EIC Transition plus other EU grants, all with one application
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Eligibility check after you sign up
4 routes
Grants, family offices, angel investors & VCs
EIC Transition grants run €0.5M to €2.5M (70% funded for companies) to mature results and prove the business case, and require a qualifying prior Pathfinder, ERC PoC, or Horizon result.
The founder's guide
What Is EIC Transition?
EIC Transition bridges the gap between a validated research result and a market-ready technology and business case. It's the middle step of the EIC pipeline, between Pathfinder and Accelerator. Grants run from about €0.5M to €2.5M at a 70% funding rate for companies.
The key requirement: you must have a qualifying prior project, an EIC Pathfinder, an ERC Proof of Concept, or a qualifying Horizon Europe collaborative project. That gate makes Transition far less competitive than the Accelerator. If you hold eligible results, it's one of the best-value EU grants available. Our free check confirms whether you qualify.
Who qualifies
EIC Transition Eligibility
The prior-project requirement is the gate. If you clear it, your odds are strong.
A qualifying prior project: results from an EIC Pathfinder, an ERC Proof of Concept, or an eligible Horizon Europe collaborative project (or Research Infrastructures project).
Validated results to mature. Transition funds technology validation, de-risking, and business-case development, not brand-new research.
Single applicants or small consortia (typically up to ~5 partners) from EU member or associated countries, including the UK.
A clear route toward EIC Accelerator or market: a credible plan to take the matured technology forward commercially.
A founder's guide
How to Apply to EIC Transition
A single-cut-off call on the EU portal. Here's the path from eligible result to award.
Step 1
Confirm Your Eligible Result
Identify the qualifying prior project (Pathfinder, ERC PoC, or Horizon collaborative) whose results you'll mature. Run the free eligibility checker to confirm Transition, and other EU grants, fit your situation.
Step 2
Frame the Technology Gap
Build the proposal around the concrete gap between your validated result and market readiness, the validation, de-risking, and business-case work the grant will fund. This focus is what wins Transition.
Submit
Submit on the EU Portal
Submit against the annual cut-off on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals are scored on excellence, impact, and implementation by remote expert evaluators.
Done-for-you service
Don't want to write it yourself? We build the application for you.
The steps above are the do-it-yourself route. If you would rather hand it off, our grant specialists write, package and manage the whole application for you, working alongside you so the technical detail stays yours while we handle the process.
1ApplyTell us about your startup and the grant you are targeting. It takes a few minutes.
2Chat with a specialistA grant specialist checks your fit, confirms the right programme, and scopes the work with you.
3We build your applicationWe write the narrative, budget and supporting documents to the funder's exact scoring criteria.
4We guide every stageMany grants run in several rounds (assessment, interviews, sometimes multiple phases, then reporting). We handle each step and explain everything as we go.
Transparent, mostly success-based pricingA modest upfront fee to scope and start the work (not always tied to your metrics), plus a success fee based on the grant, the amount awarded, and your business. Every engagement is quoted individually.
Apply and we'll come back with a tailored budget for your specific grant.
Interactive Tool
Check Your EU Grant Eligibility in 30 Seconds
Every European programme is listed below by default. Tell us your stage and sector to narrow them to the EIC, Horizon Europe, and national programmes that match your startup. Getting matched is 100% free - no fee, no commission, no credit card.
Choose your stage and sector below to see which EU grants you may be eligible for
Want a definitive eligibility report? It's free.
This is a first-pass match based on stage, sector, and geography. Complete the application form and we'll automatically match you with the most relevant grants - including the one you're researching - cross-referencing your technology, IP, team, and traction against every active European programme. This matching service is completely free: no fee, no commission, no credit card required.
The strongest raises stack multiple non-dilutive programmes. Here are the other EU grants you can apply for, all matched in one free eligibility check.
Only applicants with a qualifying prior project: an EIC Pathfinder, an ERC Proof of Concept, or an eligible Horizon Europe collaborative project. That requirement is the gate, and it's why Transition is less competitive than open calls.
Yes. An ERC Proof of Concept is one of the qualifying prior projects, so you can apply directly to Transition without going through Pathfinder first. It's a strong, under-used route to non-dilutive funding.
The natural next step is the EIC Accelerator to scale, with grant plus equity. Our free check maps the full EIC pathway for your startup.
The Full Capital Stack
Grants Are Only Part of the Stack
EIC and Horizon Europe grants cover early-stage R&D, but most European startups need equity capital to scale. The strongest raises combine non-dilutive grants with angel or VC investment.
AngelsPartners is the only platform where a founder can access all three capital pathways in one place: grants (this page), debt financing, and 120,000+ equity investors.
Equity funding
European Angels & VCs
Search a database of angels, micro-VCs, and funds investing across Europe. Filter by country, sector, ticket size, and stage. Direct contact details included - no gatekeepers, no pay-to-pitch.
Venture debt, revenue-based financing, and startup loan programmes - without diluting your cap table. Our AI matches you to a curated lender network based on your revenue, traction, and geography.
