European Innovation Council (EIC)
The EIC aims at identifying and supporting breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations with the potential to scale up internationally and eventually become market leaders. It focuses specifically on promising start-ups and SMEs.
Your NCP contacts for this programme
Magali Parent
magali.parent@vlaio.be
+32 2 432 42 42
Ria De Breucker
Ria.debreucker@vlaio.be
+32 2 553 13 77
About this programme
It supports all stages of innovation from R&D on the scientific underpinnings of breakthrough technologies, to validation and demonstration of breakthrough technologies and innovations to meet real world needs, to the development and scaling up of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The funding and support consists of three main funding schemes:
- the EIC Pathfinder for advanced research to develop the scientific basis to underpin breakthrough technologies
- the EIC Transition to validate technologies and develop business plans for specific applications
- the EIC Accelerator to support companies (SMEs, start-ups, spin-outs and in exceptional cases small mid-caps) to bring their innovations to market and scale up.
In each funding scheme, the direct financial support to innovators is augmented with access to a range of Business Acceleration Services. The three main EIC instruments offer both bottom-up calls and calls with predefined thematic priorities (challenges). In addition to these instruments there are the EIC Prizes, which reward innovative solutions offered by companies/organisations for pre-defined societal challenges or specific target audiences, such as women innovators, innovative cities, public or private procurers or social innovation.
Latest news
Digital, Industry & Space Climate, Energy, Mobility Agro-Food, Environment EIC
The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform - the STEP funding dashboard...
The STEP funding dashboard is an interactive guide, offering a continuously updated state-of-play of funding opportunities supported by the EU budget and dedicated to projects related to strategic technologies contributing to STEP objectives. STEP seeks to reinforce, leverage and steer EU funds – existing and new – to in... read more
Upcoming events
Digital, Industry & Space Climate, Energy, Mobility EIC Digital Europe
Innovation Fund National Infoday 2025
Work Programme & Calls
Infosheets
Infosheets contain edited content on aspects related to this programme. They are reviewed at least yearly.
Related links
Related links are easy pointers towards external information. We curate the list, but are not liable for the destinations.
- EIC Work Programme 2024 Info Session recording
- EIC Work Programme 2025 Info Session recording
- EIC Work Programme 2023 Info Session recording
- EIC Work Programme 2022 Info Session recording
- EIC NCP network
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - European Innovation Council (EIC)
- Recordings/ppt of EIC accelerator and EIC pathfinder infosessions-NCP Flanders - May 2021
- EC DG Research and Innovation - EU Prize for Women Innovators
- EC - EIC Prices
- EIC Community
- EC - about European Innovation Council
- EC - European Innovation Council (EIC)
Documents
Documents contain additional information related to this programme, and are similar to related links.
Testimonial
Luciad - Geospatial software for mission-critical operations
Founded in 1999, Luciad serves clients in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Though it recently was acquired by Hexagon Geospatial, they kept an agile SME mindset. Thousands of end users work directly with Luciad’s geospatial applications, and major systems integrators (think Airbus Defense and Space, Lufthansa Systems, NATO, Thales…) incorporate its software in their own products.
NCP Flanders went to Leuven to interview Frederic Houbie, the Research Projects Manager at Luciad, about how he sees Horizon 2020. Luciad is a partner in the MARISA project, which is a collaborative RIA project submitted to an ICT call topic.
