EIC Transition Open

The EIC Transition Open grant is part of the Horizon Europe program, designed to advance technology from the experimental validation stage to readiness for application. It supports innovations across all sectors, aiming to bridge the gap between research and market deployment. The funding provides substantial financial aid along with business support services.

Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, spin-offs, research organizations, and universities. Applications can be submitted by single entities or small consortia comprising two to five independent legal entities. The geographic eligibility extends to EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.

The primary funding instrument is a grant, with a maximum amount of up to €2.5 million available for each project, in addition to smaller booster grants of up to €50,000 for commercialization efforts. The grant program is open to any field without any predefined sector priorities, inviting proposals in various domains of science, technology, and application.

The call targets projects at technology readiness levels (TRL) 3 to 4, focusing on the transition to TRL 5 and 6, which involve development and validation stages. The selection process for applications is a single-stage open call, with a submission deadline set for 17 September 2025. The application process involves three stages: proposal submission, evaluation by an EIC jury, and a face-to-face interview.

The program does not require co-funding from participants, emphasizing instead the provision of funding and non-monetary services such as coaching and access to networks.

With a total budget of €98 million for the EIC Transition Open call, an indicative 40 grants are expected to be awarded based on the number of proposals received. While specific success rates are not provided, this competitive funding opportunity aims to enable the maturation of technologies for market readiness, addressing various regulatory, certification, and intellectual property protection aspects to ensure investment readiness.

In summary, the EIC Transition Open 2025 grant is a funding opportunity for projects advancing from laboratory stages to market application, supporting a wide range of applicants engaged in innovative technological developments.

The HORIZON-EIC-2025-TRANSITIONOPEN call, part of the Horizon Europe program, aims to fund innovation activities that advance beyond the experimental proof of principle stage in a laboratory setting. The goal is to mature and validate novel technologies, moving them from the lab to relevant application environments through prototyping, formulation, models, user testing, and other validation methods. The call also supports the exploration and development of sustainable business cases and models for commercialization.

The scope of the EIC Transition funding includes further technology development based on results from previous projects, employing user-centric methodologies to enhance market success. Projects should balance technology and market/business development, incorporating iterative learning processes based on early user feedback. Activities should include a mix of technology development and validation to increase technology maturity from TRL 4 to TRL 5 or 6, demonstrating viable technology in the intended application field. Market readiness activities, such as market research, value proposition development, business case and model creation, intellectual property protection, and competitor analysis, are also essential. Addressing regulation, certification, and standardization aspects is crucial for investment readiness.

Eligibility criteria require proposals to build on results already achieved within an eligible project, with a minimum of experimental proof of concept (TRL 3) and ideally technology validated in the lab (TRL 4). Applicants can be a single legal entity (mono-beneficiary) from a Member State or Associated Country, a small consortium of two independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries, or a larger consortium (multi-beneficiary) of three to five independent legal entities, including at least one entity from a Member State and two others from different Member States or Associated Countries. Eligible legal entities include startups, SMEs, and research organizations. Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2025 provides detailed information on admissibility, eligibility, and third-country applicant eligibility.

The proposal page limit for sections 1 to 3 and the cover page of Part B, covering Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation, is 22 A4 pages. Excess pages will be disregarded. Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2025 provide further details.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2024 details the eligibility of applicants from third countries.

The EIC Transition call is restricted to proposals based on results from eligible projects described in the EIC Work Programme 2025. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2025. Evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and the indicative timeline are described in Section III of the EIC Work Programme 2025 and the Online Manual. Legal and financial aspects are governed by the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) used for EIC actions under Horizon Europe, as described in the EIC Work Programme 2025.

Key call documents include the EIC Work Programme 2025, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the standard application form, the standard evaluation form (HE EIC TRANSITION), Model Grant Agreements (MGA), the Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums. Additional documents include the HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046, rules for legal entity validation, the EU Grants AGA, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and related terms and conditions and privacy statements.

The budget for the HORIZON-EIC-2025-TRANSITIONOPEN call is 98,000,000 EUR. The call is a single-stage process, opening on April 22, 2025, and closing on September 17, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. Contributions range from 500,000 to 2,500,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 40 grants to be awarded.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides access to the Electronic Submission Service. Applicants should carefully review all provisions before preparing their application. The Online Manual guides applicants through the submission and grant management processes. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide offers detailed guidance on the program's structure, budget, and priorities. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses common questions, while the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks offer additional support. Partner search tools and resources on the European Charter for Researchers are also available.

In summary, this EIC Transition call under Horizon Europe aims to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial application by providing funding and support for the maturation, validation, and market readiness of novel technologies. It targets projects that build upon existing research results, demonstrate a clear path to commercialization, and align with the goals of the EIC Work Programme 2025. The call is open to single entities and consortia from Member States and Associated Countries, with a focus on startups, SMEs, and research organizations.

Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants can be a single legal entity (mono-beneficiary), a small consortium of two independent legal entities, or a larger consortium (multi-beneficiary) of three to five independent legal entities. The legal entities can be startups, SMEs, or research performing organizations such as universities, research or technology organizations, including teams, individual Principal Investigators and inventors in such institutions who intend to form a spinout company.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON EIC Grant, utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model.

Consortium Requirement: Applicants can apply as a single entity, a consortium of two, or a consortium of three to five independent legal entities. For multi-beneficiary consortia, there must be at least one legal entity established in a Member State and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible applicants must be established in a Member State or an Associated Country. The eligibility of applicants from third countries is detailed in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2025 and Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: This program targets innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in the laboratory, focusing on the maturation and validation of novel technologies. It supports the development of a sustainable business case and business model towards commercialisation. The program is relevant to various sectors where technology development and market readiness are crucial, including but not limited to health, energy, environment, transport, ICT, space, manufacturing, and advanced materials.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions Member States and Associated Countries of the European Union. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions for Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The program targets projects in the technology readiness level (TRL) range of 4 to 6. The projects must build on results already achieved within an eligible project, with a minimum of experimental proof of concept (TRL 3) and ideally technology validated in the lab (TRL 4). The goal is to advance the technology to viable demonstrators in the intended field of application.

Funding Amount: The contributions range from 500,000 EUR to 2,500,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support their innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 40, with a total budget of 98,000,000 EUR, suggesting a competitive success rate.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

The EIC Transition program under Horizon Europe aims to fund innovation activities that bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial application. It targets projects that have already achieved experimental proof of concept (TRL 3-4) and seeks to mature these technologies to the point of viable demonstration (TRL 5-6). The program supports activities such as prototyping, user testing, market research, and business model development.

Eligible applicants include single legal entities, small consortia of two, or larger consortia of three to five independent legal entities from EU Member States or Associated Countries. These entities can be startups, SMEs, or research organizations. The funding ranges from 500,000 EUR to 2,500,000 EUR per project, and the application process is a single-stage open call.

The program emphasizes both technology and market readiness, requiring projects to address aspects of regulation, certification, and intellectual property protection. The goal is to make both the technology and the business idea investment-ready. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal, adhering to specific page limits and layout guidelines. The EIC Work Programme 2025 and other related documents provide detailed information on eligibility criteria, evaluation processes, and legal/financial setups.