EIC Pre-Accelerator Statistics, STEP Scale-Up Winners, and Pathfinder Results

In my last newsletter, I summarized my thoughts on the EIC Pre-Accelerator, and my guess of 1,000 applicants turned out to be right on point since the EIC publicly announced these statistics:

EIC Pre-Accelerator: Announcement

• 1,083 proposals received
• Applicants from 30 countries
• Evaluation ends in February 2026
• Results expected late February / early March 2026
• €479.4M requested (~€454K average)
• 74% men-led vs. 26% women-led companies

I also estimated a success rate of 5% based on an average grant of €400K but, considering the average edged higher with €454K, we are looking at an estimated success rate of 4.17% with 44 winners being selected.

But, the EIC specifically added that further eligibility checks will be needed, which I suspect means that many non-eligible applicants submitted proposals. That does not surprise me since I was contacted by many companies that were convinced of their eligibility just to learn about the definition of widening countries for the first time.

I assume that some UK, Finnish, German, and other companies have slipped through and were counted, so I wouldn't be surprised if the eligible applicants end up in the ~900 range.

So, I will double down on my original estimate of a 5% success rate for all eligible applicants.

What is surprising, though, is the long evaluation time. It seems like the EIC is not even trying to pretend that this is a fast process. One would expect that a 22-page proposal would be a piece of cake for evaluators that have been battle-tested with 100+ page, multi-step proposals.

That does not seem to be the case since the EIC is expecting 3 to 4 months until results will be ready.

EIC STEP Scale-up

A new batch of EIC STEP Scale-up winners was announced on November 19th, and 8 companies will (likely) receive a dilutive equity investment from the EIC Fund.

The success rate of the program, which provides €10-30 million in equity investments, is relatively high with an average of 15.7%, albeit it is quite a pre-selected applicant pool since one must have significant investor traction to even be considered.

Surprisingly, only three countries housed all 8 winners, which shows that disparities in financial availability are a real factor in European startup success:

• Germany: 3 companies (Focused Energy, Marvel Fusion, Nexwafe) – 37.5% of selected companies
• Netherlands: 3 companies (Leyden Laboratories, QphoX, Smart Photonics) – 37.5% of selected companies
• France: 2 companies (Aldoria, Quandela) – 25% of selected companies

The first EIC Fund investments have also closed for earlier EIC STEP Scale-Up calls, namely for IQM Quantum and Zadient Technologies, which shows how long it takes for previous winners to receive funding as these were selected in April 2025.

EIC Pathfinder

The EIC Pathfinder challenge call from October 29th, 2025, will be quite competitive with 667 proposals requesting €2.5 billion with a budget of only €120 million:

• 667 project proposals
• 3,825 participants
• 71 countries
• €120 million budget
• €2.5 billion requested
• €3.8 million average grant request
• Results expected in March 2026

That means, about 31-32 projects will be selected from a pool of 667, leading to an expected success rate of about 4.7%.

The proposals were distributed to the following challenges:

• Biotech for Climate Resilient Crops and Plant-Based Biomanufacturing (108)
• Generative-AI based Agents to Revolutionise Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer (219)
• Towards autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments (93)
• Waste-to-value devices: Circular production of renewable fuels, chemicals and materials (247)

These statistics clearly show that the AI challenge and the circular materials challenges are the most subscribed and will likely be the most competitive ones.

Comparatively, it's a surprise that material production has such a high contribution rate since it requires much more resources than many AI products due to the high CAPEX of hardware innovations.

Assuming that average grant requests and budgets were equal among these challenges, estimated success rates per challenge could be:

• Biotech: ~7.4% (8/108)
• Generative-AI: ~3.6% (8/219)
• Autonomous Robots: ~8.6% (8/93)
• Waste-to-Value: ~3.2% (8/247)

Targeting the Next EIC Grant?

Apply for the EIC Accelerator on the next deadline:

• Step 1: December 2, 2025 (alternative in January)

Need help with the EIC Accelerator or other grants? Here are some options:

• Starter Pack (lowest-risk entry via AI writer and content)
• Advisory (personalized guidance to help you write)
• Writing (complete end-to-end service including writing and submission)
• Review (personal proposal review by an expert)

Other resources:

• Subsdy (AI grant discovery)
• Subsdy News (regular articles on new grant opportunities in the EU)
• Newsletter (share this newsletter with a colleague)

Other Updates: Subsdy

Last week, I added more features to Subsdy, the grant discovery platform. I already announced the agent-mode, but now I also added:

Related: Meaningful related grants and tenders in the sidebar that show you similar programs. It uses vector similarity based on the meaning of the call. It is especially useful for all the search engines and AI chats that send people to expired grants since they will always find open alternatives in the sidebar.

Follow: Ability to follow grants for updates. This is helpful for deadlines and changes to content (i.e., descriptions are frequently altered over time).

Tracking: Following keywords like "EIC Pre-Accelerator" and getting email updates when the call opens again. This is especially useful for consultants like myself since I can now follow all grant program titles to make sure I am the first to know once new submission pages for programs like EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges, EIC Pathfinder, Innovation Fund, etc. are created.

There are also more things I will include, such as non-Horizon Europe grants (i.e., NATO's DIANA, Eureka, etc.) and more. I will announce it once it is live.

ChatEIC

ChatEIC, the AI writer for the EIC Accelerator, will get more improvements over the coming weeks. The new template for Step 1 has already been implemented (i.e., there were some structural changes recently), but I am working on more ways to enhance the quality.

I have found that the best result still requires a professional review at the end since this will help refine the narrative. Nonetheless, changes are in the works to enhance the formatting, quality via additional reasoning steps, and more connected sections.

These tips are not only useful for European startups, professional writers, consultants and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) but are generally recommended when writing a business plan or investor documents.

Deadlines: Post-Horizon 2020, the EIC Accelerator accepts Step 1 submissions now while the deadlines for the full applications (Step 2) under Horizon Europe are listed below. The Step 1 applications must be submitted weeks in advance of Step 2. The next EIC Accelerator cut-off for Step 2 (full proposal) can be found here. After Brexit, UK companies can still apply to the EIC Accelerator under Horizon Europe albeit with non-dilutive grant applications only - thereby excluding equity-financing. Switzerland has resumed its participation in Horizon Europe and is now eligible for the EIC Accelerator.

Contact: You can reach out to us via this contact form to work with a professional consultant.

AI Grant Writer: ChatEIC is a fully automated EIC Accelerator grant proposal writer: Get it here.

EIC Accelerator: EIC Accelerator delivers flexible funding options including blended finance (€2.5M grant + €0.5M-€10M equity), grant-only (up to €2.5M), or equity-only arrangements for scale-up and market deployment of breakthrough innovations. The initiative targets SMEs, start-ups, and small mid-caps with up to 499 employees. Technology areas include Biotech, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Quantum, Aerospace, Advanced Materials, and Semiconductors. Get Started

EIC Pathfinder: EIC Pathfinder delivers up to €3 million for Open calls and up to €4 million for Challenge-based calls to support early-stage research and development with proof-of-principle validation. The initiative requires research consortia with a minimum of 3 partners from 3 different countries, including universities, research organizations, and SMEs. Primary technology focus areas include Health/Medical, Quantum Technologies, AI, Environmental/Energy, and Advanced Materials. Get Started

EIC Transition: EIC Transition delivers up to €2.5 million in funding to overcome the 'valley of death' gap between laboratory research and market deployment, emphasizing technology maturation and validation. The initiative supports single legal entities or small consortia of 2-5 partners including SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs, and research organizations. Key technology domains include Health/Medical Technologies, Green/Environmental Innovation, Digital/Microelectronics, Quantum Technologies, and AI/Robotics. Get Started

EIC STEP Scale-Up: EIC STEP Scale-Up delivers significant equity investments of €10-30 million for established deep-tech companies prepared for hyper-growth and large-scale expansion. The initiative targets SMEs or small mid-caps with up to 499 employees who have obtained pre-commitment from qualified investors. Primary focus areas include Digital & Deep Tech (Semiconductors, AI, Quantum), Clean Technologies for Net-Zero objectives, and Biotechnologies. Get Started

EIC Pre-Accelerator: EIC Pre-Accelerator represents a pilot initiative delivering €300,000-€500,000 in funding for early-stage deep-tech development and preparation for the EIC Accelerator program. This program is exclusively accessible to single SMEs or small mid-caps from 'Widening countries' to foster regional innovation development. The initiative encompasses deep-tech innovations across physical, biological, and digital domains. Get Started

EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges: EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges represents a new pilot initiative delivering €300,000 (Stage 1) and up to €2.5 million (Stage 2) for breakthrough deep-tech innovations through ARPA-style staged funding mechanisms with integrated demand-side engagement. This initiative targets single entities or small consortia (2-3 partners) including SMEs, start-ups, and research organizations. Primary focus areas include Physical AI for autonomous robotics applications and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for animal-free biomedical testing, with TRL 4 entry requirements and demonstrated end-user commitment. Get Started

Eureka Network: The Eureka Network delivers various international collaborative R&D initiatives such as Network Projects, Clusters, Eurostars, Globalstars, and Innowwide, providing funding from €50K to €6.75M per project based on the specific initiative. This network emphasizes market-driven innovation and deep-tech advancement across multiple technology sectors including ICT/Digital, Industrial/Manufacturing, Bio/Medical Technologies, Energy/Environment, Quantum, AI, and Circular Economy. Eligible participants include SMEs, large enterprises, research organizations, universities, and startups, with Eurostars particularly focused on R&D-performing SMEs. Get Started

Eurostars: Eurostars represents a joint EU-Eureka initiative delivering €50K-€500K for international R&D collaboration specifically led by SMEs. The program adopts a bottom-up approach, accepting projects from all technology fields without predefined thematic restrictions. R&D-performing SMEs must lead the consortium and demonstrate significant R&D activities. Get Started

Innovation Partnership: Innovation Partnership enables collaborative innovation between public and private sectors with typical funding of €1-5 million per project. The initiative supports cross-sectoral strategic technologies through public-private partnerships and consortia. Projects concentrate on addressing societal challenges through collaborative innovation approaches. Get Started

Innovation Fund: The EU Innovation Fund delivers substantial funding of €7.5 million to €300 million for large-scale demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. The initiative targets clean energy, carbon capture, renewable energy, and energy storage technologies to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Eligible participants include large companies, consortia, and public entities capable of implementing large-scale demonstration projects. Get Started

Innovate UK: Innovate UK delivers various programs with funding ranging from £25K to £10M depending on the specific initiative, supporting business-led innovation, collaborative R&D, and knowledge transfer. The organization funds projects across all sectors with particular emphasis on emerging technologies and supports UK-based businesses, research organizations, and universities. Programs are designed to drive economic growth through innovation and technology commercialization. Get Started

Industrial Partnership: Industrial Partnership delivers €2-10 million in funding for industrial research and innovation partnerships focusing on manufacturing, industrial technologies, and digital transformation. The initiative supports industrial consortia and research organizations in developing collaborative solutions for industrial challenges. Projects aim to strengthen European industrial competitiveness through strategic partnerships. Get Started

LIFE Programme: The LIFE Programme delivers €1-10 million in funding for environmental protection, climate action, and nature conservation projects across the European Union. The initiative supports environmental technologies, climate adaptation strategies, and biodiversity conservation initiatives. Eligible participants include public authorities, private companies, NGOs, and research institutions working on environmental and climate challenges. Get Started

Neotec: Neotec represents a Spanish initiative delivering €250K-€1M in funding for technology-based business creation and development, supporting the growth of innovative Spanish SMEs and start-ups. The program covers all technology sectors and aims to strengthen Spain's technology ecosystem. Funding is specifically targeted at Spanish technology-based SMEs and start-ups to enhance their competitiveness and market presence. Get Started

Thematic Priorities: EU Thematic Priorities encompass various programs aligned with EU strategic priorities including green transition, digital transformation, health, and security initiatives. Funding amounts vary based on the specific program and call requirements, with projects designed to address key European challenges. Applicant eligibility varies by specific program and call, with different requirements for different thematic areas. Get Started

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