EIC Pathfinder Open 2027
EIC Pathfinder Open 2027 supports interdisciplinary research teams pursuing high-risk scientific breakthroughs, funding proof of concept or laboratory validation of new technologies to address unsolved problems.
Funder: European Innovation Council
Due Dates: February 25, 2027 (Stage 1 short proposal) | September 16, 2027 (Stage 2 full proposal)
Funding Amounts: €1 million–€5 million per project; €166 million total budget; 100% of eligible costs through lump-sum grants
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary, high-risk research establishing radically new technologies through experimental proof of concept or laboratory validation.
Key Information: Requires at least three independent beneficiaries in three eligible countries and commitment letters from every proposed organisation at Stage 1.
Description
EIC Pathfinder Open, run by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe, supports the earliest stages of research toward radically new technologies. It is open to any field of science, technology or application, without predefined thematic priorities. Projects must address an important global challenge or an unsolved economic, societal or environmental problem through ambitious, high-risk/high-gain scientific breakthroughs.
The expected output is at least an experimental proof of concept or laboratory validation, not a final solution or prototype. Validation must use integrated use cases where relevant and appropriate to the technology’s maturity. Projects should produce top-level open-access scientific publications and prepare for future uptake through intellectual property protection, exploitation planning, and assessment of regulation, certification and standardisation. Incremental approaches and implementation of technologies already validated in the laboratory are not supported.
