Dear Researchers,

The European Innovation Council is opening the EIC Pathfinder today and EIC Pathfinder Challenge call in a near future.

The Pathfinder call is the former FET Open and the Pathfinder challenge is a former FET Open thematic call.

We have two funded FET-OPEN projects at the Kontinkangas campus so this is a competitive but achievable funding.

Opening today:

EIC Pathfinder Challenge (Fully bottom-up)

Funding for an ambitious vision for radically new technology, with potential to create new markets and/or to address global challenges. EIC Pathfinder Open supports early stage development of such future technologies (e.g. various activities at low Technology Readiness Levels 1-4), based on high-risk/high-gain science-towards-technology breakthrough research (including ‘deep-tech’). This research must provide the foundations of the technology that is envisioned. EIC Pathfinder Open may support highly risky work to try things that will not work; to answer unanswered questions or test problems that are not mastered yet.

Project budget is approx. 3 MEUR.

Pathfinder Gatekeepers:

• Convincing long-term vision of a radically new technology that has the potential to have a transformative positive effect to our economy and society.
• Concrete, novel and ambitious science-towards-technology breakthrough, providing advancement towards the envisioned technology.
• High-risk/high-gain research approach and methodology, with concrete and plausible objectives.

The call is opening 08 April 2021 and the Deadline date is 19 May 2021

Eligible applicants are consortia with organisations (university, research organisations, SMEs) from at least 3 different EU member states or associated countries (i.e. Norway, Switzerland etc.).

For more information, please go to the Participant portal to see more details and contact me as soon as possible if you will participate.

Forthcoming:

EIC Pathfinder Challenge

This call is a Pathfinder call where, in addition to the general criteria described above the application must also target a specific challenge.

The challenges for 2021:

1. Awareness Inside

2. Tools to measure and stimulate activity in brain tissue

3. Emerging Technologies in Cell and Gene therapy

4. Novel routes to green hydrogen production

5. Engineered Living Materials

For specific information about the themes, please find detailed text in the attached EIC work programme under EIC Pathfinder challenge-topic.

Also find attached a very useful presentation from the EUTI team with everything about these calls in a nutshell.

Best regards,

Emma

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Emma Pirilä, PhD

Research Funding Specialist

Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

Biocenter Oulu

Aapistie 5A, 2nd floor

FIN- 90230 University of Oulu

Finland

Phone: +358503426428

e-mail: emma.pirila@oulu.fi

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