The European Innovation Council (EIC) has received an unprecedented 2,087 project proposals under the EIC Pathfinder Open 2025 call, involving participants from 71 countries. The call closed earlier this week on 21 May 2025, with applicants collectively requesting over €6.23 billion in grant funding— demonstrating the growing demand for support in transformative, high-risk research. This marks an impressive 86.5% increase in submissions compared to last year, highlighting the rapidly rising interest in the programme.
With a total indicative budget of €142 million, the EIC expects to fund a selection of the most promising proposals. The average EU grant requested per project stands at approximately €2.99 million. The evaluation process is now underway, with results expected to be announced in October 2025.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2025 call opens on 28 July, with submissions due by 29 October, targeting specific breakthrough technologies. Full details will be outlined in the EIC Work Programme.
Source: European Innovation Council| News (https://tinyurl.com/bdd32p3b)