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The EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges (Pilot) support high-risk, demand-driven deep tech innovation with transformative potential, particularly in areas where there is extensive research but a lack of commercial uptake. The central idea is simple: breakthrough technology is not enough on its own. To reach the market faster, innovations need early pressure-testing against demand, users, and real-world constraints. This pilot is intended to generate evidence on whether competitive, stage-gated support and earlier demand-side integration can produce faster validation, more efficient innovation cycles, and stronger market adoption than traditional funding instruments.
Funding is divided into two stages:
Stage 1 (2026):€300,000 lump sum Up to nine months
Focus: prepare and benchmark breakthrough solutions, explore feasibility and viability
Stage 2 (2027, for Stage 1 funded projects only): Up to €2.5 million lump sum Up to 2.5 years
Focus: further development of the most promising solutions and testing in real-world environments with the involvement of users
Extensive support beyond the grant Beneficiaries can access tailored Business Acceleration Services, including coaching and mentoring, networking, and access to ecosystem partners and peers. This is designed to improve readiness for adoption and commercial traction, not just technical progress.
Who can apply
Stage 1 (2026): A single legal entity established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country, if you are a start-up, SME, or research performing organisation (including universities, research or technology organisations, teams, Principal Investigators and inventors). Large companies that are not SMEs are not eligible to apply as a single entity.
Stage 2 (2027): Only proposals that were selected for funding under Stage 1 can apply. Applications may be submitted by a single eligible entity, or by small consortia (typically two independent legal entities from two different eligible countries, or up to three eligible independent legal entities following standard multi-beneficiary rules).
2026 Challenge topics
The pilot is structured around specific challenges shaped and steered by EIC Programme Managers with users and ecosystem actors. For 2026, challenge areas include:
Accelerating Physical AI: embodied intelligence for the next frontier of AI-powered robotics, aimed at accelerating integration, deployment and commercialisation
Translating NAMs into practice: accelerating adoption of New Approach Methodologies that can replace, reduce or refine animal use in testing, supporting teams bringing NAMs into real biomedical and commercial settings.
Deadlines
Stage 1 deadline: 26 February 2026, 17:00 Brussels local time
Stage 2 indicative deadline: 18 June 2027, 17:00 Brussels local time
How Inventya can help
Inventya supports innovators and research-led teams to move from “strong science” to “fundable and adoptable innovation” with a clear, assessor-friendly story.
For the EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges, we can help you:
- Position the breakthrough: articulate what is truly novel, why the current state of the art is insufficient, and what “transformative” looks like in measurable terms
- Build the stage-gated plan: define what you will benchmark in Stage 1, what success looks like, and how evidence will unlock Stage 2 readiness
- Strengthen demand and user integration: identify credible demand-side actors, structure meaningful involvement, and show how feedback will shape the solution and de-risk adoption
- Sharpen feasibility and viability: connect technical feasibility, regulatory or operational constraints, and the commercial route in a way that feels real, not hypothetical
- Create a compelling, consistent proposal: align the narrative, work plan, budget logic and impact case so assessors can quickly see clarity, credibility and momentum
With Inventya as your partner, your proposal reads as a focused programme built for real-world validation and uptake, not just an exciting piece of deep tech.
