Mostly equity-free grants of €15K-100K, EU's largest innovation network, ten sector accelerators
European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and its KICs
Mostly equity-free grants, cash-equivalent services and SAFEs via sector KICs; typically €15K-100K per startup, up to €2.5M in select KIC investment calls that take equity
What is EIT & the KICs?
The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) is the EU's innovation arm inside Horizon Europe's Pillar 3 ("Innovative Europe"). It does not run one grant; it funds ten pan-European partnerships called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) -- Climate-KIC, 28DIGITAL (formerly EIT Digital), InnoEnergy, EIT Health, EIT RawMaterials, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Culture & Creativity and EIT Water. Each KIC owns a sector (cleantech, agrifood, health, mobility, manufacturing, raw materials, energy, digital, creative industries, water) and runs its own accelerators, venture-building programmes and open calls. For a founder, "applying to EIT" really means applying to the KIC that matches your sector. The money is typically modest -- €15,000 to €100,000 in cash, services and sometimes SAFEs -- wrapped in mentoring, market access and a network of 2,420+ partners across 70+ innovation hubs. Most accelerator support is equity-free, but it is not universal: a handful of investment-style calls, such as EIT Urban Mobility's up-to-EUR-2.5M co-investment, do take an equity stake. EIT's 2021-2027 budget is roughly €3 billion (a €2.965bn earmark under the Strategic Innovation Agenda), and in 2026 the Governing Board approved €978 million for 2026-2028, the largest funding round in its history. The portfolio of 5,500+ EIT-supported ventures listed on Dealroom is collectively valued at around €71 billion.
- Ten sector KICs each run their own accelerators and open calls
- Money is mostly equity-free: €15K-100K in cash, services and SAFEs
- Access to 2,420+ partners across 70+ EU innovation hubs
- €978M approved for 2026-2028 -- EIT's largest funding round
- Dealroom-listed portfolio of 5,500+ EIT-supported ventures valued at ~€71 billion
Is this for you?
This is built for early-stage European founders -- pre-seed to Series A -- whose product fits squarely inside one of the ten KIC themes: cleantech, agrifood, health, urban mobility, advanced manufacturing, raw materials, energy, digital deep-tech, creative industries or water. If you have a prototype, pilot or MVP, want cash (usually equity-free) plus hands-on acceleration, and value access to corporates, pilot sites and EU-wide networks more than a single large cheque, this is for you. If you need €2.5M+ of non-dilutive grant in one shot, you want the EIC Accelerator instead -- the EIT's per-startup amounts are usually a fraction of that, and its largest call (EIT Urban Mobility) is a co-investment that takes equity rather than a grant. If your idea doesn't map cleanly to a KIC theme, or you're sector-agnostic, look elsewhere: there is no generic "EIT grant," only sector-specific KIC programmes you must match to.
The Knowledge & Innovation Communities (KICs)
The EIT's life-sciences community, spanning medical technology, digital health, biotech and healthcare delivery. It runs accelerators, fellowships and matching grants that move clinical ideas toward market.
Health start-ups, scale-up acceleration, and innovation projects linking hospitals, universities and industry.
Europe's largest public-private partnership focused on climate innovation, working to accelerate the transition to a net-zero, climate-resilient economy. It backs ventures and city- and region-scale 'deep demonstration' projects.
Climate start-ups, systems-change pilots, and entrepreneurial education on decarbonisation.
The community driving Europe's digital transformation across software, AI, cybersecurity, digital industry and digital cities. It pairs deep-tech research with an accelerator and a venture programme.
Deep-tech digital start-ups via the EIT Digital Accelerator, plus innovation and education activities.
The sustainable-energy community and one of the most active venture investors in the network, backing battery, renewable and clean-energy companies. Since 2010 it reports having invested roughly €560 million across more than 380 companies.
Equity and grant support for energy start-ups and scale-ups, from cleantech storage to renewables.
Founded in 2019, this community works to raise the global competitiveness of European manufacturing through digitalisation, automation and sustainable production. It supports start-ups and reskilling across the sector.
Manufacturing-tech start-ups, innovation projects, and industrial upskilling.
The community leading innovation across the agri-food value chain, from farming and ingredients to sustainable and healthier diets. It runs accelerators, mission-driven projects and entrepreneurship programmes.
Agri-food start-ups, food-system innovation projects, and food-entrepreneurship training.
The community for smart, green and integrated urban transport, partnering with cities to test and deploy new mobility solutions. It blends start-up support with live city pilots.
Mobility start-ups, city-based innovation pilots, and demonstration projects in public space.
The community building secure, sustainable supply of raw and advanced materials for Europe, covering mining, processing, recycling and substitution. It is central to the EU's critical-raw-materials agenda.
Materials start-ups, supply-chain innovation projects, and skills programmes across the value chain.
The EIT's newest established community before EIT Water, launched to strengthen Europe's cultural and creative sectors and industries, from design and media to heritage and the creative economy. It connects creatives with entrepreneurship support.
Creative-industry start-ups, cross-sector innovation projects, and creative-entrepreneurship education.
The EIT's tenth Knowledge and Innovation Community, launched in November 2025 and led by the 50-partner Allwaters consortium spanning 24 countries. It takes an integrated approach across freshwater, marine and maritime environments, tackling water scarcity, ecosystem degradation and the blue economy.
Water, marine and maritime start-ups, innovation projects, and skills development as the community ramps to full operation in 2027.
Who wins — funded examples
The honest picture
The honest picture is that "EIT funding" is not one thing and the numbers are smaller than founders expect. The EIT does not publish a single cross-KIC success rate, and accelerator competitiveness varies wildly -- the flagship cohorts (EIT Food, Climate-KIC, EIT Health) are heavily oversubscribed, while niche regional calls can be far easier. The cash is the catch: most KIC accelerators hand out €15,000-100,000, not millions -- EIT Urban Mobility's accelerator gives €15,000 equity-free, while EIT Food's Accelerator Network awards its top three startups in each hub €50,000, €30,000 and €20,000 respectively, all delivered equity-free through a SAFE (simple agreement for future equity). The other catch is that "equity-free" is not universal: EIT Urban Mobility's separate Financial Support to Startups call (up to €2.5M) is an equity co-investment alongside private investors, not a grant. The real value is the network, pilots and corporate access, not the cheque. Founders chasing a headline grant are often disappointed; founders who treat it as a structured route into Europe's largest innovation ecosystem -- and who genuinely fit a KIC's thesis -- get the most out of it. Most rejections are mismatches: a good company applying to the wrong KIC, or a sector-agnostic pitch that no single community can own.
Where the €978M for 2026–28 goes
| Recipient | Allocation 2026–28 |
|---|---|
| EIT Urban Mobility | €206.9M |
| EIT Manufacturing | €163.2M |
| EIT Culture & Creativity | €131.6M |
| EIT Higher Education Initiative | €130M |
| EIT Food | €125.3M |
| Cross-KIC activities | €79.3M |
| EIT RawMaterials | €74.8M |
| EIT Health | €67.3M |
⚠ Climate-KIC, 28DIGITAL (formerly EIT Digital) and InnoEnergy get no direct line: EIT funding stops after a maximum of 15 years, so the three oldest KICs now run as financially autonomous organisations and only share the cross-KIC pot. Application caps exist too — EIT Urban Mobility's investment call allows at most two consecutive cut-off attempts before you must skip one.