1 minute read / October 16, 2026
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has selected 43 groundbreaking projects under the EIC Pathfinder Open 2026 call, each of them receiving up to €4 million in grant funding. From pioneering cancer treatments and quantum computing to advanced manufacturing and climate-resilient technologies, these projects aim to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and lay the foundations for tomorrow’s breakthrough innovations.
The 2026 call received for the second consecutive year a record number of proposals, making the Pathfinder open call one of the Horizon Europe most competitive calls and showing the relevance of bottom-up funding.
The selected projects bring together 218 organisations from 30 countries, including 24 EU Member States. Across the 266 consortium participations, 44% are from higher or secondary education establishments, 28% are from research organisations, 25% are from private companies, and 3% are from other organisations and public bodies. SMEs participate in 34 of the selected projects.
