The European Innovation Council has five deadlines left in 2026, from research grants of up to €4 million to equity of up to €30 million and a €100,000 prize for women innovators. All close at 17:00 Brussels time. Here's each call, who it's for, and what to do now.
1. EIC Pathfinder Challenges: 28 October
The three 2026 challenges are advanced materials for miniaturised energy harvesting systems, biotechnology for healthy ageing, and "DeepRAP": deep reasoning, abstraction and planning for trustworthy cognitive AI. About eight projects are expected per challenge. See our EIC Pathfinder guide.
2. EIC STEP Scale Up Defence: 28 October
Results are expected in early 2027. This is the EIC's first call dedicated to defence and dual-use scale-ups; dual-use proposals are also accepted in the regular STEP Scale Up call since September.
3. EIC Accelerator: 4 November
You can only submit a full proposal on 4 November if you already have a GO on a short proposal. Short proposals can be submitted any time and are batched on the first Tuesday of each month (6 October, 3 November and 1 December 2026), with results in about four to six weeks. A short proposal sent now is unlikely to get its GO in time for 4 November, so plan for the 2027 cut-offs instead. Read our EIC Accelerator guide and tips for the EIC Accelerator.
4. EIC STEP Scale Up: 25 November
The 2026 batches were 11 February, 6 May, 9 September and 25 November. See STEP Scale Up investments explained.
5. European Prize for Women Innovators: 1 December
Self-employment doesn't count: you must be a founder or co-founder of a company. The EIT Women Leadership category is for women with a direct link to the EIT Community. Awards are expected between April and June 2027, according to the EIC. For more funding for women founders, see EmpowerWomen and deep-tech grants. Prefer a grant to a prize? The Women TechEU call gives women-led deep-tech startups €75,000 each, with the next full-proposal deadline on 14 January 2027.
All five at a glance
All dates are from the EIC Work Programme 2026. They're also in our grant deadlines calendar, together with national deadlines.
Missed these?
EIC calls come back every year. See European grants worth applying for and plan for the 2027 cut-offs.
FAQ: EIC deadlines in 2026
When is the last EIC Accelerator deadline in 2026?
4 November 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, for full proposals. You need an approved short proposal first.
Can I still apply to the EIC Accelerator this year?
Only if you already have a GO on a short proposal. New short proposals are batched on 3 November and 1 December 2026 and take about four to six weeks to evaluate, so they're unlikely to make the 4 November cut-off.
When does EIC Pathfinder Challenges 2026 close?
28 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The budget is €96 million, with up to €4 million per project.
What is EIC STEP Scale Up?
An EIC equity programme that invests €10–30 million in scale-ups in strategic technologies alongside other investors. The last 2026 batch closes on 25 November.
Who can apply for the European Prize for Women Innovators?
Women founders or co-founders of a company registered before 1 January 2025 in the EU or a Horizon Europe associated country. Rising Innovators must be born on or after 1 January 1991.
What time do EIC deadlines close?
All EIC deadlines close at 17:00 Brussels time.
