EIC Pathfinder Open – Lessons from the 2025 results and what’s next for 2026
5th February 2026 at 11:48 am
The EIC Pathfinder Open remains the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) flagship instrument for funding visionary, high-risk research with the potential to create entirely new technological trajectories. The 2025 call once again demonstrated the programme’s competitiveness, its appetite for radical ideas and its strict interpretation of “breakthrough” innovation. With the success rate for 2025 just above 2%, the EIC Pathfinder Open remains one of the most competitive funding schemes under Horizon Europe. For this year, the EIC 2026 Work Programme introduces refinements that applicants should carefully consider when preparing future proposals. This blog distils key lessons from the 2025 EIC Pathfinder Open and highlights what changes and what remains fundamentally the same for the 12 May 2026 deadline.
Trends in EIC Pathfinder Open success rates
The 2025 EIC Pathfinder Open call attracted unprecedented attention with 2,087proposals submitted from 71 countries, a new record in the history of the funding instrument. In total, more than €140 million were awarded to 44 funded projects. In earlier years, the number of submitted proposals remained fairly stable, but increased in 2025 significantly. Due to the budget limitations, the number of funded projects stayed low and did not rise in line with submissions.
As a result, the success rate has seen a sharp decline. After hovering at a relatively stable level for several years, it dropped steeply from 2024 onwards and reached its lowest point in the latest call (2.1%). This trend shows that competition has become much tougher: more proposals are entering the evaluation process, but funding availability has not expanded at the same pace. For applicants, this development is a strong signal that the EC needed to become increasingly selective. Standing out requires not only scientific excellence, but also exceptional ambition, a clear exploitation plan and a precise description of the impact and potential transformative positive effects that the envisioned new technology would have.
Looking closely at the 2025-approved projects
In the 2025 EIC Pathfinder Open call, 44 projects were funded, spanning a wide range of scientific and technological domains. The most prominent, with 13 funded projects, is quantum and photonics. Other topics with multiple projects include medical technology (n=9), environmental, agricultural and ecological engineering (n=7), materials (n=4), cancer (n=4), and energy (n=1). While this implies a preference towards the Digitalisation and Green Deal-related topics, we note that the funded projects within each category remain highly diverse.
The funded consortia reflect the collaborative nature of Pathfinder research and bring together a mix of organisations. Universities represent almost half of all partners (48%), complemented by other research organisations (25%) and strong participation from private companies (27%). Most funded projects fall within a standard duration of 36 to 48 months and, surprisingly, the average EU grant per project was €3.7 million, which is above the EC’s suggested budget of €3 million per proposal that had been maintained to a greater extent since 2021. This shift is now formally reflected in the 2026 Work Programme, where the maximum EIC Pathfinder Open contribution has been increased to €4 million per project, replacing the previous €3 million indicative budget.
Key changes for applicants preparing for the 2026 call
The EIC Work Programme 2026 introduces critical adjustments that applicants should consider early in the proposal writing stage. Beyond the increase in overall budget to €166 million and the indicative maximum to €4 million per project, there are several other changes in the 2026 Work Programme, summarised in the table below.
Our Pathfinder journey – from FET to EIC success
With years of hands-on experience in preparing successful proposals, we have become a trusted partner for ambitious researchers applying to the EIC Pathfinder Open. Having already supported the preparation of five successful Pathfinder projects in Horizon Europe – CORENET, PEARL-DNA, POLINA, PIONEAR and BoneOscopy – our team at accelopment is well-equipped to craft a proposal that captures the evaluators’ attention. Our track record extends back to the FET programme in H2020, the predecessor of the EIC Pathfinder, where we contributed to pioneering projects CLASSY, FRINGE and Lumiblast.
If you are considering a resubmission or developing a new proposal, we offer tailored support, including proposal reviews, strategic input on impact and hands-on guidance throughout every step of the process. As in many of our successful collaborations, we can also be a project partner providing support in the efficient management of the project and the communication and exploitation of project results.
Our team is ready to help you transform your innovative ideas into a strong and compelling project proposal. Don’t hesitate to get in touch and discover how our experience can strengthen your Pathfinder application.
Andreia Cruz
Research & Innovation Project Manager
Dr. Eva Avilla Royo
Research & Innovation Project Manager