StartupsNov 7, 2026, 6:31 AM UTC·2 min read

EIC Work Programme 2027: €1.8 Billion for Deeptech Startups

The European Commission has approved the EIC's 2027 work programme, committing €1.8 billion to deeptech startups, scaleups and researchers, with extra focus on defence and women founders.

European Commission building in Brussels with EU flags, symbolising the 2027 European Innovation Council funding programme for startups. — Image: MamStartup

The European Commission has approved the 2027 work programme of the European Innovation Council (EIC), setting aside €1.8 billion for European deeptech startups, scaleups and researchers. The money is meant to help promising technologies move from early-stage research to commercialisation, and to improve access to investment for women-led companies and defence-technology firms.

It is the last EIC funding package under Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation framework programme for 2021–2027. Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Commissioner for startups, research and innovation, says the initiative turns EU strategy into concrete action by mobilising capital, boosting deals with customers, cutting red tape and backing bold bets on future technologies.

Growth capital and strategic investments

Much of the budget targets growth capital. It completes a €1 billion commitment to the Scaleup Europe Fund, launched in 2026 and managed by investment firm EQT. The fund aims to raise at least €4 billion from other investors and to back European tech companies with average investments above €100 million.

The EIC will also continue the STEP Scale Up programme for companies developing strategic technologies. The 2027 programme closes allocations of €200 million for defence investments and €25 million for the pilot Advanced Innovation Challenges. These fit into the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and the Competitiveness Compass.

More support for women founders

The plan steps up help for women-led startups through a revamped Women TechEU initiative, in which individual grants have been doubled to €150,000. A new European Prize for Women Innovators in Quantum will complement the existing competition and recognise women entrepreneurs working in quantum technologies.

Helping EIC-backed startups win their first customers is another priority. New measures will connect companies with public and private buyers so they can test emerging technologies and explore commercial uses. The Commission also intends to reduce administrative complexity so innovators can access funding at every stage.

Since 2021 the EIC has had a budget above €10 billion. It has backed more than 800 companies and nearly 700 research projects, while the EIC Fund has invested almost €2 billion in over 375 deeptech startups, attracting roughly 3.5 times as much co-investment.

Apps worth a look

SUMO: the number puzzle

Tap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.

Dialo: learn languages by speaking

Talk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.

ediviewer: read EDI files like documents

Open EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.

giftdetect: the right gift in minutes

Pick who it is for, the occasion and their personality. The search engine reads product descriptions from local shops and ranks what fits. Free, no sign-up.

Tags:eiceuropean commissionhorizon europedeeptechscaleup europe funddefence tech