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Overview
De EIC Pathfinder Booster van de European Innovation Council (EIC) is een kleine, snelle overbruggingssubsidie voor teams die de EU al heeft gesteund via EIC Pathfinder of EIC Transition. Het keert een vast forfaitair bedrag van € 50.000 uit om te onderzoeken of onderzoeksresultaten een echt commercieel potentieel hebben — marktanalyse, intellectuele-eigendomsstrategie, klantonderzoek, business-case-werk — en kan tot driemaal per project worden toegekend. Zie het als Brussel dat zegt: we hebben jullie baanbrekende onderzoek gefinancierd, en hier is nu geld om uit te zoeken of het een product, een startup of een licentiedeal kan worden. Het bevindt zich in het gat tussen Pathfinder (zuiver onderzoek, technology readiness levels 1–4) en Transition (validatie, levels 4–6). De subsidies worden beheerd door BOOST, een coördinatie- en ondersteuningsactie onder leiding van FundingBox met de partners Splorotech, de Barcelona Mobile World Capital Foundation en 3URA, met een budget van ongeveer € 6 miljoen voor minstens 100 begunstigden tussen 2025 en 2027. De cruciale kanttekening: je kunt niet proactief aanvragen. Je moet worden aanbevolen door je EIC-programmamanager na een projectbeoordeling — dit gaat uitsluitend op uitnodiging.
De Booster is de zeldzame EU-subsidie waarbij het lastige deel niet de aanvraag is.
Is this for you?
- EIC Pathfinder grantee (current or recent)
- EIC Transition grantee — max 1 Booster
- Legacy Horizon 2020 project: EIC pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open, FET-Proactive
- Technology Transfer Office or inventor linked to an EIC project
- Research results worth a commercial test (roughly TRL 3–5)
- No existing EIC/FET grant → EIC Pathfinder (this is invitation-only, no open call)
- Need real validation money, not €50K → EIC Transition (up to €2.5M)
- Startup past the lab, seeking grant + equity → EIC Accelerator
- Want to fund more research → Pathfinder Open (grants up to €4M)
You cannot apply cold. An EIC Programme Manager must recommend you after a project review; the BOOST consortium then invites you to submit. TRL = Technology Readiness Level, the EU's 1–9 scale from basic idea to proven product.
Success rates — the honest picture
| Metric | Figure | Where it's stated |
|---|---|---|
| Total BOOST budget (2025–2027) | €5,999,932.50 | CORDIS fact sheet, project 101192038 |
| Share cascaded to grantees | ≥83% (≈€5M) | CORDIS fact sheet |
| Target grantees by end-2027 | 100+ | CORDIS project objective |
| Maximum per grant | €50,000 | EIC Booster Grant Scheme rules |
| Cap per Pathfinder project | 3 grants / €150,000 | EIC Booster Grant Scheme rules |
| Cap per Transition project | 1 grant | EIC Booster Grant Scheme rules |
| Votes needed to win | 2 of 3 GO | EIC Booster Grant Scheme rules |
No applicants-vs-funded statistics exist — selection is invitation-based and first-come, first-served, so a 'success rate' in the Accelerator sense isn't published. The real filter is whether your Programme Manager recommends you at all.
Eligibility
- 1Je bent een EIC Pathfinder-begunstigde (huidig of voormalig)
- 2Je bent een EIC Transition-begunstigde
- 3Je bent een begunstigde van een eerder FET-Open- of FET-Proactive-project
- 4Je bent een bureau voor technologieoverdracht (TTO) verbonden aan een EIC-project
- 5Je onderzoek heeft resultaten met potentiële commerciële waarde opgeleverd
- 6Je moet worden aanbevolen door je EIC-programmamanager — dit gaat uitsluitend op uitnodiging, geen open oproep
- 7Booster-geld financiert alleen commercialisatieverkenning, geen kernonderzoeksactiviteiten
Booster grants are awarded outside any call for proposals (under Article 47(2) of the Horizon Europe Regulation). You must first be invited, and the invitation only follows one of three triggers: a positive recommendation from your EIC (European Innovation Council) Programme Manager, the outcome of a project review, or participation in the EIC Tech2Market Business Acceleration Services — specifically the Business Validation or Venture Building programmes. Cold applications do not exist in this scheme; cultivate your Programme Manager relationship early.
The applicant pool is wider than most assume: EIC Awardees themselves, their Technology Transfer Offices, EIC Inventors, and other third parties — provided they hold the necessary access rights or have been formally entrusted with the task by the awardee. Affiliated entities participating in the Pathfinder or Transition project also count. Legacy projects qualify too: grants resulting from certain EIC pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open and FET-Proactive calls (Future and Emerging Technologies, the Horizon 2020 predecessor) are explicitly in scope.
A maximum of three Booster grants per EIC Pathfinder project, and a maximum of one per EIC Transition project. More can be awarded only in exceptional and duly justified cases. A Booster can go to an individual awardee or a group of awardees — but the quota attaches to the parent project, so consortium partners are effectively competing for the same allocation.
Booster grants do not fund research, activities already foreseen in the original project's description of action, or anything already funded by other EIC instruments. Eligible uses are commercialisation exploration (market analysis, IP consolidation, freedom-to-operate, business case development, testing with customers, spin-off preparation, incubator hosting) or portfolio activities across EIC projects. Double-dipping is the classic rejection ground.
Each proposal is assessed by a mixed committee of three: an EIC Programme Manager, an external expert from a trained pool, and either an EIC Project Officer or a second external expert. Each gives a GO or NO GO against the award criteria; at least two GOs are needed for selection. Rejected applicants may be invited to resubmit an adjusted proposal — but only at the committee's invitation, not as of right.
Innovation-activity Boosters are not paid by EISMEA (the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency) directly but by the BOOST consortium — a Coordination and Support Action coordinated by FundingBox Accelerator (Poland), selected under call HORIZON-EIC-2024-BOOSTER and running 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. It serves at least 100 EIC awardees on a first-come, first-served basis, so the practical constraint is budget exhaustion, not a deadline.
The money — a €50K invitation-only lump sum
The €50,000 is a fixed amount, not a reimbursement. You don't itemise costs or file timesheets; you deliver a final report of roughly 10 pages on what you achieved — market findings, next steps — not what you spent.
There are no cut-off rankings. Once invited, your proposal goes to a three-member committee — an EIC Programme Manager, an external expert, and an EIC Project Officer or second expert. Two GO votes out of three and you're funded, until the €6M pot runs dry. Speed matters once the invitation lands.
The money covers market analysis, intellectual-property strategy and freedom-to-operate checks, business-case work, customer discovery and technology-transfer planning. It does not pay for core research, equipment, or anything your Pathfinder grant already covers.
The European Commission funds the BOOST project — a Coordination and Support Action led by FundingBox (Poland) with FundingBox Communities, Splorotech, Barcelona Mobile World Capital Foundation and 3URA — which administers invitations, evaluation and payouts on the Commission's behalf.
How to apply — step by step
- 1Complete your Pathfinder project milestonesDuring your project
Continue your funded Pathfinder (or Transition) research. The Booster is designed for projects that have generated promising results with potential commercial value.
- 2Get a Programme Manager recommendationAfter a project review
Your EIC Programme Manager monitors your project's progress. During periodic reviews, they identify projects with exploitable results and recommend them for a Booster grant. You cannot apply proactively — you must be invited.
- 3Receive your invitation from the BOOST CSA1–2 weeks after recommendation
Once recommended, the BOOST consortium (led by FundingBox) sends you a formal invitation to submit a Booster proposal through their dedicated platform — not through the standard EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
BOOST platform → - 4Submit your Booster proposal2–4 weeks to prepare
Write a concise proposal outlining the commercial potential of your research results, your planned activities (market analysis, IP strategy, business case development), and expected outcomes. This is much lighter than a full Pathfinder or Transition application.
- 5Evaluation by a mixed review committee2–4 weekspass rate 2 of 3 GO votes required
Your proposal is assessed by a mixed committee of 3 reviewers — typically one EIC Programme Manager and independent external experts drawn from a pool of 820+ trained reviewers. You need at least 2 out of 3 'GO' votes to be selected. The evaluation focuses on commercialisation potential and quality of the proposed activities.
- 6Receive your lump sum and start activitiesImmediate after selection
Upon selection, you receive the €50K lump sum grant. Carry out your commercialisation exploration activities: market sizing, IP consolidation, business planning, stakeholder engagement.
- 7Submit final reportUpon completion
At the end of your Booster activities, submit a concise final report (~10 pages) describing your findings, market assessment, and recommended next steps. This informs your path to EIC Transition or Accelerator.
What evaluators look for
Commercial potential
The research results show clear potential for commercialisation or societal impact. There's an identifiable market or application domain.
- Clear identification of exploitable results from your Pathfinder project
- Evidence of market demand or societal need
- Plausible path from research to product/service
- Understanding of the competitive landscape
Quality of proposed activities
The proposed Booster activities are well-designed to explore and validate the commercial opportunity. Activities are realistic for the €50K budget.
- Concrete plan for market analysis or customer discovery
- IP strategy or freedom-to-operate assessment
- Business model canvas or preliminary business case
- Clear deliverables and timeline
Team capability
The applicant has the right skills and motivation to carry out the commercialisation exploration, or has identified external support (TTO, advisors).
- Relevant entrepreneurial or business development experience
- Connection to Technology Transfer Office or business support
- Commitment to follow through on Booster findings
- Plan for next steps after Booster (Transition, Accelerator, spin-off)
Documents you'll need
The overarching document covering all EIC instruments, including the Booster grant provisions for Pathfinder and Transition beneficiaries.
View documentOfficial description of the BOOST Coordination and Support Action (project 101192038) that administers Booster grants — coordinator FundingBox, ~€6M, 2025–2027, 100+ target grantees.
View documentOfficial EIC page covering the full Pathfinder pipeline, including the €50,000 Booster grants for testing commercialisation potential.
View documentHow lump sum grants work in Horizon Europe — applies to the €50K Booster payment.
View documentAfter you're funded
Booster activities are short — designed to answer one question: does this research have a commercial path? You run market analysis, customer discovery and IP groundwork, then decide.
Because the grant is a lump sum, the only deliverable is a final report of roughly 10 pages covering findings, market assessment and next steps. The BOOST consortium's final payment from the Commission hinges on report approval, so they will chase you for it.
BOOST follows up half a year after your grant ends to record what happened — spin-off, licence, follow-on application or shelf. Results feed a dashboard the Commission uses to judge the scheme.
The intended exits: EIC Transition (up to €2.5M to validate and demonstrate, TRL 4–6), EIC Accelerator (€2.5M grant plus equity if you're further along), licensing via your Technology Transfer Office, a spin-off — or an honest decision to park it.
The same EIC Programme Manager who recommended you manages the portfolio your project sits in. A good Booster outcome strengthens your hand for the next recommendation or portfolio activity.
Practical notes
The Pathfinder Booster is not a competitive open call you can enter on your own. Only EIC awardees who receive an EIC-endorsed invitation to submit are eligible, and that invitation follows a positive recommendation from your EIC Programme Manager or an EIC project review. Practically: the lever you control is your relationship with your Programme Manager, not a proposal deadline.
Day-to-day the scheme is operated as cascade (third-party) funding by the BOOST project (Bringing financial support to innovation and portfolio activities), which supports EISMEA in implementing EIC Booster Grants. Once invited, you submit via the official form provided under the invitation through BOOST's own IT system at one of the periodic cut-offs, not the standard Funding & Tenders Portal call page.
For Pathfinder Challenges, the Programme Manager builds a common roadmap across portfolio projects (shared data, joint market analysis, investor contacts) and brokers commercialisation routes including Booster grants. Boosters explicitly fund both commercialisation-pathway exploration AND portfolio activities — so framing your need in those terms during portfolio meetings and project reviews is what triggers the invitation.
Each Booster grant is a fixed amount not exceeding €50,000, awarded as a lump sum. Evaluation is by a 3-person committee (an EIC Programme Manager plus external experts); a proposal needs at least two GO votes to be selected, then passes admissibility and legal validation. It is deliberately fast and complementary funding — not a second research grant.
Who's been funded
The intermediary that runs the Pathfinder Booster scheme on the EIC's behalf, channelling roughly 83% of its budget straight to innovators as fixed €50,000 grants to at least 100 EIC awardees on a first-come, first-served basis.
Coordinated by France's CNRS, this Pathfinder project oxidises biomass-derived molecules to produce green hydrogen at a lower energy cost than splitting water; the type of awardee a Booster grant pushes toward commercialisation.
Run by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, it builds a solar-powered device that turns waste nitrates and carbon dioxide into useful chemicals such as urea, the kind of deep-tech result a Booster grant helps move to market.
Led by the University of Trento, this Pathfinder Open project builds a platform letting musicians in different places perform together in real time without perceptible lag, an awardee eligible for Booster top-up funding.
Coordinated by Spain's CSIC research council, it develops programmable photonic chips that fold tiny mechanical switches into silicon photonics for data centres and brain-inspired computing, a research result a Booster grant helps commercialise.
Key Features
Official links & resources
- EIC Pathfinder — official page (Booster grants section)
- EIC Booster Grant Scheme — rules on CORDIS
- BOOST project fact sheet on CORDIS
- BOOST project site (FundingBox consortium)
- EIC Work Programme 2026 (official page — always current version)
- EIC Programme Managers — who recommends you
- EIC Transition — the natural next step
Frequently Asked Questions
Nee. Er is geen open oproep en geen aanvraagformulier op de EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Je EIC-programmamanager moet je project aanbevelen na een beoordeling, waarna het BOOST-consortium (onder leiding van FundingBox) je uitnodigt om een voorstel in te dienen op zijn platform. Als je denkt dat je resultaten in aanmerking komen, breng de Booster dan expliciet ter sprake bij je programmamanager tijdens je volgende projectbeoordeling.
Een vast forfaitair bedrag van € 50.000 per subsidie. Omdat het een forfaitair bedrag is, is er geen kostenregistratie, geen urenstaten en geen budgetuitsplitsing — je ontvangt het geld bij selectie en dient een eindrapport (ongeveer 10 pagina's) in over wat je hebt bereikt, niet over wat je hebt uitgegeven. Een project kan tot drie Booster-subsidies ontvangen (in totaal € 150.000) waar dit naar behoren is gerechtvaardigd.
Uitsluitend commercialisatieverkenning: marktanalyse en -bepaling, IE-strategie en freedom-to-operate-beoordelingen, ontwikkeling van de business case, klantonderzoek en -validatie, betrokkenheid van stakeholders, en planning van technologieoverdracht. Het kan geen kernonderzoek, apparatuur of infrastructuur, vaste aanstellingen of activiteiten financieren die al door je Pathfinder-subsidie worden gedekt.
Veel milder dan welk ander EIC-instrument ook. Je lichtgewicht voorstel wordt beoordeeld door een panel van 3 onafhankelijke experts uit een database van 820+ beoordelaars, en je hebt minstens 2 van de 3 GO-stemmen nodig. De evaluatie richt zich op het commerciële potentieel, de kwaliteit van je voorgestelde activiteiten voor het budget van € 50.000 en het vermogen van je team om het waar te maken. De selectieve stap is de aanbeveling van de programmamanager, niet het voorstel.
Het is een brug, geen eindbestemming. De Booster bevindt zich tussen Pathfinder-onderzoek (TRL 1–4) en Transition-validatie (TRL 4–6), op ongeveer TRL 3–5. Na je Booster-activiteiten zou je moeten weten of je EIC Transition moet aanvragen (tot € 2,5 miljoen om de technologie te valideren), moet mikken op de blended finance van de EIC Accelerator als je verder bent (TRL 5+), licentieverlening via je bureau voor technologieoverdracht moet nastreven, een bedrijf moet afsplitsen, of commercialisatie moet uitstellen als de markt er nog niet klaar voor is.
Geen vaste deadlines — de regeling loopt doorlopend en uitsluitend op uitnodiging van 2025 tot en met 2027, totdat het BOOST-budget van ongeveer € 6 miljoen (gericht op minstens 100 begunstigden) is uitgeput. De praktische implicatie: reageer prompt wanneer je wordt uitgenodigd in plaats van te wachten op een einddatum die niet bestaat.
Zowel voormalige als huidige EIC Pathfinder-begunstigden komen in aanmerking, evenals EIC Transition-begunstigden, eerdere FET-Open- en FET-Proactive-begunstigden, en bureaus voor technologieoverdracht die aan een EIC-project zijn verbonden. De geschiktheid verloopt nog steeds via de aanbeveling van de programmamanager, dus de praktische route voor een afgerond project is om contact op te nemen met je programmamanager over exploiteerbare resultaten.
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