What is the EIC Pathfinder?
The EIC Pathfinder supports the exploration of bold ideas for radically new technologies. International research teams can apply for up to 4 million euros in grant funding to pursue high-risk/high gain technological breakthroughs.
Aimed at interdisciplinary cutting edge science collaborations, most of the funding is awarded through open calls, with no thematic priorities. However, there is a portion of funding set aside for six predefined challenges:
- Carbon dioxide & nitrogen management and valorisation,
- mid-long term, systems-integrated energy storage,
- cardiogenomics,
- healthcare continuum technologies,
- DNA-based digital data storage,
- alternative quantum information processing, communication, and sensing.
Fund factsheet
€350 million in total funding, split between open calls and challenges
Research teams can apply for up to €3 or €4 million in grants
Open calls are multi-beneficiary (consortia of 3 or more)
Product that is high-risk/high reward
OPENS: Pathfinder Open (1 March), Pathfinder Challenges (15 June)
Connect with European grant writing specialists for support with your Pathfinder application
Who is eligible?
Applicants participating in EIC Pathfinder projects are typically visionary scientists, entrepreneurial researchers,research organisations, start-ups, high-tech SMEs and industrial stakeholders interested in technological research and innovation.
Projects typically involve consortia of researchers and other partners from at least three different countries, but there are also opportunities for individual teams and small consortia (two partners).
Mono-beneficiary: The legal entities may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, natural persons. In the case of mono-beneficiary projects, mid-caps and larger companies will not be permitted.
Multi-beneficiary:
- Two entities: Consortia of two must have independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries.
- Three entities or more: Consortia of three or above follow standard rules: at least one legal entity must be from a Member State and independent legal entities from three different Member States or Associated Countries.
Is Pathfinder right for my project?
The EIC Pathfinder open calls set out to support projects that are inherently high risk and high reward. If you’re project sets out ideas and questions that nobody knows the answer to yet, then a compelling case can be made for Pathfinder funding. However, if the technology you wish to develop is incremental by nature or already known, Pathfinder open is unlikely to support your project.
EIC Grant Writing and Support
Working with our network of European grant writing experts, we’ve been helping UK based businesses secure EIC Grant funding since it’s inception. In fact, we’ve been working on EIC accelerator projects since they were called SME Instruments.
Our comprehensive, bespoke solution ensures that your funding application has all the criteria it needs for success.
For Pathfinder grants, this often means working with multiple stakeholders to produce a successful outcome. Your project will be assessed for it’s excellence, novelty, plausibility and potential impact.
This is how we work with your organisation:
- We connect you with an experienced European grant writers
- Our grant experts evaluate your funding needs to provide strategic input
- Experienced EU grant assessors give feedback before we submit
Get in touch to set up an initial video call
With you for every stage of your funding journey
Bringing a new and potentially disruptive product or service to market is no mean feat. We understand that every innovation journey is different and strive to tailor our approach to your specific needs.
At the start of your grant funding journey, we work with you to define your project and identify the most successful route to funding. Working with our global network of partners, we can recommend the perfect team to take your project forward.
If you’re at a stage where your project team and scope is established, we can provide world-class grant writing support, challenging your assumptions to create rigorous, high quality applications. This is then reviewed by our specialist grant assessors, who can provide further feedback and further improve the chances of a successful submission.
Creative input and support
From graphic design to video production, modern grant applications can require a level of creative talent that is simply not available in-house.
Where required, we work with a dedicated creative studio who can help bring applications to life. Whether it’s producing slick 3D visualisations of products or creating web assets and sites, we can recommend where and when to inject some creative park into your applications.
Reviewing past applications
We also partner with enterprises who have been through a previously failed application process. Taking over an established project can provide a great starting point for one of our grant writers to firm up criteria for a successful second attempt.
