EIC selects 43 deep-tech projects from 2,103 proposals, but grants still depend on agreement signatures

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 43 projects from the 2,103 proposals submitted under the Pathfinder Open 2026 call, one of the most competitive components of the European Horizon Europe research program. The selected projects bring together 218 organizations from 30 countries and may receive grants of up to €4 million each to turn scientific concepts with high technological risk into proofs of concept and early prototypes. However, selection does not amount to the payment or definitive award of grants: all teams have been informed of the outcome and are preparing the grant agreements, while funding is conditional on their signing.

In brief, EIC selected 43 Pathfinder Open 2026 projects from 2,103 submitted proposals. Each project may request a grant of up to €4 million, while the indicative budget for the call is €166 million. The projects bring together 218 organizations from 30 countries, including 24 EU member states. SMEs participate in 34 of the 43 selected projects. The grant agreements have not yet been signed, and funding depends on the completion of this stage.

Competition for funding was far greater than the available resources. The call closed on May 12 with 2,103 proposals from participants in 76 countries, and applicants collectively requested more than €8.2 billion. The indicative budget for Pathfinder Open in 2026 is €166 million. EIC did not publish, together with the results, the final amount to be contracted for the 43 projects, and the ceiling of up to €4 million per project should not be multiplied to artificially calculate the value of the funding awarded.

The consortium structure shows that the program combines academic research and private technology development. The 218 organizations account for 266 participations in the selected consortia, as some entities may participate in more than one project. Higher and secondary education institutions represent 44% of participations, research organizations 28%, private companies 25%, and public bodies and other organizations 3%. Small and medium-sized enterprises are present in 34 of the 43 projects. Participants come from 30 countries, including 24 of the 27 member states of the European Union.

The projects illustrate how early-stage and experimental the research funded through Pathfinder is. LUNGBOT aims to develop modified bacteria that reach lung tumors and produce therapeutic molecules directly at the tumor site, instead of administering treatment throughout the body. NoBIQu seeks to combine superconducting qubits with more efficient error-correction methods to reduce the amount of hardware required for fault-tolerant quantum computing. DyHoLIT is researching a new form of holographic lithography for manufacturing extremely small three-dimensional structures, with potential applications in semiconductors and biomedical research. DEW2ROOT is developing a wood-based material capable of capturing atmospheric moisture and transporting it to plant roots, with the aim of helping young plants under drought conditions. These outcomes are research objectives of the selected projects, not technologies whose effectiveness has already been demonstrated.

The full list also includes projects on cell and gene therapies, medical monitoring, bioprinting, quantum sensors, photonics, materials capable of replacing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, high-voltage electronics, smart packaging, and new diagnostic methods. The project durations presented by EIC range mainly from three to five years. The list published with the results identifies the project, coordinator, coordinator’s country, and duration, but does not list all organizations in each consortium; based on this document alone, the participation or absence of an organization from a particular country across the projects cannot be established.

Pathfinder funds the pre-commercialization phase. The program supports interdisciplinary research that starts from high-risk scientific or technological ideas and seeks to demonstrate that they can work. In the EIC Work Programme for 2026, the indicative ceiling for a Pathfinder project was raised to €4 million to enable research to advance to the proof-of-concept stage. Projects that produce promising results may subsequently seek to advance through other EIC instruments, including Transition or Accelerator, but Pathfinder selection does not guarantee continued funding or the commercial success of the technologies researched.

For the 43 selected teams, the immediate next step is the preparation and signing of the grant agreements. Only after this procedure is completed can the funding be considered contracted under the conditions established for each project. EIC is also expected to open funding opportunities for 2027 at the beginning of November.