17 May EUROPEAN INNOVATION COUNCIL: EIC PATHFINDER

The new EU’s key funding programme HORIZON EUROPE, with a budget of 95.5 billion euros to promote the European competitivity and growth during the 2021-2027 period, presents various novelties respect to the previous programme H2020: the new Missions, a more integrated and transversal Open Science concept, new Partnerships, and the creation of the European Innovation Council (EIC).

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has a total budget of 10.1 billion euros to identify breakthrough technologies and support game changing innovations to create new markets and scale up internationally, from early-stage research (EIC Pathfinder), to proof of concept (EIC Transition), technology transfer (European Innovation Ecosystems), and the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs (EIC Accelerator).

WHAT DOES EIC PATHFINDER INCLUDE?

Among the 1.7 billion € for 2022, 350 million € are destinated to theEIC Pathfindercalls to support multi-disciplinary research teams that develop bold ideas and undertake visionary research that goes beyond what is already known, andwith the potential to lead to technology breakthroughs.

 

EIC Pathfinder Research proposals are expected to be low-TRL (TRL 1-4) cutting-edge science and technological breakthroughs, where high-risk / high gain concepts are welcome. Proposals must be carried out within European consortia (at least 3 participants from 3 different EU countries) and present interdisciplinary collaborations.

EIC Pathfinder applicants’ profile includes visionary scientists and entrepreneurial researchers from universities, research organisations, start-ups, high-tech SMEs.

Among these calls, it is worth mentioning the Strategic EIC Pathfinder Challenges, with deadlines on 19^th October 2022 and a max. budget per proposal of 4 million €. In 2022, 167 million € are allocated to tackle six challenges:

• Cardiogenomics, to (1) identify multiple variants or pathogenic mutations that have actionable effects on the practice of cardiology, (2) improve prevention, diagnosis  and treatment via genetic testing and (3) accelerate the implementation of personalised care in cardiovascular diseases.
• Towards the healthcare continuum: technologies to support a radical shift from episodic to continuous healthcare, to transform the current symptom-triggered healthcare system into an unobtrusive and proactive health monitoring (technology and practitioners) and continuously accompanied healthcare systems.
• DNA-based digital data storage to identify a range of new techniques and uses for DNA-based data storage, including standardisation of the field and benchmarks to gauche progress.
• Carbon dioxide and nitrogen management and valorisation to develop, via new biological, chemical, physical routes, a proof of concept or lab-scale validated innovative technology that will manage and/or valorise carbon dioxide or nitrogen (or both at the same time) into value-added net zero commodities, chemicals, fuels or energy vectors. 
• Mid to long term and systems integrated energy storage to provide solutions that will optimise European energy storage by enabling demand response strategies and capabilities to host higher penetration of intermittent renewable technologies.
• Alternative approaches to quantum Information processing, communication, and sensing to (1) exploit diverse non-classical information processing technologies platforms, (2) generate the future information processing, communication, and sensing technologies on ground and in space; and (3) establish the synergetic collaboration with existing European platforms, infrastructures, and innovation eco-systems in quantum technology.

CONTACTICA: EXPERIENCE GAINED ON THE BASIS OF GOOD RESULTS

With over 10 years of experience in diverse Research and Development (R&D) fields, including health, agri-food, biotechnology, environment and eco-innovation, energy and materials, CONTACTICA has extensive experience in the submission of this type of European consortium proposals, and has already obtained funding for more than 30 projects. Some of our latest awarded projects in 2021 are:

• NeoGiANT, a 9.3 million € H2020 project for the “Development of Grape-based products to prevent the antibiotics use in farm animals”.
• DELICIOUS, a 2.9 million € PRIMA 2021 project for “Understanding the consumer food choices & promotion of healthy and sustainable Mediterranean diet and lifestyle in children and adolescents through behavioural change actions”.
• MAST3RBOOST, a 5.9 million € project, awarded in the first edition of Horizon Europe calls (HE2021) for the “Maturing the production standards of ultraporous structures for high density hydrogen storage bank operating on swinging temperatures and low compression”.
• CALIMERO, a 3.5 million € project also funded in the first edition of Horizon Europe calls (HE2021) for the “Industry case studies analysis to improve environmental performance and sustainability of bio-based industrial processes”.

You can check the full list of our funded projects here.

CONTACTICA has created an exceptional network of partners at national and international level and the knowledge about suitable financing sources for each client. Our working method aims that our customers get the best results from their projects, minimizing investment through access to sources of direct funding (public financing).

CONTACTICA provides a wide range of services for Research and Development projects. We accompany you throughout the entire proposal submission process, from the concept validation of the project, to the proposal writing and support in the submission process.  

In addition, CONTACTICA offers project management, communication and dissemination and sustainability service for R&D projects, optimizing the project impact.