EIC Pathfinder Open 2026: limited funding, high competition and next steps for applicants
27th May 2026 at 10:35 am
The deadline of the EIC Pathfinder Open in Horizon Europe closed on 12 May 2026, with a total of 2,103 proposals submitted, demonstrating a continued strong interest from the research and innovation community. With an indicative budget of €166 million and a recommended EU contribution of up to €4 million per project, the EIC is expected to fund approximately 40 to 50 projects this year.
The high number of submissions once again confirms that the EIC Pathfinder Open remains one of the most competitive funding opportunities for early-stage, high-risk/high-gain research in Europe. The scheme supports ambitious projects aiming to develop the scientific basis for breakthrough technologies, with a bottom-up approach open to any field of science, technology or application. As in previous years, demand is expected to far exceed the available budget. Applicants will therefore need to demonstrate not only an ambitious long-term vision, but also a clear science-towards-technology breakthrough, a credible methodology and a strong interdisciplinary consortium.
Results expected in autumn 2026
The evaluation process is already underway, with the results expected to be communicated in October 2026. The first successful projects are then expected to start in early 2027. As many of the high-quality proposals are expected not to be funded (this year), a resubmission in 2027 might be worth considering in case of a high score. Next year’s deadline will be known once the 2027 EIC Work Programme is published toward the end of the year. At the same time, applicants should also assess whether alternative European funding opportunities may provide a better strategic fit for their project.
Looking for alternative calls?
While the EIC Pathfinder Open remains the flagship funding instrument for breakthrough technologies, some project concepts may align well with the more targeted EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026 topics. In certain cases, proposals originally written for the Pathfinder Open can be strategically repositioned toward a Challenge topic, particularly where there is strong alignment with a predefined technological objective or application area. EIC Pathfinder Challenges scheme follows a more thematic approach while still supporting low-TRL, visionary and high-risk research. Depending on the project scope and maturity, Pathfinder Challenges may therefore represent an attractive alternative route with a different competitive landscape.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026 call, with a deadline of 22 July 2026, covers the following topics:
1. Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems
2. Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing
3. DeepRAP: Deep Reasoning, Abstraction & Planning towards trustworthy Cognitive AI Systems
If your proposal does not fit into one of the challenges, you may want to have a closer look at the Horizon clusters:
- Cluster 1 – Health
- Cluster 2 – Culture, Creativity & Inclusive Society
- Cluster 3 – Civil Security for Society
- Cluster 4 – Digital, Industry & Space
- Cluster 5 – Climate, Energy & Mobility
- Cluster 6 – Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment
The 2026-2027 Horizon Europe Work Programme offers a wide range of upcoming call topics for Research and Innovation Actions. While many Cluster topics are quite specific, some calls offer more open-topic opportunities in Cluster 3, such as HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-SSRI-01: Open topic on supporting disruptive technological call (deadline 05 November 2026). Some open-topic opportunities are also available, particularly in Cluster 2, Cluster 3 and Cluster 6. For applicants planning to adjust their Pathfinder Open proposal, these will require a more advanced Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The challenge for any consortia planning to resubmit their proposal will be to find the right call within the plenty of opportunities that the 2026-2027 Work Programme offers.
Our track record
With years of hands-on experience in preparing successful proposals, we have become a trusted partner for ambitious researchers applying to the EIC Pathfinder programme. Our team at accelopment brings extensive experience in supporting ambitious research and innovation proposals across EIC Pathfinder and wider Horizon Europe funding opportunities. Our track record extends back to the FET programme in Horizon 2020, the predecessor of EIC Pathfinder, and continues with successful EIC Pathfinder proposals, including BoneOscopy, POLINA, PIONEAR, PEARL-DNA, and CORENET. Beyond Pathfinder, we also bring experience in Horizon Europe Health, sustainability and interdisciplinary Pillar II projects, allowing us to support applicants across a wider European funding landscape.
Whether you are preparing a first submission or considering a resubmission strategy, we provide tailored support across strategic grant planning, impact development, consortium structuring and proposal writing. As in many of our successful collaborations, we can also participate as a project partner supporting communication, dissemination, exploitation and project management activities.
Our team is ready to help transform your breakthrough idea into a strong and compelling proposal. Get in touch with our experts to discuss how our experience can strengthen your application.
Dr. Eva Avilla Royo
Research & Innovation Project Manager
Andreia Cruz
Research & Innovation Project Manager