Summary of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Programme for 2023

As in the EIC Accelerator and the EIC Transition, the EIC Pathfinder programme consists of a combination of both open and challenge driven funding. Both are described in short below.

Open Funding

EIC Pathfinder Open provides funding for projects in any field of science or technology, based on high-risk/high-gain science-towards-technology breakthrough interdisciplinary research. The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 179.5 million. The EIC Pathfinder Open 2023 call will close on the 7^th March 2023.

Strategic EIC Pathfinder Challenges

EIC Pathfinder funding is also available for specific challenges that are typically steered by an EIC Programme Manager.

2023 EIC Pathfinder Challenges:

• Clean and efficient cooling
• Architecture, Engineering and Construction digitalisation for a novel triad of design, fabrication, and materials
• Precision nutrition
• Responsible electronics
• In-space solar energy harvesting for innovative space applications

The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 163.5 million which is expected to be allocated in approximately equal shares across the Challenges. The call will open on 20 June 2023 and it will be closed on the 18 October 2023 at 17h00 Brussels local time.

Previous years challenges

2021 EIC Pathfinder Challenges

• Carbon dioxide and nitrogen management and valorisation
• Mid to long term and systems integrated energy storage
• Cardiogenomics
• Towards the healthcare continuum: technologies to support a radical shift from episodic to continuous healthcare
• DNA-based digital data storage
• Alternative approaches to quantum Information processing, communication, and sensing

2021 EIC Pathfinder Challenges

• Awareness inside
• Tools to measure & stimulate activity in brain tissue
• Emerging technologies in cell & gene therapy
• Novel routes to green hydrogen production
• Engineered living material

Source: European Commission, 2023