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Overview
EIC Transition ist die Förderung des European Innovation Council, um ein bewährtes Laborergebnis in etwas zu verwandeln, auf dem ein Unternehmen und seine Investoren aufbauen können. Es richtet sich an Teams, deren Technologie aus einem früheren EU-geförderten Projekt hervorgegangen ist – etwa EIC Pathfinder, einem ERC Proof of Concept-Zuschuss, einem ehemaligen FET Flagship oder Forschung aus Säule II von Horizon Europe – und die diese nun reifen und validieren müssen, statt etwas Neues zu entdecken. Die Mittel finanzieren Prototyping, Validierung in einem relevanten Umfeld, IP-Strategie und einen frühen Business Case und treiben die Arbeit von etwa TRL 3 oder 4 in Richtung TRL 5 oder 6. Die zentralen Konditionen sind einfach: ein Zuschuss von bis zu 2,5 Millionen € bei 100 % der förderfähigen Kosten, ohne Beteiligungsabgabe, ohne Kofinanzierungspflicht, plus ein optionaler Booster von bis zu 50.000 € für Kommerzialisierungsarbeiten. Unternehmen wie GLIOBREAK, das eine Glioblastom-Behandlung mit begleitender Diagnostik entwickelt, MoSS, das intelligente DNA-Datenspeicherung vorantreibt, und CombTools, das optische Frequenzkämme im Chip-Maßstab integriert, haben diesen Weg gewählt. Mit einem Budget von 100 Millionen € für 2026 und einer einzigen jährlichen Frist am 16. September 2026 ist es die Brücke zwischen einem Forschungsdurchbruch und einem finanzierungsfähigen Unternehmen.
Seien Sie realistisch in Bezug auf die Chancen.
Is this for you?
- Single entity — SME, startup, spin-off, university or research organisation
- Or a consortium of 2–5 partners from at least 2 EU / associated countries
- Technology at TRL 3–4 — proof of concept done, ready for real-world validation
- Results from an eligible EU precursor project (EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, Pillar II RIA, Research Infrastructures, European Defence Fund — civil only)
- IP rights to the precursor results, or a commitment letter from the rights holder
- No prior EU-funded research to build on → EIC Pathfinder first
- Already at TRL 5+ with a near-market product → EIC Accelerator
- Large company applying alone → consortia only here; try Horizon Europe Pillar II
- Looking for scale-up equity capital → EIC Accelerator blended finance
Timing rules tightened for 2026: an ongoing precursor project must have started more than 18 months before the cut-off (was 12), and a completed one qualifies only within 24 months of its end date (was 30). Research Infrastructures projects became eligible precursors in 2026.
Eligible precursor programmes
Including H2020 FET-Open, FET-Proactive, FET Flagships, and Horizon Europe Pathfinder
Both H2020 and Horizon Europe ERC Proof of Concept grants
H2020 Societal Challenges, Leadership in Industrial Technologies, or Horizon Europe Pillar II RIAs
NEW for 2026 — Horizon Europe and H2020 Research Infrastructures RIAs
Civil applications only — research results must have civilian use
Success rates — the honest picture
Roughly 1 in 15 applications gets funded. A sharp, evidence-backed proposal is what separates the funded from the rejected.
| Call | Applications | Funded | Success rate | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 292 | 42 | 14.4% | €99M |
| 2022 | 287 | 34 | 11.8% | €79M |
| 2023 (Apr) | 180 | 19 | 10.6% | €47M |
| 2023 (Sep) | 257 | 27 | 10.5% | €68M |
| 2024 | 413 | 40 | 10.3% | €94M |
| 2025 | 611 | 40 | 6.5% | €98M |
Applications more than doubled from 2021 to 2025 while the budget stayed flat — the success rate has slid from 14.4% to 6.5%. No resubmission penalty: a rejected proposal can come back improved at the next deadline. The 2026 call has a single cut-off (16 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels) and is Open-only — the thematic Challenges ended in 2023.
Eligibility
- 1Ihre Technologie muss sich auf Ergebnisse eines früheren EU-geförderten Projekts zurückführen lassen: EIC Pathfinder, einen ERC Proof of Concept-Zuschuss, ein Horizon Europe Säule-II-Projekt (Cluster), ein ehemaliges FET Flagship, ein Projekt des Europäischen Verteidigungsfonds (nur zivile Anwendungen) oder ab 2026 das Programm Horizon Research Infrastructures.
- 2Sie binden entweder einen Teilnehmer aus diesem ursprünglichen Projekt in Ihren Antrag ein oder weisen nach, dass Sie die IP-Rechte rechtmäßig halten, um das Ergebnis weiterzuentwickeln. Kein nachvollziehbares Ursprungsprojekt, keine Förderfähigkeit.
- 3Sie können sich als einzelne juristische Person (KMU, Start-up, Spin-off, Universität oder RTO) oder als Konsortium von höchstens 5 Partnern bewerben. Einzelantragsteller sind voll wettbewerbsfähig und gewinnen regelmäßig.
- 4Ihre Einstiegstechnologie sollte bei etwa TRL 3 bis 4 liegen (im Labor validierter Proof of Concept), und das Projekt muss sie bis zum Ende glaubwürdig auf TRL 5 oder 6 bringen.
- 5Sie müssen in einem EU-Mitgliedstaat oder einem mit Horizon Europe assoziierten Land niedergelassen sein. Antragsteller aus dem Vereinigten Königreich können teilnehmen, aber da die Assoziierung noch teilweise ist, prüfen Sie die Förderfähigkeit für Ihren konkreten Aufruf, bevor Sie sich festlegen.
- 6Dies dient dazu, ein validiertes Ergebnis in Richtung eines echten Produkts und Business Case zu reifen. Reine Grundlagenforschung gehört zu Pathfinder; ein marktreifes Produkt auf TRL 8 gehört zum Accelerator.
A single legal entity ("mono-beneficiary") may apply only if it is a start-up, an SME (small or medium-sized enterprise under EU Recommendation 2003/361: fewer than 250 staff, turnover ≤€50m or balance sheet ≤€43m) or a research-performing organisation — universities, research and technology organisations, including principal investigators planning a spin-off. The Work Programme is blunt: "Larger companies (i.e. which do not qualify as SMEs) are not eligible to apply as a single legal entity." Consortia are the back door — two entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries, or three to five entities (at least one in a Member State, two more in different countries); these may include large companies, hospitals, utilities and end users. Six or more partners renders the whole proposal ineligible.
Your proposal must build on results from an eligible prior project that have completed all elements of TRL 3 (Technology Readiness Level 3, experimental proof of concept) and not gone beyond completed TRL 4 (technology validated in lab). Too early or too mature and you are out — "proposals building on project results at other TRLs level are not eligible". If your innovation combines several technologies, the lowest TRL of any core component counts. The Work Programme warns that additional TRL checks "may be conducted at any time during the evaluation", so an inflated claim can sink you months after submission.
EIC Transition is restricted to results from a closed list of feeder grants: EIC Pathfinder (including Horizon 2020 FET-Open, FET-Proactive, FET Flagships), European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept, Research and Innovation Actions under Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges/Industrial Leadership or Horizon Europe Pillar II, Research Infrastructures projects, and European Defence Fund research (civil applications only). The clock matters: if the feeder grant is still running, it must have started more than 18 months before the cut-off (6 months for ERC Proof of Concept); if finished, its end date must be less than 24 months before the cut-off. There is no Accelerator-style submission cap — resubmission of an improved proposal is explicitly allowed — but with one cut-off a year, the 24-month window typically gives a rejected applicant exactly one more shot. Cascading grants (financial support to third parties, such as ERA-NETs or EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities) do not qualify as feeder projects.
Newcomers are "welcome and encouraged": a start-up that was never part of the original Pathfinder consortium can apply. The catch is intellectual property. If you were a participant, you must confirm you own or hold the rights to commercialise the results for the whole duration of the Transition project. If you were not, your proposal must include a commitment letter from the result owners to negotiate fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) access, including IP rights, for future commercial exploitation. Every proposal must cite the feeder grant's number and acronym plus where the result was reported (CORDIS, Horizon Results Platform or the Innovation Radar). One extra trap: only one proposal may be submitted per originating ERC Proof of Concept or FET Innovation Launchpad project.
Because every Transition grant exceeds €500,000, coordinators (other than public bodies) face a financial-capacity check during grant agreement preparation, based on audited accounts uploaded to the Participant Register. A shaky balance sheet — or heavy dependency on EU funding — can trigger pre-financing in instalments, no pre-financing at all, a demand to replace the applicant, or outright rejection of the proposal. Separately, every applicant completes an ethics self-assessment (projects raising issues undergo a full ethics review before funding is authorised), and projects touching classified or sensitive information go through a security appraisal. Proposals involving the evolution of European communication networks (5G and post-5G) face specific participation restrictions to protect network security.
Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. The United Kingdom is associated to the entire programme — its sole exclusion, the EIC Fund equity component of the Accelerator, is irrelevant to Transition, which is grant-only. Switzerland signed its association agreement on 10 November 2025, giving Swiss entities full access, including as coordinators, for calls funded from the 2025 budget onwards. Norway, Iceland, Israel, Türkiye, Ukraine and the other Pillar III associated countries also qualify; always check the live List of Participating Countries on the Funding & Tenders Portal, as status can shift between Work Programme adoption and grant signature.
Where you need to be
Your project should sit at TRL 3–6 when you apply. The eligible band is highlighted below.
- 1Basic principles observedYou've observed something interesting in the lab or on paper
- 2Technology concept formulatedYou have a hypothesis for how this could become a technology
- 3Experimental proof of conceptYou've shown the basic idea works in a controlled setting
- 4Technology validated in labYou've validated key components work together in lab conditions
- 5Validated in relevant environmentTested in conditions close to real-world — a key milestone
- 6Demonstrated in relevant environmentPrototype demonstrated in near-real conditions
- 7System prototype in operational environmentWorking prototype in actual operating conditions
- 8System complete and qualifiedFinal product tested and proven to work
- 9Actual system proven in operationProduct is live and working in the real world
The money — a pure grant, paid as a lump sum
Transition uses the lump-sum model: you agree a price per work package up front, then declare each one "completed" or "not completed". No cost reporting, no individual expense tracking, no timesheet audits — but a half-finished work package can mean the whole package goes unpaid, so slice them sensibly.
Pre-financing — typically 40–60% of the total grant — lands within 30 days of signing the Grant Agreement. Interim payments follow each periodic report; the final roughly 10% is held back until project end.
Unlike the EIC Accelerator, there is no equity component and no national co-funding requirement. The EU pays 100% of eligible costs and takes nothing — you keep full ownership of the company and the IP (intellectual property).
Grantees can apply for a fixed-amount booster grant of up to €50,000 for complementary commercialisation work — market studies, IP strategy, investor readiness — on top of the main grant.
How to apply — step by step
- 1Create EU Login account10 min
Go to the EU Authentication Service and create an account. This is your gateway to all EU portals. Use an institutional email if you have one.
Create EU Login → - 2Register your organisation1–2 hours
Register your organisation in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC (Participant Identification Code). If your org already has one, search for it instead of creating a new entry.
Participant Register → - 3Identify your precursor project1–2 weeks
Confirm your eligible precursor project — the EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, Pillar II RIA, or Research Infrastructure project whose results you'll build on. Gather the grant number, reporting data, and IP documentation. If you weren't part of the original project, secure a commitment letter from the IP rights holder.
- 4Build your team (if consortium)Weeks–months
For multi-beneficiary proposals: assemble 2–5 partners from at least 2 different EU/associated countries (3+ countries for 3+ partners). At least one must be in an EU Member State. Single entities can apply — SMEs, startups, spin-offs, or research organisations.
Partner Search → - 5Write your proposal6–12 weeks
Part B is your technical proposal — maximum 22 A4 pages. Cover page identifies your precursor project. Section 1: Excellence (technology breakthrough, feasibility). Section 2: Impact (business plan, market analysis, IP strategy). Section 3: Implementation (work plan, milestones, team, budget). Must include a comprehensive business development plan.
- 6Submit electronicallyBefore deadline
Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal before 16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The system closes automatically — late submissions are physically impossible. Submit a draft early and update until the deadline.
- 7Remote evaluation + interview~4–5 months
Three EIC experts score your proposal remotely (~9 weeks). Top proposals (approximately 2.2× the available budget) are invited to a jury interview (online format for the 2026 cut-off, per the EIC website) — up to 5 team members can present. The jury gives a GO or NO GO decision.
- 8Grant agreement + project startMarch–May 2027
If you receive a GO, the Grant Agreement is signed within 6 months of the call deadline (~March 2027). Pre-financing (typically 40–60%) is paid within 30 days. Your project starts within 2 months of signing — expected May 2027.
What evaluators look for
Excellence
Is the technology breakthrough genuine? Is it feasible based on prior research results? Are the objectives well-defined for validation?
- A genuine technological breakthrough — novelty, applicability to potential breakthrough uses and functionalities
- Strong feasibility evidence based on results from your precursor project
- Well-defined objectives suited to technology maturation and planned validation activities
- Appropriate methodology addressing timing, interdependencies, and risks
Impact
Is there a real market? Can this team commercialise it? Will it benefit Europe's economy and society?
- Credible business and market fit — market analysis, target segments, competitive positioning, business model
- Clear economic and societal benefits — jobs, growth, sustainability, European strategic autonomy
- Strong entrepreneurship — capability and motivation of the team for commercial execution
- Partnership and investment readiness activities — go-to-market strategy, IP protection plan, scale-up potential
Quality & Efficiency of Implementation
Is the work plan realistic? Does the team have the right skills? Are resources well-allocated?
- Quality of the team — required expertise, ability, and motivation to advance commercial value
- Clear milestones, KPIs, and deliverables leading to deployment readiness
- Effective allocation of resources across partners, equipment, and activities
- Proper risk mitigation strategy
Documents you'll need
The master document defining all EIC calls — pages 29–42 cover EIC Transition specifically.
- Contains:
- Defines every EIC call for 2026. Pages 29–42 cover EIC Transition — the scope, €100M budget, eligibility rules, precursor project requirements, consortium compositions, and what 'technology maturation and business validation' means in practice.
- Length:
- ~188 pages (pp. 29–42 for Transition)
- Why:
- This is the source of truth. Everything else references this document. Read the Transition section to confirm your project fits what the EIC is looking for.
- When:
- Read first
Official Part B template — the 22-page technical proposal structure for Transition.
- Contains:
- The exact template you'll fill in for Part B — cover page (precursor project details) + 22-page technical proposal. Sections: Excellence (technology breakthrough & feasibility), Impact (business plan & market), Implementation (work plan & team).
- Length:
- 22-page limit for Part B + cover page
- Why:
- This is where your actual proposal lives. The cover page identifying your precursor project is unique to Transition — start here to understand what's needed.
- When:
- When writing your proposal
Colour-coded expert annotations — EC instructions, NCP tips, reviewer insights for Transition.
- Contains:
- The Transition template covered in colour-coded expert annotations. Blue = official EC instructions. Yellow = NCP tips from reviewing thousands of proposals. Purple = what evaluators actually care about. Includes Transition-specific guidance on business plans and market readiness.
- Length:
- ~50 pages with annotations
- Why:
- The single most useful document for writing a winning Transition proposal. Tells you exactly what to write in each section and what evaluators penalise.
- When:
- Keep open while writing
The exact form evaluators use to score your Transition proposal.
- Contains:
- The exact scoring sheet for Excellence (threshold 4/5), Impact (threshold 4/5), and Implementation (threshold 3/5). Shows specific sub-criteria including technology feasibility, business & market fit, entrepreneurship capability, and team quality.
- Length:
- ~8 pages
- Why:
- Structure your proposal to match this form point-by-point. If an evaluator can't find the answer to their question, you lose marks.
- When:
- Before and during writing
Shows the full structure of both parts of the Transition application.
- Contains:
- The complete picture — Part A forms and Part B technical proposal structure. Part A includes the precursor project identification section unique to Transition.
- Length:
- ~15 pages
- Why:
- Understand the full scope of what you're submitting — not just the technical narrative.
- When:
- Before starting your application
Transition uses lump sum grants — no detailed cost reporting.
- Contains:
- How lump sum works: define work packages with agreed costs, declare 'completed' or 'not completed'. No timesheets, no individual expense reports. Covers budgeting rules and audit implications.
- Length:
- ~20 pages
- Why:
- Changes how you think about budgeting. Much simpler than traditional cost-reporting grants.
- When:
- When planning your budget
Comprehensive guide to the Horizon Europe grant contract. Every clause explained.
- Contains:
- Every clause of the grant contract explained with examples. IP ownership, reporting, financial rules, amendments, subcontracting.
- Length:
- ~300 pages (reference only)
- Why:
- Consult when you have a specific legal question or after being selected.
- When:
- After selection / when needed
Cross-cutting rules: eligibility, evaluation, funding rates, ethics, open science.
- Contains:
- Eligible countries, entity types, funding rates (100% for Transition), ethics requirements, open science mandates, gender equality plans.
- Length:
- ~50 pages
- Why:
- Check if your country or organisation is eligible.
- When:
- If unsure about eligibility rules
Step-by-step guide for the electronic submission system.
- Contains:
- Screenshots of every screen in the submission system. Creating submissions, uploading documents, managing partners.
- Length:
- ~60 pages
- Why:
- Read in the last week before the deadline so nothing surprises you.
- When:
- Week before deadline
Comprehensive guide to the Funding & Tenders Portal covering all workflows.
- Contains:
- Everything you can do on the portal — accounts, searching, proposals, tracking results.
- Length:
- ~100 pages (reference)
- Why:
- Useful reference when doing anything on the portal for the first time.
- When:
- When using the portal
Typical Budget Breakdown
2026 Deadlines
- 22 Apr 202622 Apr 2026Call opens
HORIZON-EIC-2026-TRANSITIONOPEN opens on the Funding & Tenders Portal; one Open call, no thematic priorities, €100m budget for roughly 40 grants of €0.5m–€2.5m (lump sum, 100% funding rate).
- 16 Sep 2026, 17:00 Brussels16 Sep 2026, 17:00 BrusselsSingle cut-off
Submit Part B (max 22 A4 pages for sections 1–3 plus cover page identifying the feeder project) via the portal. One cut-off per year — miss it and the source-project 24-month window keeps ticking.
- by ~18 Nov 2026 (T+9 weeks)by ~18 Nov 2026 (T+9 weeks)Remote evaluation results
At least three EIC expert evaluators score each proposal; you get the result with written feedback indicatively within 9 weeks of the deadline. The best-ranked pool (about 2.2x the available budget, topped up to 30% women-led applicants where possible) goes to interview.
- ~Dec 2026 (T+11–13 weeks)~Dec 2026 (T+11–13 weeks)Jury interviews
Online pitch to a panel of 4–6 EIC Jury members (max 5 team members, all named in the proposal); the European Patent Office supplies a non-binding novelty assessment to the Jury.
- ~Jan 2027 (4 weeks from interview start)~Jan 2027 (4 weeks from interview start)Funding decision letters
Verdicts are GO, GO Reserve (reserve list) or NO GO, communicated indicatively within 4 weeks of the start of interviews, with Jury feedback and possibly resubmission advice.
- by ~16 Mar 2027 (T+6 months, indicative)by ~16 Mar 2027 (T+6 months, indicative)Grant agreement signed
Grant agreement preparation — legal entity validation, financial-capacity check on the coordinator, bank account validation — concludes with signature indicatively within 6 months of the call deadline.
- ~30 days after signature/start~30 days after signature/startFirst pre-financing lands
A pre-financing float is paid under the grant agreement (the standard Horizon formula is 160% of average EU funding per reporting period, less for single-period actions), minus a 5–8% retention for the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
- within 2 months of signaturewithin 2 months of signatureProject must start
Projects of 1–3 years begin; coaching is mandatory unless well justified, and awardees gain access to Business Acceleration Services, €50,000 booster grants and the Fast Track route into the EIC Accelerator.
After you're funded
A dedicated Programme Manager — a domain expert employed by the EIC — follows your project, provides strategic guidance and can flag you for follow-on opportunities. They are an asset, not just an overseer.
All grantees enter a mandatory coaching programme (waivable only if you can demonstrate equivalent support), plus optional Tech2Market services: market analysis, business-model development, investor introductions and access to the EIC corporate-partnership network.
Successful Transition projects get privileged fast-track access to the EIC Accelerator — up to €2.5M grant plus €1M–€10M equity for market entry. The EIC pipeline is designed so each stage feeds the next: Pathfinder → Transition → Accelerator.
Up to €50,000 in additional fixed-amount funding for complementary commercialisation activities, available during the project.
Projects run 1–3 years under the lump-sum model: you report work packages as completed rather than filing expense claims. Periodic reports still gate the interim payments, and the final tranche (roughly 10%) is paid only at project end.
Practical notes
EIC Transition must build on results from an eligible prior project (EIC Pathfinder, FET, ERC Proof of Concept, Pillar II R&I Actions, and from 2026 also Research Infrastructures projects). The EIC explicitly states you do NOT need to have been a participant, PI, or result owner of that project - new participants are welcome. Hunt eligible results via Innovation Radar, CORDIS, ERC's ERIS, and the Horizon Results Platform, then approach the owner.
Before you write the proposal, secure a commitment letter from the owner(s) of the underlying results - without it the eligibility link breaks. Also verify the prior project meets the timing rule (active at least 12 months, or finished less than 24 months before deadline) and sits at TRL 3 or TRL 4 specifically; results at other TRLs are simply not eligible.
Your National Contact Point offers free guidance on eligibility and the application, and the Access2EIC network publishes the official annotated proposal template for EIC Transition (2025 version is the latest published) - the closest thing to an evaluator's scoring guide. The EIC also runs free Info Days (the Work Programme 2026 sessions ran 13-17 November 2025; recordings remain available).
Unlike most Horizon calls, a single SME, spin-off, university or research org can apply alone; consortia are capped at 2-5 partners from different Member/Associated States, and large companies cannot apply solo. Evaluation is three-step with a jury interview roughly 11-13 weeks after the deadline, and all funded projects get free EIC Business Acceleration Services (coaches, mentors, investor/corporate connections) plus booster grants up to €50,000.
Open calls
Live from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
EIC Transition Open
16 Sept 2026Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems
28 Oct 2026Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing
28 Oct 2026DeepRAP: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning towards trustworthy Cognitive AI Systems
28 Oct 2026Who's been funded
129 projects funded · €299.8M in EU contribution · sourced from CORDIS.
TAONas-LUAD
€2.9MTherapeutic antisense oligonucleotides targeting alternative splicing of NUMB in lung adenocarcinoma
MoSS
€2.6MMolecular Storage System (MoSS): Intelligent DNA Data Storage
GLIOBREAK
€2.6MDeveloping a new treatment and companion diagnostic to improve outcomes for glioblastoma patients
CombTools
€2.5MChip-Scale Optical Frequency Combs for Communications and Sensing: A Toolkit for System Integration
PI-MOLL
€2.5MPhotonic Integrated Mode-Locked Laser
ETIA
€2.5METIA: Causal AI for Data-Driven Insights and Optimal Decision Making
Groove
€2.5MGermanium quantum processors: more, robust, available
WH2E
€2.5MWaste Heat to Energy
iSENS
€2.5MIntegrated needle-free injection and sensing using opto-microfluidics
MAG.NET
€2.5MMagnetic neural Network for predictive maintenance
SPIN-ION
€2.5MHybrid Spintronic Synapses for Neuromorphic Computing
TOPFIBRO
€2.5MTargeting OGG1 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Key Features
Official links & resources
- Official EIC Transition page
- 2026 call topic on the F&T Portal (HORIZON-EIC-2026-TRANSITIONOPEN-01-01)
- EIC Work Programme 2026 (PDF — Transition section pp. 29–42)
- Proposal template — Part B (PDF)
- Evaluation form — what scorers actually use (PDF)
- Lump-sum funding guide (PDF)
- Find your National Contact Point
- Funding & Tenders Portal — submit and track
Frequently Asked Questions
Sie können sich als einzelne Organisation (ein KMU, Start-up, Spin-off, eine Universität oder ein Forschungsinstitut) oder als Konsortium von bis zu 5 Partnern bewerben. Die zentrale Voraussetzung ist, dass Ihre Arbeit auf Ergebnissen eines früheren EU-geförderten Projekts aufbaut: EIC Pathfinder, einem ERC Proof of Concept-Zuschuss, einem FET Flagship oder Horizon Europe Säule-II-Projekten. Sie binden entweder einen Teilnehmer aus diesem früheren Projekt ein oder weisen nach, dass Sie die IP-Rechte halten, um die Technologie weiterzuentwickeln.
EIC Transition gewährt einen reinen Zuschuss von bis zu 2,5 Millionen €, der 100 % Ihrer förderfähigen Kosten plus eine 25-%-Pauschale für indirekte Kosten abdeckt. Anders als beim EIC Accelerator gibt es keine Beteiligungskomponente und keine Kofinanzierungspflicht, sodass Sie das volle Eigentum an Ihrem Unternehmen behalten. Ein separater fester Booster-Zuschuss von bis zu 50.000 € ist zudem für ergänzende Kommerzialisierungsaktivitäten verfügbar.
Sie brauchen kein Konsortium. Einzelantragsteller sind voll förderfähig, und viele geförderte Projekte sind einzelne KMU, Spin-offs oder Forschungsorganisationen. Wenn Sie sich zusammenschließen, darf das Konsortium maximal 5 juristische Personen umfassen. Wählen Sie die Struktur, die zur Technologie passt, statt Partner nur hinzuzufügen, um größer zu wirken.
Es gibt einen einzigen Stichtag im Jahr 2026: den 16. September 2026. EIC Transition läuft als ein jährlicher Aufruf statt mehrerer Runden, ein Verpassen dieses Termins bedeutet also rund ein Jahr Wartezeit auf den nächsten. Das Gesamtbudget für den Aufruf 2026 beträgt 100 Millionen €.
Es ist hochkompetitiv. Im Aufruf 2025 wurden 40 Projekte aus 611 Einreichungen ausgewählt, eine Erfolgsquote von etwa 6,5 %. Weitere 228 starke Anträge erhielten ein Seal of Excellence, aber keine Förderung, weil das Budget erschöpft war – ein guter Antrag allein garantiert also kein Geld.
Die Bewertung dauert rund 3 Monate nach der Frist. Wenn Sie ausgewählt werden, kommen weitere 2 bis 3 Monate für die Vorbereitung der Finanzhilfe hinzu, sodass die Finanzhilfevereinbarung typischerweise um Monat 6 unterzeichnet wird und das Projekt um Monat 7 startet. Planen Sie Ihren Cashflow auf der Grundlage, dass die Förderung aus einer Einreichung im September im folgenden Frühjahr beginnt.
Sie brauchen einen glaubwürdigen Technologie-Reifeplan, der ein validiertes Laborergebnis (TRL 3 bis 4 beim Einstieg) bis zum Projektende auf TRL 5 oder 6 bringt. Gutachter wollen einen klaren Bezug zur früheren EU-geförderten Forschung, einen realistischen Weg zum Markt mit frühem Business Case und IP-Strategie sowie ein Team sehen, das sowohl die technische als auch die Kommerzialisierungsarbeit leisten kann. Vage Wissenschaft ohne Weg zu einem finanzierungsfähigen Produkt ist der häufigste Ablehnungsgrund.
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