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Overview
The European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Booster is a small, fast bridge grant for teams the EU has already backed through EIC Pathfinder or EIC Transition. It pays a fixed €50,000 lump sum to explore whether research results have genuine commercial potential — market analysis, intellectual-property strategy, customer discovery, business-case work — and can be awarded up to three times per project. Think of it as Brussels saying: we funded your breakthrough research, now here is money to figure out whether it could become a product, a startup or a licence deal. It sits in the gap between Pathfinder (pure research, technology readiness levels 1–4) and Transition (validation, levels 4–6). The grants are administered by BOOST, a coordination and support action led by FundingBox with partners Splorotech, the Barcelona Mobile World Capital Foundation and 3URA, with a pot of roughly €6M targeting at least 100 grantees between 2025 and 2027. The crucial caveat: you cannot apply proactively. You must be recommended by your EIC Programme Manager following a project review — this is invitation-only.
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Success rates — the honest picture
Eligibility
- 1You are an EIC Pathfinder grantee (current or past)
- 2You are an EIC Transition grantee
- 3You are a beneficiary of a legacy FET-Open or FET-Proactive project
- 4You are a Technology Transfer Office (TTO) linked to an EIC project
- 5Your research has generated results with potential commercial value
- 6You must be recommended by your EIC Programme Manager — this is invitation-only, not an open call
- 7Booster money funds commercialisation exploration only, not core research activities
How to Apply
- 1
Deliver on your Pathfinder (or Transition) project — the Booster targets projects whose funded research has generated promising, exploitable results.
- 2
Get recommended by your EIC Programme Manager: they monitor project progress and, during periodic reviews, flag projects with commercial potential for a Booster grant. You cannot apply proactively.
- 3
Receive a formal invitation from the BOOST consortium (led by FundingBox) to submit a proposal on their dedicated platform — not the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
- 4
Submit a concise proposal covering the commercial potential of your results, your planned activities (market analysis, IP strategy, business case) and expected outcomes — far lighter than a full Pathfinder or Transition application.
- 5
Pass evaluation by 3 independent experts drawn from a database of 820+ reviewers: you need at least 2 of 3 GO votes.
- 6
Receive the €50K lump sum and run your commercialisation exploration, then submit a roughly 10-page final report on findings, market assessment and next steps.
2026 Deadlines
Key Features
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no open call and no application form on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Your EIC Programme Manager must recommend your project after a review, after which the BOOST consortium (led by FundingBox) invites you to submit a proposal on its platform. If you think your results qualify, raise the Booster explicitly with your Programme Manager at your next project review.
A fixed €50,000 lump sum per grant. Because it is a lump sum, there is no expense tracking, no timesheets and no budget breakdown — you receive the money on selection and submit a final report (roughly 10 pages) on what you achieved, not what you spent. A project can receive up to three Booster grants (€150K total) where duly justified.
Commercialisation exploration only: market analysis and sizing, IP strategy and freedom-to-operate assessments, business case development, customer discovery and validation, stakeholder engagement, and technology transfer planning. It cannot fund core research, equipment or infrastructure, permanent hires, or activities already covered by your Pathfinder grant.
Far gentler than any other EIC instrument. Your lightweight proposal is assessed by a panel of 3 independent experts drawn from a database of 820+ reviewers, and you need at least 2 of 3 GO votes. The evaluation focuses on commercial potential, the quality of your proposed activities for the €50K budget, and your team's capability to follow through. The selective step is the Programme Manager recommendation, not the proposal.
It is a bridge, not a destination. The Booster sits between Pathfinder research (TRL 1–4) and Transition validation (TRL 4–6), at roughly TRL 3–5. After your Booster activities you should know whether to apply for EIC Transition (up to €2.5M to validate the technology), aim for the EIC Accelerator's blended finance if you are further along (TRL 5+), pursue licensing through your technology transfer office, spin off a company, or park commercialisation if the market is not ready.
No fixed deadlines — the scheme runs on a rolling, invitation-only basis from 2025 through 2027, until the roughly €6M BOOST pot (targeting at least 100 grantees) is exhausted. The practical implication: respond promptly when invited rather than waiting for a cut-off that does not exist.
Past as well as current EIC Pathfinder grantees are in scope, as are EIC Transition grantees, legacy FET-Open and FET-Proactive beneficiaries, and technology transfer offices linked to an EIC project. Eligibility still flows through the Programme Manager recommendation, so the practical route for a completed project is to contact your Programme Manager about exploitable results.
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