EIC Transition to Innovation Activities

Deadline: Sep 3, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

Specific Challenge:

to turn promising results from FET-funded projects into genuine technological or societal breakthrough and disruptive innovations. Since the typical researchers' mindset is to identify further opportunities for research, promising research results that could be the basis for breakthrough and disruptive innovation risk to remain unexploited. The challenge is to create a fertile ground for those results to mature, to a level where exploitation and investment opportunities can start to be discussed, and ultimately towards future market uptake. While recognising that this may still take further research and development, it is crucial to complement research excellence with a focus on entrepreneurial ambition and commitment at an early stage.

Scope:

The EIC Transition Activities pilot aims at bringing promising technologies as they are at the end of a typical FET-Open or FET Proactive project (i.e., TRL 2/3) to a level of development, validation and demonstration where they become a credible basis for entrepreneurship, business creation, investment and, ultimately, economic and/or societal returns. The project shall be driven by a partner with the vision, ambition and commitment to bring the technology to actual use (possibly through the creation of a start-up or spin-off).

Proposals must build on results from an ongoing or finished project (Research and Innovation Action), funded as a result of a FET-Open or FET Proactive call under Horizon 2020[1]. The targeted technology should be in one of the following areas:

• Micro- and Nano-technologies
• Artificial Intelligence and advanced robotics
• Technologies for the life sciences, health and treatment
• Energy technologies
• Interaction technologies (including virtual- augmented- and mixed reality,…)

The precise link(s) with the relevant FET project(s) is to be explicitly described in the proposal. This topic does not fund research or activities that are/were already foreseen in the original FET project(s).

Participants must have essential capabilities to increase the maturity of the targeted technology. Activities proposed should reflect the level of maturity of the result to be taken up. Proposals can include activities with, for instance, partners for technology transfer, licence-takers, investors and other sources of financing, user/client organisations or potential end-users.

Proposals should specify the intended outcome(s) of the project and describe its key performance indicators/success criteria. Proposals must also include an exploitation plan describing the market or societal potential (potential users/customers and benefits for them; targeted European/global markets, etc.), measures to enhance the probability of take-up and a credible development strategy that identifies next steps, possibly using the services and funding/financing opportunities offered in the context of the EIC Accelerator pilot. Particular attention should be paid to IP protection and ownership and to the possibility of commercial exploitation ('freedom to operate').

The Commission considers that proposals for actions up to 24 months and requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1.00 and 2.00 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately.

Expected Impact:

• Increased value creation from FET projects and contributing to the competitiveness of European industry/economy by developing further promising technologies and innovation opportunities.
• Fast development, demonstration and economical/societal take-up of promising FET technologies.
• Increased H2020 first time participation of high tech SMEs (including Spin-offs and Start-ups) and industry.
• Leveraging more private investment into research and/or innovation.

Delegation Exception Footnote:

This topic is part of the European Innovation Council Enhanced Pilot (2019-2020) and funded from budget line 08.020102. In accordance with article 6.5 of Horizon 2020 regulation No 1291/2013, credits from budget line 08.020202 will be transferred to budget line 08.020102.

Cross-cutting Priorities:

RRI
Socio-economic science and humanities
Gender