Pillar II: Piloting innovative approaches to support academic startups and spinoffs
EU-wide funding for piloting novel support approaches for academic start-ups and spin-offs: Consortia of at least three partners develop pilot actions for the market launch of innovative solutions within up to two years.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Strengthening European innovation ecosystems by supporting academic spin-offs and start-ups in engaging end users, industry, and society. Development and testing of new methods, services, and best practices for the market introduction and scaling of scientific results.
Eligible expenses
- Personnel expenses
- Material costs
- Travel expenses
- Subcontractor services (external services)
- Events (workshops, consortium meetings)
Eligible to apply
- Public Institutions
- Educational Institutions
- Companies
- Non-profit Organizations
Funding requirements
- Consortium of at least three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or associated countries
- Registration and validation in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (PIC)
- Legal form as a legal entity and proof of financial and operational capacity
- Compliance with the tender conditions and participation in the open market consultation procedure
Documents required for application
- Project description (Part B)
- Financing plan (detailed budget)
- Consortium agreement
- Proof of legal entity (PIC validation)
- Market analysis and open market consultation report
- Tender documents
Evaluation criteria
- Excellence of methodology and level of innovation
- Expected impact and exploitation and dissemination strategy
- Quality and efficiency of project implementation
Description
The call aims to pilot novel support approaches for academic start-ups and spin-offs across the entire EU area. Consortia of at least three partners from three different EU Member States or associated countries will develop pilot actions for the market introduction of innovative solutions within a maximum of 24 months. Funding of up to €2,000,000 per project is provided as a 100% grant. Eligible costs include personnel expenses, material costs, travel expenses, subcontracting services, as well as events such as workshops and consortium meetings. Public and educational institutions, companies, and non-profit organizations, primarily science and technology parks, living labs, and hubs, are given the opportunity to translate their research results into marketable products and services. A prerequisite is registration with a PIC in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal as well as proof of financial and operational capacity.
The evaluation focuses on the excellence of the methodology and level of innovation, the expected impact with exploitation and dissemination strategy, and the quality and efficiency of project implementation. For the application, among other documents, the project description (Part B), a detailed financial plan, the consortium agreement, proof of PIC validation, a market analysis including an open market consultation report, and the tender documents must be submitted. The submission phase begins on 10.12.2025 and ends on 12.03.2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Project start is possible from 01.06.2026 onwards. This funding strengthens the European innovation ecosystem by connecting academic spin-offs early on with industry, end-users, and society.
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