The call for applications opens on February 2^nd 2025 and closes on April 2^nd 2025 at 23:59 CET. Please apply through our online application form. The applicants should emphasise: the innovative concept, what is unique in their technology, the development stage of their idea, the team description, explaining the need the innovation solves, and the current challenges of the team. Applications can be submitted once under the most appropriate thematic field.

 

A team of experts will carefully assess the submitted applications. A total of 190 teams – 20 per each thematic field and an additional 30 teams from the Western Balkans – will be selected to participate in the Competition. Due to the cross-sectoral character of the programme, there may be possible shifts of qualified teams between thematic cohorts: in case the scope of a business idea fits better into another thematical cohort, the team will be requested to change the earlier selected vertical.

 

The competition is open to all individuals and teams of natural persons holding the citizenship of the following EIT RIS eligible countries and Moldova:

1. EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia
2. Horizon Europe Associated Countries and territories: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, *Kosovo, Türkiye, Ukraine
3. EU Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain)

 

Natural persons: researchers, Masters, and PhD students or research groups from universities and research organisations; professionals, idea holders, or idea owners that have an idea/solution that is targeting the scope of one of our categories (further specified under 2.d below) and wants to start a company. Those teams who already have registered start-ups (legal entities) before January 1st 2025, connected to their business ideas submitted in the application phase, are not eligible to participate and will not be accepted to this particular competition. Start-ups who registered their company in the given calendar year (from January 1^st 2025) are eligible for the programme.

 

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

 

Please read the Terms & Conditions very carefully.

 

Eligible participants:

 

1. Individuals – citizens of one of the following EIT RIS eligible countries and territories and Moldova: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, *Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Türkiye, Ukraine, Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain);
2. Team of individuals (natural persons), where at least one out of two team members must be a citizen of these countries;
3. Legal entities - not applicable

 

Eligible applications:

 

The applications can be submitted either by a single idea holder or by a team represented by a contact person. There is no pre-set number of members in a team, but a maximum of two (2) co-founding members are eligible for financing (further specified under point 3 below). The participation of a team is welcome and appreciated in the evaluation, especially when the team is covering different competencies required in running a start-up. However, a maximum number of two (2) co-founding members per team is eligible to take part in the EIT Jumpstarter programme to ensure the high quality and comfortable conditions of the training activities. In justified cases, the EIT KIC contact point or trainer/mentor may allow the participation of more team members in specific activities. Up to two team members can receive grants (financial support) for travel and accommodation purposes.

 

All applications for the programme must be completed as follows:

a. Applicants must fill in all required information tabs in the application form.

b. Applicants must introduce a project team consisting of 1 to any number of participants.

c. Proposals must be in English. Proposals in other languages will not be accepted.

d. Incomplete submissions or submissions via any other means (e.g. email) will be rejected.

e. Proposals must be submitted before the deadline; all late applications will be rejected

f. The idea must be within the scope of the main challenges:

 

-Healthcare cohort powered by EIT Health: New models to deliver healthcare; Facilitating the uptake of digital medical devices in Europe; Harnessing the full potential of health data for innovation; Supporting the deployment of Important Project of Common European Interest in Health (IPCEI) to address market failures. More details are accessible here: https://eithealth.eu/who-we-are/our-focus-areas/

 

-Metals, minerals, advanced materials and & industrial side streams cohort powered by EIT RawMaterials: Technologies and solutions for improved and new mineral exploration; Digital solutions for remote monitoring, analytics, sensing, modelling, digital twins, etc.; Advanced and fully integrated exploration – smart targeting of ore deposits; Technologies and solutions for more efficient, safer and sustainable modern mining; Technologies and solutions for mineral and metal processing and for improved materials production; Improving processing efficiency by reducing resource use and/or emissions and CO2-footprint; Technology that address equipment-damage problems such as wall thinning, creep or corrosion; Technologies and solutions for materials supply from secondary sources and recycling; Cost-efficient and clever collection, dismantling and sorting of waste; Turning waste resources into a valuable raw materials feedstock for EU industries; New technologies, materials or services that make it possible to substitute or use lower quantities of critical or toxic materials in key industries; Advanced materials’ processing, incl. additive manufacturing; Solutions and business models implementing circular economy concepts; Design of products for recycling and lifetime extension; Resource efficient design of materials; Innovation to improve traceability, sustainability, and transparency across raw materials value chains. More details are accessible here:  https://eitrawmaterials.eu/about-us/our-mission

 

-  Food & Agritech cohort powered by EIT Food: optimising resource efficiency and environmental sustainability of agriculture supply, primary production, processing, storing, packaging, logistics/distribution, retail, consumer research, nutrition monitoring, and food service; developing nutritionally customised food products, addressing unmet needs and generating consumer relevant functionalities; building trust in the food system, securing traceability and auditability of food quality, safety, and authenticity, combining digital and sensor technologies to acquire and transmit information through the food value chain. In general – the development of solutions that will put new products on the market, introduce new and improved commercial processes and services, and achieve: Healthier Lives Through Food, A Net Zero Food System, and A Fully Transparent, Fair, and Resilient Food System. More details are accessible here: https://eitfood.eu

 

-Energy and Renewables powered by EIT InnoEnergy: energy costs reduction, system performance increase, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decrease, circular economy (particularly in the context of energy usage), green hydrogen, energy management systems and energy storage. Any other innovative approaches that are based on sustainable energy generation, storage, or usage are welcome. More information is here: https://www.innoenergy.com/

 

-Advanced and Green Manufacturing cohort powered by EIT Manufacturing: Flexible Production Systems for Competitive Manufacturing, Low Environmental Footprint Systems & Circular Economy for Green Manufacturing, Digital & Collaborative Solutions for Innovative Manufacturing Ecosystems and Human-machine coworking for socially sustainable manufacturing. More   details are accessible here: https://www.eitmanufacturing.eu/what-we-do/focus-areas-flagships/

 

-Smart cities and Mobility powered by EIT Urban Mobility: Active Mobility, Sustainable City Logistics, Future Mobility, Mobility and Energy, and Public Realm, are the main focus areas. This is not a closed list, any idea/solution to solving city challenges is welcome. More details are accessible here: About us - EIT Urban mobility

 

New European Bauhaus powered by EIT Culture & Creativity: New European Bauhaus powered by EIT Culture & Creativity: Selected ideas should propose innovative solutions that contribute to developing beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive places, products, and ways of living. The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a crossroad between art/culture and science/technology. Eligible projects may include accessible living spaces, alternative building methods that respect the environment and/or integrate cultural heritage, innovative solutions in architecture, materials and structures, design and production methods, smart infrastructure solutions, and circular and sustainable design and architecture. Proposals should focus on at least one of the three NEB dimensions: sustainability, aesthetics, or inclusion. For more details, please visit: About the initiative - European Union

 

- in Rebuild Ukraine powered by EIT Health: expecting ideas from all thematic fields that participate in the EIT Jumpstarter program (Health, Food, RawMaterials, Manufacturing, Urban Mobility, InnoEnergy, New European Bauhaus). Applicants must be Ukrainian citizens who either habitually reside in Ukraine, or if they are habitually not residing in Ukraine, they are willing to commit to incorporating their future company in Ukraine. If there is an intention to register the company in another EIT RIS-eligible country, it is advisable to apply for the relevant category that aligns with the project. The category aims to provide special support to Ukrainian innovators in their start-up development and prevent brain drain from the country.

 

g. Additional information, such as a weblink to the project, can be uploaded to support your application. These additional documents are not mandatory, and please be aware that if you do not explicitly refer to such documents in your application, the reviewers may not consider these attachments as the basis for their evaluation.

 

h. At least one of the co-founders having citizenship in one of the following EIT RIS countries or territories and Moldova: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Türkiye, Ukraine, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), the Canary Islands (Spain).

 

i. Teams with at least one female co-founder will receive additional evaluation points.

 

j. Participants of the former editions of the EIT Jumpstarter cannot be selected for the programme and receive any financial support at any stage of the competition (the former EIT Jumpstarter participants are teams of individuals who have been selected for one of the EIT Jumpstarter's cohorts in Phase I (Online Bootcamps) in previous years of the programme).

 

k. The submitted project must be exclusively concentrated on civil applications, with no intention of military use or serving military purposes, in adherence to ethical considerations, to be eligible for participation. If a product/service/model involves dual-use items as defined by Regulation 2021/821 or other items requiring authorisation, participation, and support can still be considered, but we will add a specific note to make sure the Project complies with the relevant regulatory framework.

 

l. Multiple submissions are not accepted. Each applicant must use a unique email address for submission.

 

m. Individuals, co-founders, and project team members are not eligible to be part of more than one submitted project at the same time and/or submit more than one project at the same time.

 

Selection criteria:

 

Eligibility criteria:

 

1. Geographical criteria (yes/no);
2. Thematic scope (yes/no);
3. Funding limit (Does the sum of grants received from EIT exceed the funding limit of EUR 60,000?) (yes/no)
4. EIT KICs programmes (Do you have knowledge of the team/members participating at any EIT related programmes earlier? If yes, which program?) - (yes/no; If yes - name of the programme);
5. Application format: Did the team fulfil the application format as set out in the T&C?) - yes/no

 

Selection criteria:

 

·2.A. Innovativeness of idea (The team has a novel/unique/special solution, and the idea cannot be replicated easily) - 0-2;

·2.B. Identification of an existing problem? (Did the team identify well the "pain" of targeted/future customers?) - 0-2;

·2.C. Market Opportunity and potential customers (The team identified well the potential customers and there is a clear market need presented as well as a way to take advantage of that need, beneficiary vs. customers) - 0-2;

·2.D. Implementation of the idea (The team could identify reasonably the expected output, the risks and time of implementation) - 0-2;

·2.E. Team and Motivation (strong team: the team is composed of strong and willing experts, strong motivation: the team has a clear plan how they will implement knowledge and education received at the training, the team has strong dedication) - 0-2;

·2.F. Female Founders: if the Team has female co/founders - 0-1;

·2.G. Teams from the EU Outermost Regions - 0-1;

·2.H. Graduates from the EIT-labelled programmes or HEI projects - 0-1;

·2.I. Participants of the COST Actions or other COST Association programmes - 0-1;