The outgoing Commissioner for Innovation and Research, Iliana Ivanova, illustrated the underlying philosophy that permeated the definition of the new annual work programme of the European Innovation Council. In 2025, Ivanova explained, the EIC “will strengthen the EU's deep tech technologies with even greater resources” by providing targeted support for pioneering innovation, particularly through the new EIC STEP Scale-up scheme “which will help bridge critical funding gaps and build a stronger and more resilient innovation ecosystem in Europe.”
In this way, the EIC funding schemes become four, complemented by a range of other acceleration services such as participation in trade fairs, the “Women Leadership” program, or the Global Soft-Landing Programme, among others, illustrated within the 2025 work programme (WP).
A document of over 170 pages, which also outlines the upcoming calls, starting with the topics of the 2025 Pathfinder and Accelerator challenges.
