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Reimagining medical diagnostics with GenAI – how to stand out in HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-02


25th June 2025 at 2:46 pm



Blog series 3/6: Pathfinder 2025

The European Innovation Council wants to radically improve how we diagnose and treat cancer. With the 2025 Pathfinder Challenge “Generative-AI based Agents to Revolutionise Medical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer” (HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-02), the EIC is calling for groundbreaking ideas that combine the power of GenAI with real clinical utility. With a deadline on 29 October and up to €4 million funding, now is the time to start building a consortium and outlining the project idea. If your GenAI concept goes beyond the obvious and combines deep tech with medical impact, read on.

What kind of GenAI agents is the EIC looking for?

The EIC is looking for interactive GenAI-based agents or super-agents that can accompany patients and clinicians along the entire clinical pathway, from early risk prediction to personalised treatment.

The goal is to create autonomous agents that act as intelligent partners for clinicians. The super-agent concept refers to a system of AI agents working in combination to support full-spectrum clinical decisions, from early detection to treatment selection. These agents should:

In addition, the EIC encourages the integration of other advanced AI approaches, such as:

Pro tip: Make sure your concept is not just technically novel but also aligned with the idea of a system that supports clinicians throughout the entire patient journey.

How to hit the challenge: Key requirements

Projects must focus on one of the following cancers: breast, cervical, ovarian, prostate, lung, brain, stomach or colorectal. Each proposal must address both of the following areas, choosing at least one sub-objective from each:

Area 1: Technological area

Area 2: Clinical area

Projects that address only one of the two areas or other cancer types will be considered “out” of scope.

Pro tip: Clearly map your concept to the tackled objectives from each area and explain why your selected cancer type is suitable for high-risk, high-gain research.

Beyond the research: what makes a strong application

To compete, your proposal should:

Applicants should plan to use and contribute to the Cancer Image Europe platform and align with the EU Health Data Space metadata standards (Health DCAT-AP).

Pro tip: Build trust by showing how your models will be transparent, reproducible and clinically meaningful, not just technically impressive.

Collaboration and portfolio building

The Challenge will fund a portfolio of projects that collectively deliver a toolkit of validated agents and models. The EIC Programme Manager will support shared planning and collaboration. Portfolio goals include:

Pro tip: Mention how your team will contribute to one or more of these collaborative elements and benefit from portfolio-level resources.

Does your idea fit the call topic? Get in touch with us!

This is one of the most strategically ambitious health challenges in the Horizon Europe programme. If you have a radical idea for an interactive GenAI agent that integrates data, makes predictions and improves clinical decision-making, this is your call. Projects should be early-stage and high-risk, focusing on foundational research (TRL 1 to 4) rather than incremental product upgrades. Don’t play it safe – show how your idea breaks new ground and contributes to a European lead in next-generation diagnostics.

We at accelopment have successfully supported the preparation of multiple Pathfinder Challenge and Open proposals, including the ongoing PEARL-DNA, BoneOscopy, POLINA, PIONEAR and CORENET projects. With many years of proposal writing experience, we can support you through your application process and during the implementation of your funded Pathfinder Challenge project. Have a look at our Proposal Writing, Project Management and Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation services and contact our EIC Pathfinder experts to discuss how we can best support you with your proposal and ambition.

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Dr. Eva Avilla Royo
Research & Innovation Project Manager

Andreia Cruz
Research & Innovation Project Manager

Blog series 3/6: Pathfinder 2025