The European Innovation Council (EIC) received a total of 257 proposals for the EIC Transition Open and Transition Strategic Challenge Calls with a cut-off date in September 2023.
For the EIC Transition Open Call, 162 project proposals were submitted from 26 different countries, requesting a total budget of €393.5 million. Moreover, 95 proposals were submitted for the EIC Transition Strategic Challenge Call from 23 countries, with a total budget request of €229.2 million.
Currently, project proposals are in the evaluation stage, and the projects are set to commence in spring 2024.
With the EIC Transition Program:
Innovative activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory and relevant application environments are supported to mature and validate original technologies and/or develop a business case and business model for future commercialization.
EIC Transition projects support the necessary maturation and validation activities for the transition of developed technology from the laboratory to relevant application environments (utilizing prototypes, formulations, models, user tests, or other verification tests). Additionally, support is provided for the development of a sustainable business model for commercialization. Proposed activities should involve further technology development based on the results achieved in a relevant project (proven principle) that meets the requirements of the program. EIC Transition projects must balance both technology and market/business development, depending on the maturity level of the technology, ranging from TRL 4 to 5 to 6.
Expected outputs from an EIC Transition project include:
- Proven effective technology for the intended application.
- A business model, the first validation of this business model, and a business plan that ensures market access. Moreover, the formal sufficient protection of intellectual property generated in the EIC Transition project is also expected.
Grants of up to €2.5 million are provided to projects to achieve these objectives. Project proposals must be based on results obtained in a relevant project that meets the requirements of the program (proven principle). The types of projects deemed eligible for 2023 include:
- EIC Pathfinder projects (including Pathfinder projects supported during the EIC Pilot Program, Horizon 2020 FET-Open, and FET-Proactive projects).
- Projects supported in FET Flagship calls (including ERANET Calls opened under the FET Work Program).
- European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept projects.
- European Defense Fund (EDF), including Preparation Actions for Defense-Related Research (including research projects), but only for proposals specifically focused on civil applications (including dual-use).
Application deadlines and Strategic Priority Calls for the EIC Transition Program will be announced in the EIC Work Programme 2024.