EIC Pathfinder Challenges

The EIC Pathfinder is a funding programme under Horizon Europe that offers support to research teams by:

-funding research to develop the scientific basis to underpin breakthrough technologies,

-supporting the earliest stages of scientific, technological or deep-tech R&D

-aiming to build on new, cutting-edge directions in science and technology to disrupt a field and a market or create new opportunities,

-realising innovative technological solutions to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and disruptive innovations in Europe.

EIC Pathfinder Open involves interdisciplinary research and development. To create new products and open new areas of research, applicants must bring diverse areas of research together, often with different perspectives, terminologies and methodologies, within individual projects and within a portfolio of projects.

Budget

The total indicative budget for EIC Pathfinder Challenges is €120 million which is expected to be allocated in approximately equal shares across the Challenges. 

Applicants will receive a grant for a Research and Innovation Action to cover the eligible costs, necessary for the implementation of your project, including the portfolio activities. The EIC considers proposals with an EU contribution of up to €4 million as appropriate. Nonetheless, this does not preclude applicants to request larger amounts, if duly justified or stated otherwise in the specific Challenge. The funding rate of this grant will be 100% of the eligible costs. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum and the amount will be determined during the evaluation

Topics

During 2024, the  EIC Pathfinder Challenges fall within the following topics:

-Solar to X devices,

-Towards cement and concrete as a carbon sink,

-Nanoelectronics for energy-efficient smart edge devices,

-Nature inspired alternatives for food packaging and films for agriculture,

-Strengthening the sustainability and resilience of EU space infrastructure.

Evaluation

For the EIC Pathfinder Challenges, proposals will be evaluated in two steps: 

-EIC expert evaluators will assess each proposal separately against the award criteria;

-an EIC evaluation committee will consider all proposals passing the first step together in order to assess the best portfolio of projects to achieve the specific objectives of the Challenge (so called portfolio considerations). The evaluation committee will be composed of EIC expert evaluators and EIC Programme Managers.