EIC Work Programme 2026: Simplification, Risk-Taking and Scale-Up Support

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is preparing to unveil its 2026 Work Programme, marking a new phase in how Europe supports breakthrough innovation and deep-tech entrepreneurship.

With a total budget exceeding €1.38 billion, the EIC 2026 will build on the progress made in 2025 while introducing simpler procedures, strategic focus areas, and new challenge-driven funding opportunities.

The new programme reinforces the EU’s ambition to make Europe a global hub for deep-tech scaleups, aligning with broader goals under the Horizon Europe Work Programme: to streamline processes, accelerate funding, and strengthen Europe’s industrial resilience and technological autonomy.

A Simpler and More Efficient Framework

Across all instruments, Pathfinder, Transition, Accelerator, and STEP Scale-up, the 2026 EIC Work Programme is driven by a commitment to simplification, transparency, and speed.

The European Commission is rolling out key reforms across Horizon Europe, reducing complexity and administrative burden for applicants:

• 38% fewer and shorter topics, giving innovators more flexibility to propose bold ideas.

• 50% of funding through lump sums, simplifying financial reporting.

• Newcomer-friendly and SME-focused topics, opening the door to first-time applicants.

• Two-stage and blind evaluations reduce bias and shorten time-to-grant.

For the EIC specifically, the application and evaluation processes are being further streamlined: shorter proposal templates, simplified annexes, and faster funding decisions thanks to improved coordination between evaluators, the EIC Fund, and the Investment Board.

Funding Overview: Continuity with Strategic Adjustments

The EIC’s mission remains clear: to identify, develop, and scale Europe’s most promising deep-tech innovations through a set of complementary funding instruments.

EIC Pathfinder

• Supports early-stage research into groundbreaking technologies.

• The maximum grant per project increases to €4.5 million, enabling teams to advance further toward proof-of-concept.

EIC Transition

• Helps bridge the gap between research and market validation, advancing results from projects funded by Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, and Horizon Europe Pillar 2.

• Now open to projects from Horizon research infrastructures, broadening eligibility.

EIC Accelerator

• Provides blended finance for startups and SMEs developing high-impact, high-risk innovations from TRL 6 upward.

• Offers up to €2.5 million in grants and €1–10 million in equity, with a total budget of €634 million.

• Introduces Advanced Innovation Challenges, a two-stage pilot funding scheme inspired by the ARPA model.

EIC STEP Scale-up

• Reinforces Europe’s deep-tech scaleup ecosystem, offering investments between €10 million and €30 million to support strategic technologies in clean tech, semiconductors, quantum, and biotechnology.

Together, these instruments form a coherent continuum, from early research to global market leadership.

Advanced Innovation Challenges: A Bold Experiment

A highlight of the 2026 programme is the launch of EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges — a pilot initiative designed to encourage risk-taking and radical experimentation.

The scheme follows a two-phase approach:

• Phase 1 (2026): up to €300,000 for exploratory studies and feasibility benchmarking.

• Phase 2 (2027): up to €2.5 million to prototype and test the most promising ideas in real-world settings.

The first challenges will focus on embodied AI in robotics and novel life sciences technologies, reflecting Europe’s strategic ambition to lead in emerging fields.

Alignment with EU Strategic Priorities

The 2026 EIC Work Programme aligns closely with key EU policy frameworks, including the Clean Industrial Deal, the Strategy for European Life Sciences, and the Competitiveness Compass, which collectively aim to reinforce Europe’s industrial resilience and sustainability leadership.

Thematic challenges will target:

• Advanced materials for renewable energy and storage systems

• Alternative concepts for fusion energy

• Biotech for soil regeneration and sustainable agriculture

• Critical raw materials and supply chain resilience

• Deep tech for climate adaptation

These priorities underline the EIC’s role as a key instrument of European competitiveness, ensuring that innovation contributes to sustainability, autonomy, and technological leadership.

A Stronger Innovation Ecosystem

Beyond direct funding, the EIC continues to expand its Business Acceleration Services (BAS), — offering beneficiaries tailored coaching, mentoring, investor matchmaking, and corporate partnerships.

The 2026 edition enhances these services with:

• A stronger focus on internationalisation

• The introduction of the Gender & Diversity Innovation Index

• Improved integration with the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) programme and its Startup and Scaleup Hubs initiative

Together, these measures aim to create a truly interconnected European deep-tech ecosystem, one that supports innovators from concept to commercial success.

Part of a Larger Horizon Europe Evolution

The EIC Work Programme 2026 is not an isolated effort. It’s part of the broader Horizon Europe 2026–2027 Work Programme, which introduces cross-cluster “horizontal calls” in areas like AI in Science and Clean Industrial Deal.

These cross-sectoral calls are designed to break down silos, promote collaboration across disciplines, and deliver impact in strategic domains — from industrial decarbonisation to trustworthy AI and the circular economy.

This integrated approach reflects the Commission’s broader goal: to make Horizon Europe not only the world’s largest but also the most effective and accessible R&I framework.

A Simpler, Faster, and Bolder Future for European Innovation

The EIC Work Programme 2026 represents continuity and change in equal measure. It preserves the EIC’s successful model of supporting high-risk, high-impact innovation while making the path simpler, faster, and more inclusive.

With larger grants, smarter evaluation, and new challenge-driven pilots, the EIC is helping Europe enter a new era of strategic, mission-oriented innovation — one that connects science, technology, and entrepreneurship under a unified vision.

The official Work Programme is expected in autumn 2025, so now is the time for innovators, SMEs, and research organisations to prepare.

Evolution: Your Strategic Ally for EIC Success.

At Evolution, we stand ready to guide innovators through this new chapter of the EIC.

With two decades of experience and a proven track record in securing EIC and Horizon Europe funding, our experts combine technical depth and strategic insight to help you turn breakthrough ideas into funded projects.

Whether you’re preparing for the EIC Accelerator 2026 or exploring new opportunities under Horizon Europe, our team will ensure your proposal stands out in this competitive landscape.