With more than €1.424 million in funding, the EIC Work Programme is a framework designed to boost disruptive technologies, research, and the creation and growth of innovative companies in Europe. It is structured around five instruments: EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, EIC STEP Scale‑Up, and EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges. All of them share the same objective: supporting high‑risk technologies with strong potential for global impact.
Intellectual property plays an important role in almost all these instruments. In some cases, it constitutes a mandatory outcome; in others, it forms part of the eligible project costs; and in others it determines viability during the due‑diligence assessment. Below is a summary of each instrument.
EIC Pathfinder
This instrument aims to fund advanced scientific research that could give rise to radically new technologies (TRL 1‑4). It is designed for highly innovative ideas that are still in very early stages. Funding is provided through a lump‑sum model (single payment instead of partial payments or reimbursements), which allows greater flexibility in resource planning.
There are two modalities, Open (free topic) and Challenges (defined strategic topics), each with its own deadline and potential applicants. For the Open calls, the deadline is 12 May and applicants must form consortia of at least three independent EU entities. For Challenges, the deadline is 28 October and applicants may also be consortia, although in some cases fewer participants—or even single applicants—are allowed.
Since this is lump‑sum funding, intellectual property protection is considered a mandatory expected outcome. Therefore, actions such as patentability assessments, first patent filings or FTO analyses are eligible.
EIC Transition
This tool supports technologies that have already demonstrated proof of concept (TRL 3‑4) and moves them towards validation in a relevant environment. Funding is provided as a direct grant (up to €2.5 million), allowing technological, commercial and regulatory activities.
This call is open to startups, SMEs, universities, technology centres and individual entities, as well as consortia of two to five entities from different countries. It is a single call, open until 16 September. It is important to note that the funded technology must come from previous projects supported by programmes such as EIC Pathfinder or the European Defence Fund.
This instrument directly funds Intellectual Property activities, such as patent extension and expansion, advanced FTO, specialised legal consultancy, or exploitation strategies and IP agreements.
EIC Accelerator
The Accelerator instrument funds the scaling of deep innovations (TRL 6‑8) with the potential to create or transform markets. With a three‑step process (short proposal, full proposal and jury interview), it offers grants and equity of up to €10 million. Several deadlines apply for full proposals: 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November. This call is open exclusively to SMEs and startups established in the EU or associated countries.
Regarding intellectual property, eligible costs include actions such as drafting and filing patents, detailed FTO studies or defending intangible assets.
EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges
This is a pilot instrument addressing high‑risk technological challenges, with a first phase providing €300,000 as lump‑sum funding. It follows a two‑phase model, with phase one in 2026 (idea maturation) and phase two in 2027. The deadline is approaching quickly: 26 February. The call is open to entities capable of addressing deep technological challenges with high scientific‑technical risk.
Again, since this is lump‑sum funding, initial IP protection can be included in phase one, such as patentability studies, FTO or protection strategies.
Conclusion
The EIC Work Programme 2026 reinforces the importance of intellectual property as a key success factor for any funded deep‑tech project, where IP becomes a strategic element defining competitiveness, freedom to operate, and long‑term exploitation capacity.
