​

• EU Member States (all 27) – always eligible.
• Associated Countries to Horizon Europe – non‑EU countries that have an association agreement in place (e.g. Norway, Iceland, some Western Balkans, etc., as listed in the official Horizon Europe associated countries list).

Entities from other third countries may participate under specific conditions defined in Horizon Europe rules (e.g. as additional partners without funding, or with funding where explicitly allowed), but they do not count towards the minimum consortium composition unless they are from an Associated Country.​

Proposals involving nuclear energy applications (within Annex I to the Euratom Treaty) are not eligible under this call and must be submitted to the Euratom Research and Training Programme instead. Likewise, projects that concern the evolution of European communication networks (5G, post‑5G and related technologies) may face specific restrictions for security reasons, as detailed in Annex II of the work programme.​

Funding amount, rate and key dates

The total indicative budget for the 2026 EIC Pathfinder Open call is EUR 166 million.​

Key funding parameters:​

• Type of grant: Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon Europe.
• Funding rate: 100% of eligible costs.
• Grant form: Lump sum – applicants propose a lump‑sum amount based on their estimated costs; the final amount is fixed during evaluation following the EU’s lump‑sum rules.
• Typical EU contribution per project: The EIC considers proposals with a requested contribution of up to EUR 4 million as appropriate, although larger amounts may be requested if duly justified.

Key timeline:​

• Call opening date (indicative): 5 February 2026.
• Call deadline: 12 May 2026, 17:00 (Brussels local time) – proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before this deadline.
• Maximum length of technical Part B (sections 1–3): 22 A4 pages (Excellence, Impact, and Implementation).
• Indicative time to inform applicants of outcome: Within 5 months of the call deadline.
• Indicative time to sign grant agreements: Within 8 months of the call deadline.

Pathfinder grantees may later apply for: Booster Grants (up to EUR 50 000), EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator Fast Track, and may host fellows under the Next Generation Innovation Talents scheme, with their personnel costs eligible under the Pathfinder grant.​

Who can apply and proposal requirements

Who can apply:​

• Consortia composed of at least three independent organisations from three different eligible countries (as described above).
• Legal entities can be:
  • Universities and public research organisations.
  • Start‑ups, SMEs and larger companies.
  • Non‑profit organisations and other R&I actors.
  • Natural persons, where allowed by national rules and Horizon Europe conditions.

What your proposal must demonstrate:​

1. Excellence – Long‑term vision & breakthrough
   • A convincing vision of a radically new technology, clearly beyond incremental improvement, with potential transformative positive effects for the economy, environment and society.
   • A strong science‑towards‑technology breakthrough that is concrete, novel and ambitious compared to the state of the art.
   • Clear, plausible objectives to reach proof of principle, supported by a sound, high‑risk/high‑gain methodology, including alternative approaches, assumptions, risk assessment and, where relevant, proper integration of gender dimension in the research content and open science practices.
2. Impact – Future innovation and exploitation potential
   • Significant potential for long‑term impact, such as new markets, disruptive innovations, improved quality of life or solutions to global challenges.
   • Credible IPR and exploitation strategy, including how results will be protected, how key actors (e.g. SMEs, start‑ups, early‑career researchers) will be empowered to drive future innovation, and how regulation/standardisation will be addressed.
   • Thought‑through communication, dissemination and awareness‑raising measures to maximise uptake of the project’s scientific and technological outcomes.
3. Quality and efficiency of implementation
   • A coherent work plan with well‑structured work packages, tasks, deliverables, milestones, timeline and risk‑mitigation measures.
   • Appropriate allocation of resources (person‑months, equipment, subcontracting, etc.) aligned with objectives and activities.
   • A high‑quality consortium with all necessary expertise and capacity, and attention to gender balance among work package leaders.

Proposals are scored against three criteria Excellence (weight 50%, threshold 4/5), Impact (weight 30%, threshold 3.5/5), and Quality & efficiency of implementation (weight 20%, threshold 3/5) with each criterion scored from 1 to 5. Proposals that do not pass the individual thresholds are rejected; those that pass are ranked within the available budget, with ties broken by: Excellence score, then Impact score, gender balance among WP leaders, number of SMEs, number of Member States/Associated Countries, and any additional call‑specific factors.

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