EIC Pathfinder

The EIC Pathfinder is a flagship early-stage research funding programme under the European Innovation Council (EIC) within the Horizon Europe framework. It supports high-risk, high-gain research that develops the scientific and technological foundations for breakthrough deep-tech innovations with the potential to create new markets or address major societal challenges.

Pathfinder funds ambitious projects that go beyond incremental improvements and instead pursue novel science-towards-technology breakthroughs at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1–4. Projects are expected to have a long-term vision for radically new technologies and demonstrate transformative potential, even if success is uncertain.

The programme includes two main funding streams:

• EIC Pathfinder Open — a bottom-up call open to proposals in any field of science or technology without predefined themes.
• EIC Pathfinder Challenges — challenge-driven calls that focus on specific strategically important areas defined by the EIC.

Funding is provided as non-equity grants, typically up to several million euros per project, to support early proof-of-principle research. EIC Pathfinder also connects awardees with business acceleration services including mentoring, networking and ecosystem support.

The programme plays a central role in Europe’s innovation pipeline by advancing deep-tech research that feeds into later stages of development (such as EIC Transition and EIC Accelerator), helping Europe maintain scientific leadership and create new long-term economic and societal impact.