The European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder programme funds research projects to develop breakthrough technologies. It supports early-stage R&D in science, technology, and deep-tech, aiming to disrupt markets, create new opportunities, and scale innovative solutions across Europe.
As of 2025, the EU has fully activated the transitional arrangement: CH organizations can participate in the EIC Pathfinder 2025 calls. Swiss participants should apply as "Beneficiary". At the approval, should the association agreement not be in place, SERI will fund the projects.
The call funds high-risk/high-gain projects, in any field of research and any topic, to develop the scientific basis to support the early development of groundbreaking technologies (TRL 1-4) with potential to create new markets &/or to provide solutions for global challenges.
The call is open to consortia composed of min. 3 applicants based at university or other legal entity (e.g. SMEs, start-up) from min. 3 different Member States (MS) or Associated Countries (AC). The formula 3(MS/AC)+CH partner/s is suggested to ensure full eligibility of the consortium.
Max. EUR 3M per project based on lump-sum scheme. Budget covers personnel & project-related costs incl. 25% OH. There is no max. project duration. The grant will cover 100% of both public & private entities’ project costs. The 2025 call expects to fund ~50 projects with ~EUR 142M in total.
Each proposal will be evaluated individually by 4 external experts (EIC evaluators). Their score will result from the weighted sum of the median scores from the 3 criteria (see below). The committee (EIC evaluators not involved in step 1) will decide the final score after a discussion.
The 3 evaluation criteria are: excellence (60%), impact (20%), quality & efficiency of the implementation (20%). In case of ex aequo, priority will be given to proposals with higher excellence score, gender balance among WPs leaders, n° of SMEs or geographical variety of the consortium.
The call funds high-risk/high-gain projects, within predefined thematic areas, to develop and scale up breakthrough technological solutions (TRL1-4). Projects will be selected to create a coherent portfolio that can achieve together the goals of each Challenge.
The call is open to consortia or single legal entities established in a MS or an AC, including CH. Consortia must involve at least 1 MS. CH candidates can apply either individually or as part of a consortium. Either way, their budget is covered by SERI financial guarantee.
• Biotech for climate resilient crops & plant-based biomanufacturing• Generative-AI based agents to revolutionize diagnosis & treatment of cancer• Towards autonomous robot to collaboratively perform complex construction tasks• Circular production of renewable fuels, chemicals & materials
Max. EUR 4M per project based on lump-sum scheme. The same funding rules of Open apply. Duration varies according to thematic challenge. The grant covers 100% of both public & private entities’ project costs. The 2025 call expects to fund ~30 projects with ~EUR 120M in total.
In step 1 each proposal will be evaluated individually by 3 EIC evaluators. In step 2 the evaluation committee (EIC evaluators not involved in step 1 & the Programme Manager), will select the proposals to create the best portfolio of projects that can achieve the objectives of the Challenge.
Proposals are evaluated in step 1 according to the same criteria of Pathfinder Open. Those who reach the criteria thresholds are admitted to step 2 where each proposal is assessed based on their complementarity with the other projects submitted.
Learn more about the EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2025 call and register now for the info day to be held in presence, in Brussels on 4 April 2025, from 09:00 to 13:00.
Have a look at EIC projects already approved. The EIC Success Stories database allows you to filter by EIC programme and grants you access to the abstracts. Contact the Research Service (servizio.ricerca@usi.ch) to get support with your budget and overall application
