EIC Transition

The EIC Transition is one of the instruments of the European Innovation Council Work Program, part of Horizon Europe. Single applicants (SMEs, spin-offs, start-ups, research organizations, universities or consortia of max. 5 partners are eligible to apply to EIC Transition.

EIC Transition 2023 requirements

Proposals must build on the results from EIC Pathfinder, FET Flagship calls or ERC Proof of Concept projects, either by including participants of those projects or by showing that you have access to the IP or the rights to further develop the technology. In general a Transition project aims to validate and demonstrate technology (in an application-relevant environment) and develop its market readiness. EIC Transition supports the maturation and validation of your novel technology in the lab and in relevant application environments (by making use of prototyping, formulation, models, user testing or other validation tests). As well as the development of a business case and business model towards the innovation’s future commercialization.

The expected result of a Transition project is that the applicant(s) are ready for the next stage, which can be to: apply for EIC Accelerator (for SMEs, including start-ups or spin-offs), seek other investors or sources of funding, enter licensing or collaboration agreements with third parties, or utilize other routes to market deployment. Additionally, projects funded through EIC Transition are eligible to submit an EIC Accelerator proposal via the Fast Track scheme.

The program is divided over two different types of calls, the Open call and the Challenges. The EIC Transition Open call is open to any type of technology and research area, while the EIC Transition Challenges cover 3 specific areas. Both call types share the following:

Open & Challenge driven topics 

• Deadlines: 12 April 2023, 27 September 2023.  After full proposal stage interview rounds will be held approx. 13 weeks after cut-off dates.
• Subsidy: up to € 2.5 M.
• Total Budget available: Open call: €67.86M; Challenge calls: €60.5M
• Funding rate: 100%
• Consortium: single applicants (SMEs, spin-offs, universities) are eligible to apply alone or in small consortia, including 2-5 partners from both academia and industry. Applications must build on the results from a previous FET, Pathfinder or ERC Proof of Concept Project. The project should have been active for at least 12 months, or completed less than 24 months prior to the deadline.
• Scope: If a project previously received a EIC Pathfinder, a FET Flagship or a ERC Proof of Concept, and the goal is to go beyond the proof principle, then the EIC Transition is the solution. The Transition programs aims at maturing both the technology and business idea to increase its technology (TRL 5 to 6) and market readiness. In addition Transition projects should prepare for commercialization of the innovation.

EIC Transition Challenges 

The EIC Transition Challenges have a top-down approach with a specific topic. Each topic aims at pushing forward ground-breaking innovations with a clear perspective towards market uptake for specific applications. The eligibility criteria and conditions of the Open Call also apply to the EIC Transition Challenges. This includes the €2.5M max subsidy amount and deadlines on 12 April and 27 September 2023. The budget for the EIC Transition Challenges is €60.5M.

1. Full scale Micro-Nano-Bio devices for medical and medical research applications

2. Environmental intelligence

3. Chip-scale optical frequency combs

Would you like to read more about the EIC Transition grant? Download our EIC Transition 2023 Guide

EIC Transition FAQs

When is the EIC Transition deadline?

EIC Transition has two deadlines in 2023. The first was 12 April, and then next is 27 September. Both the Open call and Challenge calls share the same deadlines in EIC Transition.

What is the budget for EIC Transition?

EIC Transition has a total available budget of €128.36 million in 2023. This is divided over Open (€67.86M) and Challenge (€60.5M) calls.

How to write a winning application for EIC Transition?

The EIC Transition program was created to fund innovation activities that support both: maturation and validation of your novel technology, and development of a business case towards the innovation’s future commercialization. First, you should be sure that your project matches this purpose. The EIC Expert evaluators will evaluate the proposal based on the following criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation. Contact us to discuss your project idea today, or download our free EIC Transition guide for more information.

What is the subsidy for EIC Transition?

The maximum subsidy amount for winning EIC Transition proposals is €2.5M, for both Open and Challenge calls.

Who can apply for EIC Transition?

Single applicants (SMEs, spin-offs, universities) are eligible to apply alone or in small consortia, including 2-5 partners from both academia and industry. Applications must build on the results from a previous FET, Pathfinder or ERC Proof of Concept Project. To apply, applicants must demonstrate that they are the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) owner or have the rights to commercialize the IPR obtained from the previous project.

About the European Innovation Council (EIC) Program

Under Horizon Europe the EIC work program will be implemented. Previously, the EIC pilot has been tested and evaluated under Horizon 2020. The EIC aims at identifying and supporting breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations with the potential to scale up internationally and become market leaders. 70% of the entire budget is ear-marked for SMEs, which shows the focus of EIC on supporting SMEs. There are 3 sub-programs that form the basis of the EIC program: EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition and EIC Accelerator.

Read more about the European Innovation Council (EIC) program or visit the official EIC website.