The current European Innovation Council (EIC) has been established under the Horizon Europe programme. It is one of the flagship innovation programmes that helps identify, develop and scale up groundbreaking technologies and game changing innovations. It has a budget of € 10.1 billion to support innovations throughout the entire lifecycle: from early stage research, to proof of concept, technology transfer and the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs.

EIC grants in 2026

The work programme for the EIC 2026 has been adopted by the European Commission. The programme consists of the following funding instruments in 2026:

EIC Pathfinder

The EIC Pathfinder supports research teams in researching or developing emerging breakthrough technologies or innovations. Multi-disciplinary teams can apply for funding up to € 4 million for tackling visionary research that could lead to groundbreaking technology. In 2026, the EIC Pathfinder has € 262 million available. Read more about EIC Pathfinder.

EIC Transition

Innovators can get support in maturing a novel technology and develop a business case to bring it to market. EIC Transition supports follow-ups from previous EIC Pathfinder or Horizon projects and provides funding up to € 2.5 million per project. There’s a total budget of € 100 million available for EIC Transition in 2026. Read more about EIC Transition.

EIC Accelerator

The EIC Accelerator supports startups and SMEs with the potential to disrupt markets. This funding opportunity for companies can be used to stimulate, scale up and roll out marketable innovations. Additionally, it financially covers the timeframe before returns can be generated. EIC Accelerator provides grant funding up to € 2.5 million and investments up to € 10 million per project. There’s a total budget of € 634 million available for the EIC Accelerator in 2026. Read more about EIC Accelerator.

EIC Pre-Accelerator

In 2026, the EIC, together with the WIDERA programme, introduced a new EIC Pre-Accelerator. Participants from the Widening countries are eligible and gain access to EIC funding, high-level mentoring, practical training sessions, and exclusive networking opportuntities with investors and corporate partners. It also serves as preparation for follow-on funding, such as the EIC Accelerator. This initiative contributes to a more balanced and competitive EU. Read more about the EIC Pre-Accelerator.

EIC STEP

EIC STEP is a scheme through which large investments are made in companies bringing strategic technologies into the EU market. By realising investments from the EIC fund, other private co-investments are stimulated, increasing the total investment amount. The scheme addresses the market gap in deep tech scale-up funding within Europe. In 2026, a budget of €300 million is available for EIC STEP.

Additional EIC opportunities

EIC Business Acceleration Services

The EIC offers services through its platform, the EIC Fund or partner organisations to EIC supported researchers, innovators or entrepreneurs. The support is structured around three main pillars:

• Access to coaches, mentors, expertise and training;
• Access to global partners (leading corporates, investors, procurers, distributors, clients);
• Access to innovation ecosystem and peers.

Read more about the Business Acceleration Services.

European Innovation Ecosystems

The EU aims to create a more connected and efficient innovation ecosystem to encourage innovation, support the scaling of companies and stimulate cooperation among national, regional and local innovation actors. Read more about European Innovation Ecosystems.

Origins

The programme was originally piloted in 2018. It incorporated existing instruments, in particular the SME Instrument and the Future & Emerging Technology (FET) programme, under the Horizon 2020 programme. These schemes were brought together to provide direct support to innovators throughout Europe.

Get in touch!

Learn more about the EIC funding instruments (Pathfinder, Transition or Accelerator) or any of the other opportunities EIC has to offer. Our specialists have extensive experience in supporting  companies with acquiring European grants and funding. They are able to support you throughout every phase of the grant acquisition process: identification of grant opportunities, feasibility check, application writing and reviewing, and project management.

Contact us via 088 495 20 00 or info@hezelburcht.com for an introductory meeting.