Programme: Horizon Europe
Priority: Innovative Europe
Objective: European Innovation Council
Budget: 142 M€
Opening Date: 20/02/2025
Deadline: 21/05/2025
Call Documents: Call HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDEROPEN
Link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDEROPEN
Main objective of the European Innovation Council is to identify and support the implementation of breakthrough technologies and disruptive innovations with a high potential for impact and to scale up internationally, thus helping to keep the European technology leadership, to achieve the green and digital transition and to ensure future open strategic autonomy in critical technologies.
EIC Pathfinder Open supports the implementation of ambitious ideas regarding radically new technologies, with a potential to create new markets and/or to address global challenges. It provides the scientific basis and supports the early stage development of such future technologies [i.e. various activities at low level of technological preparation – TRL 1-4] based on high-risk/high-gain research.
The proposals must include the following aspects [Gatekeepers]:
– convincing long-term vision of a radically new technology that has the potential to have a transformative positive effect to our economy, environment and society;
– concrete, novel and ambitious science-towards-technology breakthrough, providing advancement towards the envisioned technology;
– high-risk/high-gain research approach and methodology, with concrete and plausible objectives.
The expected output is a scientific and technological proof of feasibility of the realisation of the proposed technology [proof of principle].
Project results should include top-level scientific publications in open access.
In order to allow future impact to the project, a formal protection of the generated Intellectual Property, a plan for future exploitation and an assessment of relevant aspects related to regulation, certification and standardisation, should be provided.
The approach is bottom-up, i.e. it supports research projects in any field of scientific, technological and application research, also multisectoral and interdisciplinary, without predefined thematic priorities. Moreover, the participation of excellent early-career researchers, high-tech SMEs and/or start-ups is encouraged.
The action is a Research and Innovation Action [RIA], that is a funding scheme with the aim of establishing new knowledge or exploring the feasibility of new technologies, products, processes or services.
To participate in the call it is required the constitution of a consortium composed of at least three legal entities [i.e. universities, research organisations, SMEs], independent from each other, each one established in a different Member State or Associated Country, with at least one of them established in a Member State.
The total budget made available by the Commission amounts to 142 M€, with a maximum funding per project of 3 M€.
The EC contribution corresponds to 100% of the eligible costs directly linked to the project activities, on which a 25% share is recognised to cover indirect costs [excluding direct costs incurred for subcontracting].
Proposals will be evaluated by international experts according to the criteria of excellence, impact, quality and efficiency of the implementation.