EIC Transition

EIC Transition is a Research and Innovation Action that funds the maturation of promising EU‑funded research results from lab‑scale proof of concept (completed TRL 3–4) towards TRL 5–6 and market‑ready business models.​

Opportunity overview

EIC Transition supports projects that build on results from specific eligible EU‑funded projects (e.g. EIC Pathfinder, FET, ERC Proof of Concept, Horizon 2020/Europe RIA, EDF, certain Research Infrastructures) and develop them into validated technologies and business cases with clear commercial pathways. It is aimed at teams that have identified a high‑potential result from an eligible project, done preliminary market exploration, and are ready to combine technology validation (prototyping, user testing, demonstration) with business development (market research, value proposition, IP, regulatory path).​

Projects must:​

• Start from results that have completed all elements of TRL 3 and are not beyond TRL 4.
• Advance the technology to TRL 5–6, demonstrating effectiveness in relevant application environments.
• Develop and validate a business model and business plan (market analysis, competition, revenue model, cost structure, channels).
• Address IP protection, regulation, certification and standardisation where relevant, to make both the technology and the venture investment‑ready.

Typical pathways include:​

• Collaborative projects to push strategic technologies towards specific applications while improving market readiness.
• Individual SMEs/start‑ups/spin‑offs licensing or owning eligible results and targeting a defined market.
• Entrepreneurial research teams in universities or RTOs preparing a spin‑off, often with support from TTOs or business schools.

At the end of an EIC Transition project, teams are expected to have:​

• A demonstrated technology ready for real‑world piloting in a defined application.
• A validated, sustainable business model and plan and adequately protected IP.
• A clear route to next steps, such as EIC Accelerator (TRL ≥6), further investment, licensing, or spin‑out creation.

Funding and support

• Instrument: Research and Innovation Action (RIA), 100% funding rate of eligible costs.​
• Budget: Total indicative call budget EUR 100 million.​
• EU contribution per project: Typically > EUR 0.5 million and < EUR 2.5 million, with 1–3 years duration considered appropriate.​
• Cost model: Lump sum; applicants propose a lump sum based on realistic project costs, fixed during evaluation under Horizon Europe lump‑sum rules.​

Additional benefits include eligibility for:​

• Booster grants (up to EUR 50 000) for complementary commercialisation or portfolio activities.
• Fast Track to EIC Accelerator for SMEs/start‑ups/spin‑offs.
• Tailor‑made Business Acceleration Services (Tech2Market, coaching, matchmaking), with coaching generally mandatory unless strongly justified.

Who can apply

Proposals must be based on results from one or more eligible EU projects, including:​

• EIC Pathfinder (Horizon 2020/Europe, including FET‑Open, FET‑Proactive, CSA/FET Innovation Launchpad, FET Flagships).
• ERC Proof of Concept (Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe).
• Research and Innovation Actions under Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges, Leadership in Industrial Technologies (including cross‑cutting actions), Horizon Europe Pillar II, and Horizon 2020/Europe Research Infrastructures.
• European Defence Fund (EDF) research projects (including PADR) only for civil or dual‑use applications.

Timing conditions:​

• If the base grant is ongoing: start date must be >18 months before the relevant cut‑off (or >6 months for ERC PoC).
• If the base grant is completed: application must be within 24 months of its end date.

Applicants do not need to have been part of the original project, but must secure rights to use its results:​

• If the applicant was part of the original project, they must confirm they own/hold the IPR and have rights to commercialise for the project’s duration.
• If not, the application must include a commitment letter from the result owner confirming willingness to negotiate fair, reasonable and non‑discriminatory (FRAND) access, including IPR, for the full duration of the Transition project.
• Proposals must clearly reference the grant number, acronym and reporting source (e.g. Horizon Results Platform, Innovation Radar, CORDIS).

Eligible countries and project formats

EIC Transition Open is field‑agnostic and open to any technology or application, provided it meets the above result‑eligibility and TRL requirements.​

Applicants can be:​

• Single legal entity (mono‑beneficiary):
  • A start‑up, SME, or research‑performing organisation (university, research or technology organisation, including teams/Principal Investigators intending to form a spin‑off).
  • Must be established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
  • Large companies are not eligible as mono‑beneficiaries.
• Small consortium of 2 entities:
  • Two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
• Consortium of 3–5 entities (multi‑beneficiary):
  • At least three independent legal entities, each in a different eligible country.
  • Must include at least one entity in an EU Member State and at least two others in different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
  • Consortia of more than five eligible independent entities are ineligible.

Eligible entities include start‑ups, SMEs, larger companies (in consortia), universities, research organisations, technology transfer offices, user organisations (e.g. hospitals, utilities, regulators, standardisation bodies) and other innovation actors. Applications involving 5G/post‑5G and related communication network technologies may face specific restrictions to protect European communication networks.​

Pathways and next steps

Applicants must specify their intended path to market, such as:​

• Direct exploitation by the coordinator/beneficiary.
• Creation of a spin‑off company in an EU Member State or Associated Country.
• Licensing to an established company outside the consortium.
• Other clearly described routes (e.g. joint ventures, partnerships).

Throughout the project, teams must define milestones and KPIs to track progress on both technology and market readiness in parallel, with iterative learning from early user/customer feedback. Successful projects are expected to emerge ready for EIC Accelerator, private investment, licensing deals, or other deployment mechanisms to bring the innovation to market.

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