Deep Tech Commercialisation Grants Europe 2025: How to Win up to €2.5M from the EIC Transition Programme

If you have an EU‑funded research result that is too mature for basic science but not yet ready for investors, you are standing in the most dangerous place in innovation: the gap between lab and market.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition programme exists precisely for that gap.

This is not seed funding for an idea on a slide. It is serious money – up to €2.5 million in grant funding, plus optional booster micro‑grants – to turn a concrete EU‑funded research result into a validated technology and a credible business.

The 2025 call has a deadline of 23 April 2025, and if you are coming out of an EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe RIA, or similar, this may be the most relevant public funding you will see for years.

Done well, EIC Transition is your bridge from TRL 3–4 “promising in the lab” to TRL 5–6 “works in the real world with a business plan around it.”
Done badly, it is months of proposal writing and a polite rejection email.

This guide is here to maximise your odds of the first outcome.

EIC Transition at a Glance

What This Opportunity Actually Offers

Think of EIC Transition as a staged launchpad: it gives you money, time and brainpower to move from “we showed this once in a controlled lab” to “this works in a relevant environment, customers care, and we know how to take it to market.”

1. Substantial grant funding

You can request up to €2.5M in non‑dilutive funding. That funding is meant to cover both:

• Technology maturation: building prototypes, scaling processes, testing in realistic settings (e.g., clinical, industrial, field).
• Business and market readiness: customer discovery, regulatory work, IP strategy, pilot deployments, business model validation.

If your project needs less, ask for less. Reviewers can smell “we made up numbers to hit the ceiling” from a kilometre away.

On top of the main grant, there are booster grants (up to €50,000 each) for targeted activities, for example:

• Additional market studies in a new vertical.
• Extra IP analysis or freedom‑to‑operate work.
• Targeted technical consultancy to crack one nasty bottleneck.

These boosters are handy to explore side paths without derailing the main workplan.

2. From TRL 3–4 to TRL 5–6

EIC Transition is explicit about where it plays on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ladder:

• You must start from results that are at TRL 3 or TRL 4:
  • TRL 3: experimental proof of concept.
  • TRL 4: technology validated in the lab.
• By the end, you are expected to reach TRL 5 or 6:
  • TRL 5: technology validated in a relevant environment.
  • TRL 6: technology demonstrated in a relevant environment.

In plain language: the project should move beyond cool experiments and into the messier world of “real contexts, real constraints, real users.”

3. Business Acceleration Services

Money is half the story. The EIC also wraps your project in Business Acceleration Services (BAS), which can be as valuable as the cash if you use them well:

• Access to global partners (corporates, potential customers, end‑users).
• Coaches and mentors with experience in scaling deep tech.
• Training on investment readiness, pitch refinement, regulatory issues, and more.
• A network of peers, including other EIC‑funded teams further along the path.

If you are a research‑heavy team that hasn’t done much commercialisation before, these services can keep you from making expensive, time‑wasting mistakes.

4. EIC Transition Open – no thematic straightjacket

The EIC Transition Open strand has no predefined topics. Any field of science, technology or application can be eligible, as long as:

• It builds on eligible EU‑funded project results (more on that shortly).
• The commercial potential and technology logic are convincing.

So whether you are in quantum sensing, novel batteries, AI for manufacturing, agri‑biotech, medtech, photonics, or a hybrid deep‑tech mash‑up, you are not forced into someone else’s theme box.

Who Should Apply – and Who Should Not

This is a selective programme. It is not a general “innovation in Europe” pot; it is laser‑targeted at a specific profile.

Core eligibility in real terms

You are a good fit if:

1. You are a single eligible entity or a small consortium

   You can apply as:

   • A single organisation (mono‑beneficiary) established in an EU Member State or Associated Country, if you are:

     • An SME or start‑up.
     • A university, research or technology organisation.
     • A research team or PI intending to spin out a company.
     • Note: large companies cannot apply alone.

   • A small consortium:

     • Either two independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries, or
     • Three to five independent entities under standard Horizon rules (at least one in an EU Member State and two others from different eligible countries).

   Example: A university lab in Spain and a medtech SME in Germany teaming up around a shared Horizon 2020 result will look very natural here.

2. You are based in Europe (broadly defined)

   You must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. If you are unsure whether your country is associated, that is your first homework task.

3. You build on specific EU‑funded project results

   This is non‑negotiable. Your proposal must directly build on results from one of the following types of projects, at TRL 3 or 4:

   • EIC Pathfinder projects and their predecessors (FET‑Open, FET‑Proactive, FET Innovation Launchpad, etc.).
   • ERC Proof of Concept projects under Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe.
   • Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) under Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges or Leadership in Industrial Technologies, or under Horizon Europe Pillar II.
   • Research projects under the European Defence Fund (including its preparatory action) – but only for civil or dual‑use applications.
   • RIAs under the Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures parts.

   Proposals simply “inspired by” these projects are not enough; you need a clear, traceable link to specific results.

You are not a good fit if:

• Your core result did not come from an eligible EU‑funded project.
• Your technology is still at wild idea or basic science stage (below TRL 3).
• You are already at TRL 7–8 and what you really want is market entry capital (in that case, look at EIC Accelerator instead).

How the EIC Transition Selection Process Works

The EIC uses a three‑step process. You only move forward if you succeed at each stage:

1. Written proposal

   You submit a full proposal through the Funding & Tenders Portal before 23 April 2025.

   The core technical and commercial sections (cover page plus sections 1–3 of Part B) must fit within 22 A4 pages. That is tight for a multi‑partner, multi‑work‑package project, so structure is everything.

2. Expert evaluation

   Independent EIC expert evaluators assess your proposal against published criteria. If you pass the thresholds and rank highly enough, you are invited to an interview.

   This usually happens 11–13 weeks after the deadline, so think July–early August for the 2025 call.

3. Interview with an EIC Jury

   A panel of up to six jury members meets you (typically online), grills your team, and scores your project.

   You can expect to hear the result within about four weeks of the start of interviews.

Even if you are not funded, there are two useful outputs:

• An Evaluation Summary Report with feedback from the first step.
• If you met all thresholds but were not funded, a Seal of Excellence – which can help in national or regional funding calls that recognise it.

Insider Tips for a Winning EIC Transition Application

EIC Transition is competitive. You do not need to be perfect, but you do need to be clearly in the top slice of proposals. Here is how to tilt the odds.

1. Treat “transition” as a verb, not a label

Your entire story should answer one question:
“How exactly will we move these specific results from TRL 3–4 to TRL 5–6 while proving there is a business here?”

Spell out:

• What exists today (concrete result, data, IP).
• What will exist at the end (prototype, demonstrator, pilots, validated use cases).
• Why this journey is non‑trivial and interesting enough to fund.

If your proposal reads like a continuation of basic research, you will lose points fast.

2. Balance technology work and business work

Many teams over‑invest pages and budget into technical work packages and throw in a token work package on “market analysis” or “exploitation.”

Flip that mindset:

• Include serious tasks on customer discovery, regulatory mapping, IP strategy, go‑to‑market, and partnership building.
• Show you have preliminary market research already done: who might buy this, how they buy, what alternatives they use.

The EIC wants to fund things that can become companies, products, or at least licensable assets – not just elegant demonstrators.

3. Build a credible, mixed‑skill team

The call explicitly wants a motivated entrepreneurial team with:

• Researchers and technical experts.
• Business and product people.
• IP and regulatory know‑how where relevant.

If your current team is “three PIs and four postdocs,” that is not enough. Bring in:

• An SME co‑applicant.
• An entrepreneur‑in‑residence.
• An external advisor with prior exit / scale‑up experience.

Show who will actually drive commercialisation, not just publish papers.

4. Be precise with TRLs and milestones

Vague TRL talk is a red flag. Instead of “we will reach TRL 6,” write:

• “We start with lab‑validated performance on X at TRL 4.”
• “By month 18, we will operate a prototype in environment Y with metric Z stable over N hours, corresponding to TRL 5.”
• “By project end, we will run pilot demonstrations with two industrial partners, achieving TRL 6.”

Connect these milestones to specific work packages and budget lines.

5. Use the Business Acceleration Services strategically

Most proposals mention BAS in one line and move on. That is a missed opportunity.

Show you have thought about how you will use BAS:

• “We will use EIC coaching to refine our investment case ahead of a Series A.”
• “We aim to connect via BAS to corporate partners in sectors A and B.”
• “We will participate in BAS training on regulatory pathways for novel medical devices.”

This signals that you understand the ecosystem and intend to exploit it.

6. Prepare ruthlessly for the jury interview

If you are invited, the interview can make or break you.

• Rehearse a crisp 5–10 minute pitch that focuses on problem, solution, proof from prior EU project, transition plan, team, and commercial potential.
• Expect questions that test your market realism, not only your science.
• Bring someone who can answer blunt financial and business questions, not just technical ones.

A brilliant written proposal plus a weak interview equals “No‑GO.”

Building a Realistic Application Timeline

Working backwards from the 23 April 2025 deadline, here is a pragmatic schedule.

January – Early February 2025: Decide and organise

• Confirm that your underlying project is eligible (Pathfinder, ERC PoC, etc.) and that the TRL is around 3–4.
• Assemble your core team and partners and agree on who will coordinate.
• Block time in key people’s calendars. This is not a side hobby; expect 80–150 person‑hours for a solid submission.

Mid‑February – Mid‑March 2025: Design the project

• Shape the overall concept: objectives, work packages, main deliverables, TRL trajectory.
• Draft the exploitation and business strategy outline.
• Start building the budget; identify any co‑funding or in‑kind contributions.

Mid‑March – Early April 2025: Write, then write some more

• Produce a full first draft of Part B (all sections) and share it internally.
• Get at least one non‑technical colleague to read your Excellence and Impact sections. If they do not understand why this matters, reviewers probably will not either.
• Refine the work plan, making sure each task links clearly to TRL and business milestones.

Early – Mid‑April 2025: Polish and submit

• Tighten the text to respect the 22‑page limit without leaving gaps.
• Double‑check that the connection to the previous EU project is crystal clear on the cover page and in the narrative.
• Check every required field in the Funding & Tenders portal.
• Submit at least 48 hours before deadline to avoid portal drama.

After submission, use the waiting time to:

• Prepare short pitch decks and one‑pagers in case you are invited to interview.
• Line up letters of intent from potential customers or partners – these can be handy for the interview stage.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

You will find exact requirements in the official template, but expect at least:

• Part A (online forms): administrative data about applicants, budget tables, ethics, etc.
  Treat this as more than a formality; inconsistencies with Part B will hurt you.

• Part B (PDF upload): the narrative heart of your proposal, with sections such as:

  • Excellence: what is the innovation, what are the underlying results from the prior EU project, why is this a significant advance?
  • Impact: who will benefit, what is the market, what is your business model, how will you exploit IP?
  • Implementation: work packages, tasks, Gantt chart, resources, risk management.

  Keep this within 22 pages for sections 1–3 plus cover page.

• Annexes (as specified in the template), which may include:

  • CVs or short profiles of key team members.
  • Letters of support or intent from partners or early adopters.
  • Ethics or security documentation if applicable.

Preparation advice:

• Start with a clear one‑page concept note and expand outward. If you cannot explain the project on one page, you will struggle at 22.
• Use simple visuals (diagrams, TRL roadmaps, tables) to save words and aid reviewer comprehension.
• Make sure the budget narrative in Part B matches the numbers in Part A down to the last euro.

What Makes an EIC Transition Application Stand Out

While the EIC publishes formal evaluation criteria, here is how they translate in practice.

1. Convincing exploitation of a concrete prior result

Reviewers are asked: “Are we taking something real and pushing it meaningfully closer to market?”

Stand‑out applications:

• Clearly identify what was achieved in the prior project (data, prototype, patent, algorithm).
• Explain why that result is promising but incomplete and what remains to be done.
• Show that the same or a closely linked team is now ready to drive the transition.

2. Strong commercial logic, not just technical ambition

The best proposals read like the early chapters of a serious venture‑building story, not a slightly more applied RIA.

They include:

• A plausible beachhead market (specific segment, not “healthcare” in general).
• Understanding of value chain and purchasing processes.
• Realistic revenue scenarios and an idea of who pays, when, and why.
• Concrete IP and freedom‑to‑operate thinking – even if not every detail is fixed.

3. Feasible yet ambitious work plan

Reviewers like to see:

• Stretch, but not fantasy. Trying to solve climate change, build a factory and get CE marking all in two years with four FTEs is not credible.
• A balanced consortium where each partner has a clear, non‑overlapping role.
• Risks acknowledged with mitigation measures, not ignored.

4. A team that looks like it can actually build a business

For Transition, a proposal where all decision‑makers are in academia raises questions. Reviewers are calmer when they see:

• A credible commercial lead.
• Past experience with IP licensing, spin‑outs or industrial partnerships.
• Evidence that people have time allocated (not all 10% across 12 projects).

Common Mistakes to Avoid – and How to Fix Them

1. Treating this as “Pathfinder continuation money”

   If your project looks like a slightly more mature version of your Pathfinder or RIA, with the same type of exploratory objectives, you will score poorly on impact and relevance.

   Fix: Rewrite your objectives from a commercialisation and demonstration perspective, not a “let us understand this phenomenon better” angle.

2. Hand‑waving market analysis

   “The global market for X is €40 billion” is a useless sentence reviewers have read a thousand times.

   Fix: Identify specific early adopters (e.g., “European mid‑size foundries with <500 staff”) and estimate your accessible market there first. Show you have spoken to some of them.

3. Ignoring IP and regulatory hurdles

   If your field has obvious regulatory or IP minefields (medtech, energy infrastructure, agri‑biotech), reviewers expect you to acknowledge them.

   Fix: Include at least a preliminary IP and regulatory review, plus tasks or work packages dedicated to deepening that work during the project.

4. Chaotic budgets

   A budget overloaded with salaries but almost no travel or prototyping costs, or vice versa, rings alarm bells.

   Fix: Build your budget bottom‑up from the work plan, then sanity‑check: “Can we really deliver task X with Y euros?”

5. Underestimating the interview

   Some teams treat the interview as formality. It is not. A polished jury pitch can rescue a borderline proposal; a messy one can sink a strong written submission.

   Fix: Simulate the interview internally. Have colleagues play hostile jurors. Practice concise, jargon‑free replies to: “Why you, why now, why this, and why EIC?”

Frequently Asked Questions about EIC Transition

1. Can we apply if our project result is at TRL 2 or TRL 5?

No. EIC Transition is restricted to results at TRL 3 or TRL 4 at the time of application. Below that, you are too early; above that, you are expected to aim for Accelerator or other instruments.

2. Does the prior EU project need to be finished?

Not necessarily, but the relevant results must exist and be clearly defined. If your Pathfinder or RIA is still ongoing, you must still show concrete outputs that the Transition project will build on.

3. Can large companies participate at all?

Yes, but not as a single applicant. Large companies can be partners in a consortium, as long as the consortium meets the standard Horizon rules and there is at least one entity in an EU Member State.

4. Is co‑funding required?

The grant can cover up to 100% of eligible costs, but showing some co‑funding or in‑kind contributions (e.g., access to facilities, internal staff time) can strengthen your credibility and commitment.

5. How competitive is it?

Very. Past calls have attracted a record number of proposals. You should assume a success rate well below 20%. That is not a reason to give up; it is a reason to submit something genuinely sharp.

6. What support can we get while preparing the proposal?

You can contact:

• Your National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon Europe – they give tailored guidance and often know what reviewers emphasise.
• EIC FAQs and guidance documents.
• Your organisation’s EU projects office, which may already have Transition experience.

7. What happens if we get a Seal of Excellence but no funding?

A Seal of Excellence means you met all evaluation thresholds but were not funded because of budget limits or jury choice. Many national and regional programmes treat this as a quality stamp and have dedicated schemes to fund such projects. Use it.

8. How does this connect to EIC Accelerator, Fast Track and Plug‑In?

If your Transition project goes well, you may later pursue EIC Accelerator for larger blended finance.

The Fast Track and Plug‑In schemes allow certain EU and national programmes to channel strong projects directly to full application stage of Accelerator. While not part of Transition itself, they show how the EIC thinks of your journey: Pathfinder → Transition → Accelerator → scaling capital.

How to Apply – Concrete Next Steps

Ready to seriously consider EIC Transition? Here is how to move from “interesting” to “in progress.”

1. Verify eligibility of your prior project

   Check whether your underlying result comes from one of the eligible sources (Pathfinder, ERC PoC, RIA, EDF research, Research Infrastructures). Confirm the TRL is around 3–4.

2. Download the official call documents and templates

   Go to the Funding & Tenders Opportunities Portal via the EIC Transition page. Download:

   • The work programme text for EIC Transition.
   • The Part B template and instructions.
   • Any specific annexes or ethics guidance.

3. Contact your National Contact Point

   Find your NCP through the Horizon Europe NCP network and schedule a call. Ask about:

   • National quirks or expectations.
   • Typical mistakes they see.
   • Whether there are support schemes for applicants (some countries offer proposal‑writing help).

4. Form your project “core” and map responsibilities

   Decide who coordinates, who leads which work package, and who will write which sections. Put this in a simple internal plan with deadlines.

5. Build a back‑from‑deadline writing schedule

   Use the earlier timeline and adapt it to your reality. Put checkpoints in people’s calendars now; proposals that “we will write when we have time” rarely get finished, let alone funded.

6. Start drafting early with the Transition plan in mind

   The EIC encourages every project to develop a Transition plan during implementation. You can impress reviewers by showing you have already thought about:

   • Key technical and commercial milestones.
   • Decision points for pursuing spin‑out, licensing, or partnership models.
   • How you will use BAS and investor networks.

Get Started

You cannot apply from this article, but you are one click away from the real thing.

Ready to move your EU‑funded research from promising slide deck to validated technology with a business behind it?

Visit the official EIC Transition opportunity page for full details, templates, and portal access:

Official opportunity page:
https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-transition_en

Start early, aim high, and treat this not just as a grant, but as the structured push that turns your deep tech into a viable venture.