On 9 February 2026, the European Innovation Council (EIC) announced the results of the 2025 EIC Transition call, selecting 40 new projects to receive major EU support aimed at moving cutting-edge research closer to real-world commercialisation. The announcement underscores the EU’s continued effort to strengthen Europe’s ability to translate excellent research into market-ready technologies, scalable companies, and globally competitive solutions.

The EIC Transition programme occupies a uniquely important position within the Horizon Europe funding landscape: it is specifically designed to bridge the gap between early-stage research breakthroughs and full-scale commercial market entry. Where many research programmes stop at scientific validation, the EIC Transition instrument is designed to push promising results toward real application by funding technology maturation, validation in relevant environments, and the creation of robust business plans.

40 Projects Selected from 611 Submissions

The 2025 EIC Transition call generated extremely high interest, receiving 611 submissions in total. This strong oversubscription reflects two key realities:

• Europe continues to generate a large pipeline of high-quality research results.
• The demand for scale-up and commercialisation funding remains far higher than the available budget.

This funding level is significant because it allows projects not only to run technical development activities but also to build commercial foundations, including market validation and structured business planning.

Strong Link to ERC Proof of Concept Results

One of the most strategically important aspects of the 2025 Transition call is the continued integration with other EU excellence programmes—particularly the European Research Council (ERC).

Out of the 611 submissions, 130 originated from ERC Proof of Concept projects. This indicates a strong pipeline: research teams are increasingly attempting to move beyond discovery and into application and commercialisation. The EIC Transition programme functions as a next-stage mechanism for the EU’s broader research-to-innovation pathway.

What EIC Transition Funding Actually Supports

The EIC Transition programme is not designed to merely “continue research.” Its purpose is to create the conditions for technologies to survive outside of the lab and inside real markets. The programme supports:

In practice, this includes activities such as:

• Advancing technology readiness
• Demonstrating performance in application-relevant settings
• Reducing technical risk and uncertainty
• Identifying and validating early customers
• Developing go-to-market strategies
• Clarifying regulatory or permitting pathways
• Structuring the commercial plan around a specific application

No Thematic Restrictions: A Key Strength

A defining feature of the EIC Transition instrument is that it has no predefined thematic restrictions. The programme explicitly welcomes proposals from:

• All fields of science
• All fields of technology
• All fields of application

This allows the EIC to capture breakthrough opportunities—from advanced cryptography hardware to biotech solutions for IVF—that might not neatly fit into standard categories.

A Major First: 228 Seals of Excellence Awarded

A major development in the 2025 call is the introduction of a large number of Seals of Excellence. For the first time, 228 Seals were attributed to proposals assessed as excellent but unable to receive funding due to budget limits.

"The Seal of Excellence acts as a credibility and due diligence signal, helping high-quality projects avoid 'dying' purely due to budget limitations."

This tool formally recommends these projects for support from other EU, national, or regional sources, facilitating cooperation between different funding layers.

Examples of Selected Projects

1. BELFORT ASIC: Making Fully Homomorphic Encryption Practical

Focuses on processing sensitive data without exposing it during computation. While Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) allows computation on encrypted data, it has historically been too slow.

• The Innovation: A new hardware accelerator designed to speed up encrypted computation.
• Impact: Performance improvements of up to 2000 times compared to general-purpose processors.
• Sectors: Finance, healthcare, and government.

2. OFFSPRING: Improving IVF Outcomes

Tackles the low success rates of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) by focusing on the metabolic needs of eggs.

• The Innovation: A strategy to improve the development potential of each fertilised egg rather than just selecting the best embryos.
• Goal: Larger numbers of high-quality embryos and higher pregnancy success rates.

3. EASY: Sustainable Ammonia Production

A sustainable alternative to the carbon-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Using the Atmonia process, it produces ammonia from air and water.

• The Innovation: Operates without high pressure or temperature and uses renewable energy.
• Outcome: Operating prototype ready for farm-level demonstration and decentralised fertiliser production.

Background: Eligibility & Funding Focus

Eligible Research Results

To ensure the programme builds on validated research, results must originate from:

• EIC Pathfinder & FET (Future and Emerging Technologies)
• ERC Proof of Concept projects
• Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges / Leadership in Industrial Technologies
• Horizon Europe Pillar II (with eligible TRL)
• European Defence Fund (EDF) projects (for civil/dual-use applications)

Ecosystem Support

Beyond the €2.5 million grant, selected projects gain access to:

• Business Acceleration Services: Coaching, mentoring, and partnering events.
• Fast-Track to EIC Accelerator: Supporting commercialisation and later-stage market growth.

All EIC Transition Winners