EIC Pathfinder Challenges

European Innovation Council·European Union

Grants of up to EUR 4 million against pre-defined EIC Challenge topics; unlike Pathfinder Open, single applicants are permitted.

What you get

up to €4,000,000Cash

“Grants of up to EUR 4 million or more if duly justified. Booster grants up to EUR 50,000.”

Equity takenNone, non-dilutive

Can you apply

VC backingnot stated

Referral or partnerNot required

Registered companyRequired

IndividualsNot eligible

Open sourcenot stated

CountriesAustria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Before you applyProposals are submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders portal against a pre-defined Challenge topic published in the EIC Work Programme 2026.

Eligible countries: EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. Single applicants are permitted for Pathfinder Challenges only; otherwise consortia of at least three different independent legal entities apply.

When

Not open yet. The next round is listed below.

Upcoming

EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026closes 28 Oct 2026 · 90 days left

What European Innovation Council funds

The European Innovation Council is Horizon Europe's deep tech arm, funding everything from early-stage research consortia (Pathfinder) through proof-of-concept maturation (Transition) to grant-plus-equity scale-up finance for single startups and SMEs (Accelerator). Open to any field of technology, including AI and software.

Everything European Innovation Council funds →

Details

Pathfinder Challenges fund research on pre-defined topics set out in the EIC Work Programme. Awardees can additionally access Booster grants of up to EUR 50,000. The overall 2026 budget for Pathfinder Challenges is EUR 96 million.

Apply on European Innovation Council