EU's EIC Commits €1.8 Billion to Startups for 2027

The European Commission has adopted the 2027 European Innovation Council (EIC) Work Programme, allocating €1.8 billion to DeepTech startups, scale-ups and researchers across Europe. It's the final EIC funding package under Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation framework running from 2021 to 2027.

The money is meant to push promising technologies from early-stage research to commercialisation, while widening access to investment for women-led and DefenceTech companies. Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva framed the programme as an execution step: "This is how it puts our Startup and Scaleup Strategy into action: mobilising more capital, stimulating customer deals, cutting complexity, and making bold investments on the technologies that will shape our future."

She added: "And, as we shape the next EU research and innovation programme, our task is to turn Europe's scientific excellence, talent and industrial strength into new companies and lasting competitiveness."

Where does the €1.8 billion go?

A significant share goes to growth capital. The 2027 programme completes the €1 billion commitment to the Scaleup Europe Fund, launched in 2026 and managed by the investment firm EQT. That fund targets at least €4 billion from other investors and backs European technology companies with investments averaging more than €100 million each.

The package also finishes funding allocations introduced in 2026:

• €200 million for defence investments
• €25 million for the Advanced Innovation Challenges pilot

The EIC continues its STEP Scale Up scheme, which targets companies developing strategic technologies. The measures sit under the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and the Competitiveness Compass, two initiatives designed to strengthen Europe's innovation ecosystem and remove obstacles facing technology companies trying to grow.

In plain terms: the EU is putting the largest cheques into late-stage capital, not just seed grants.

What changes for women-led startups?

The programme redesigns the Women TechEU initiative and doubles individual grants to €150k. It also introduces a new European Prize for Women Innovators in Quantum, complementing the existing European Prize for Women Innovators and recognising female entrepreneurs working in quantum technologies.

How does the EIC help startups find customers?

A new priority is helping EIC-backed startups land their first customers. The measures will connect companies with public and private procurers, letting them test emerging technologies and explore potential commercial applications. Support for dual-use and defence technologies stays in the EIC's portfolio, reflecting EU interest in building technological capability across strategic sectors.

The Commission also plans to cut administrative complexity and make funding easier to reach for innovators at different stages of development. That simplification agenda echoes Zaharieva's "cutting complexity" line.

What's the EIC's track record so far?

The EIC was established under Horizon Europe in 2021 with a budget exceeding €10 billion for the 2021–2027 period. Since launch, it has backed more than 800 companies and nearly 700 research projects with financial assistance at different stages of technological development.

Its investment arm, the EIC Fund, has invested close to €2 billion across more than 375 deep tech startups. That capital has attracted roughly 3.5 times the amount in co-investment from other backers.

The leverage ratio is the headline: every euro the EIC Fund deploys pulls in about €3.50 from private investors.

With Horizon Europe winding down, the 2027 programme doubles as a bridge — the policies tested here, from defence carve-outs to procurement matchmaking, will shape whatever succeeds it.