EIC — European Innovation Council

What is the EIC?

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is the EU's flagship programme for identifying, developing, and scaling up breakthrough technologies and innovations. Operating under Pillar III of Horizon Europe, the EIC specifically targets high-risk, high-impact innovations that are too early or too radical for private investment alone. With a budget of over EUR 10 billion for 2021-2027, the EIC is one of the most ambitious innovation support programmes in the world.

The EIC is designed to fill a critical gap in the European innovation ecosystem: the so-called "valley of death" between promising research results and market-ready products. It does this through three complementary instruments that cover the full innovation lifecycle from blue-sky research to commercial scale-up.

EIC Instruments

• EIC Pathfinder -- supports early-stage, visionary research exploring bold new ideas for radically new technologies. Grants of up to EUR 3-4 million for collaborative projects (3-5 partners). Open calls accept any topic; challenge-driven calls focus on specific themes
• EIC Transition -- bridges the gap between research results and market readiness. Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environments. Builds on results from Pathfinder, ERC, or other EU-funded projects
• EIC Accelerator -- supports individual SMEs and start-ups to scale up breakthrough innovations. Blended finance of up to EUR 17.5 million combining grants (up to EUR 2.5M) and equity investment (up to EUR 15M). Includes coaching and mentoring support

How Digital Tactics Helps

Digital Tactics contributes to EIC-funded work primarily through Pathfinder projects, where our AI and software engineering expertise strengthens collaborative proposals exploring new technological frontiers. We help in two key ways:

• Pathfinder proposals -- co-designing and writing competitive proposals that articulate a compelling vision for breakthrough technology, with clear technical work packages where Digital Tactics delivers AI, data science, or software engineering components
• Technical delivery -- implementing the software, AI models, and data pipelines that underpin deep-tech research projects, from prototype development to proof-of-concept demonstrations

Eligibility and Funding

UK organisations can participate in EIC Pathfinder projects as associated country partners. Pathfinder Open calls accept proposals on any deep-tech topic, while Pathfinder Challenges focus on specific themes announced in the annual work programme. The EIC Accelerator is primarily open to single SMEs (including start-ups), though UK eligibility depends on the specific call conditions under the association agreement.

Get Involved

If you are developing a breakthrough technology that needs collaborative R&D support to move from concept to demonstration, the EIC could be your route to substantial funding. Digital Tactics can help you build the technical case, assemble the right consortium, and deliver the AI and software components. Contact us to discuss your deep-tech innovation ambitions.