Cracking the portfolio logic of the EIC Pathfinder Challenge on biotechnology for healthy ageing

4th May 2026 at 4:20 pm

Inside this year’s EIC Pathfinder Challenges call HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES, the Challenge on biotechnology for healthy ageing is not a conventional health call. It is designed to fund high-risk, high-gain research that translates decades of ageing biology research into tangible interventions. With Europe’s ageing population accelerating and healthy life years stagnating, the European Commission is targeting the root causes of age-related diseases rather than individual conditions.

For applicants to this specific Challenge topic, success depends not only on scientific excellence, but on understanding how your proposal fits into a portfolio of complementary breakthroughs rather than standing alone. With six months left until the deadline on 28 October 2026, now is the time to start outlining the project idea and drafting a competitive proposal.

Why this challenge matters now: from ageing biology to intervention

The biotechnology for healthy ageing challenge is grounded in a clear policy and scientific gap. While ageing mechanisms are increasingly well understood, translation into clinical solutions remains limited due to validation, timing of intervention and implementation barriers. To fulfil its broader ambition to reduce the burden of chronic diseases linked to ageing, enable healthy longevity, not just longer life expectancy and advance personalised and preventive healthcare systems, the EIC is explicitly targeting interventions that:

• Address fundamental molecular or cellular processes of ageing
• Demonstrate impact beyond a single disease
• Move towards clinically actionable solutions

Portfolio logic: why being excellent is not enough

After the initial evaluation, proposals are first assessed on their own merits against the standard award criteria. However, this is only the starting point. In a second step, all proposals above the threshold are mapped into specific categories listed above. From there, the evaluation committee assesses how these proposals relate to each other in terms of complementarity, diversity and overall contribution to the challenge objectives. As thoroughly explained in the Challenge guide, proposals are therefore chosen according to how well they contribute to a coherent and balanced portfolio. As a result, a highly ranked proposal may still be rejected if it is too similar to others already selected, while a slightly lower-ranked proposal may be funded because it fills a critical gap or introduces a complementary perspective within the portfolio.

The EIC is deliberately constructing a portfolio that spans different ageing mechanisms, disease areas and technological approaches. This ensures that the portfolio collectively addresses the complexity of ageing from multiple angles, rather than concentrating resources on a narrow set of solutions. At the same time, the portfolio composition is tightly managed, with clear limits on the number of projects per category, which further reinforces the need for differentiation.

For applicants, this has important strategic implications. It is not sufficient to demonstrate that your project is scientifically strong. You must also clearly position it within the expected portfolio landscape. This involves identifying the specific gap your project addresses, explaining how it complements other potential approaches, and highlighting where synergies with other projects could emerge. Proposals that make this positioning explicit are far more likely to resonate with evaluators in the second selection step, where portfolio coherence becomes the decisive factor.

Proposal essentials: how to stay competitive

To position a strong proposal in the biotechnology for healthy ageing challenge:

• Anchor your concept in ageing biology, not disease endpoints
• Demonstrate proof-of-concept at TRL 3-4, with credible validation models
• Show generalisability and scalability of your approach
• Integrate regulatory, ethical and societal dimensions early
• Map your project to the portfolio categories and subcategories explicitly
• Design for collaboration, not isolation

Our experience with the Pathfinder Challenge project PEARL-DNA

PEARL-DNA is part of DigNA, a portfolio of projects funded under the 2022 EIC Pathfinder Challenge on DNA-based digital data storage. Through this portfolio, PEARL-DNA has helped strengthen Europe’s ecosystem via educational webinars and a range of collaborative activities (including international meetings and conference participation) connecting researchers, stakeholders and end-users while advancing knowledge in the field. Over the past year, partners have further reinforced collaboration through four dedicated working groups focusing on technical synergies, outreach, metrics and standardisation, and IP/exploitation.

Building on this momentum, the portfolio will host its final flagship event, “SCDNA26: from idea to applications” on 27 May 2026 during the Storage and Computing with DNA 2026 conference in Rome. Organised in collaboration by BioSistemika and accelopment, with support from the European Innovation Council, the session will bring together experts and end-users to explore the real-world potential of DNA-based data storage.

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

The biotechnology for healthy ageing challenge reflects a shift in EU funding towards systemic, high-impact health innovation. It is not just about developing new therapies, but about redefining how ageing is addressed at the biological, clinical and societal levels. For applicants, the key is to move beyond excellence in isolation and position your project as a critical piece of a broader innovation portfolio. Those who succeed will not only demonstrate breakthrough potential, but also clear strategic alignment with the EIC’s portfolio vision. 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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Andreia Cruz
Research & Innovation Project Manager

Dr. Eva Avilla Royo
Research & Innovation Project Manager