EIC Pre-Accelerator 2025 Results: 70 Deep Tech Startup Insights

The European Commission has released the results of the  EIC Pre-Accelerator 2025 call (published on 23 April 2026), selecting 70 early-stage deep tech companies from widening countries and associated regions.

With a total budget of €32.5 million and up to €500,000 per company, the programme is designed to help startups strengthen their innovation capacity as they prepare to scale and access further funding, including the EIC Accelerator.

But beyond the headline figures, these results offer a useful glimpse into where European innovation is heading.

What Is the EIC Pre-Accelerator?

The EIC Pre-Accelerator supports early-stage deep tech startups and SMEs in Europe, particularly in countries with lower innovation performance.

Its main goals are to:

• Strengthen both technology and business readiness
• Help startups access follow-on funding
• Improve success rates in EIC Accelerator applications
• Bridge the gap between research and market deployment

It forms part of the WIDERA (Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area) initiative under Horizon Europe.

EIC Pre-Accelerator 2025 key statistics:

• 70 companies funded
• €32.5 million total budget
• 6% Success Rate
• Up to €500,000 per company
• 22 countries represented
• 24% of projects led by women
• 320 additional projects awarded Seal of Excellence

These numbers reflect both the scale of opportunity and the level of competition within EU funding programmes.

Key trends from the EIC Pre-Accelerator 2025 results

Looking beyond the numbers, a few clear trends stand out.

Innovation is becoming more geographically distributed

This year’s cohort is notably diverse, with startups from 22 countries and strong representation from places like Portugal, Estonia, and Turkey. Innovation is no longer concentrated in just a few hubs; it’s spreading across Europe. We’re seeing a more distributed innovation landscape, where high-potential startups are emerging from across Europe.

Below is the distribution of the selected startups in the EIC Pre-Accelerator 2025 call across key countries, with Portugal, Estonia, and Turkey leading participation and the results by Sector:

Health and life sciences are leading the way

A significant share of the selected companies are working in MedTech and Life Sciences, from diagnostics to biotech and advanced therapies. Around 40% of the startups fall into these sectors, confirming Europe’s continued strength in science-driven innovation.

AI is everywhere: and increasingly embedded

AI doesn’t appear as a standalone category so much as a cross-cutting technology. It’s being applied across healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and beyond, becoming a core layer of innovation rather than just a trend.

Sustainability is now a baseline, not a bonus

CleanTech and energy solutions are strongly represented, from renewable energy to smarter infrastructure. The message is clear: innovation today is expected to be sustainable by design.

This is where innovation actually starts

Most of these companies are still at an early stage, often working on prototypes or validation.
That’s exactly where the Pre-Accelerator comes in: helping startups move from an idea to something that can attract investors and larger funding programmes.

Why the EIC Pre-Accelerator matters for EU startups

At first glance, this might look like just another funding call. In practice, it plays a much more important role.
For many startups, it represents:

• The first step toward the EIC Accelerator
• A way to de-risk their technology
• An opportunity to gain visibility with investors

And importantly, it helps level the playing field by supporting startups in regions that are often underrepresented in EU funding.

Even those that didn’t secure funding but received a Seal of Excellence are still strong candidates for future opportunities.

What’s Next?

The programme is expected to grow further in the coming years.
Current plans suggest:

• Funding could increase to up to €1 million per company
• The overall budget may rise to €40 million
• The next application deadline is expected to be on November 2027

In short, support for early-stage deep tech in Europe is expanding.

Takeaway: A broader, stronger innovation landscape

If there’s one key takeaway, it’s this: Europe is not only investing in innovation, it is widening access to it.

More countries, more sectors, and more early-stage ideas are being supported than ever before.
For startups, that creates a clear opportunity: those who position themselves early and strategically will be best placed to benefit.

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