Deadline: 17-Nov-2025
The EIT Food Biotech Innovation Call 2025 aims to accelerate high-potential innovations toward commercialization in the food sector, supporting solutions that address critical industry challenges.
The call focuses on two key challenges: creating sustainable downstream processing solutions that cut energy and water use, and developing real-time process monitoring and control technologies.
The opportunity invites proposals that are both innovative and practical, targeting new R&D and commercialization projects with a clear path to market within 12 months or existing research teams needing follow-on funding. Projects do not have to be previously funded by EIT Food and may include new business models applying existing technologies in novel ways. Scale-up activities for promising products and services are also eligible for support. The call provides funding up to €400,000 per project for a maximum duration of 10 months, with a start date in February 2026. Applicants must cover at least 30% of eligible project costs, with up to 70% reimbursed by EIT Food.
The program employs a Revenue-Based Financing (RBF) mechanism, where companies repay a negotiated percentage of future revenues over 1 to 5 years, aligning funding success with commercial outcomes. Alternatively, in certain cases, a SAFE note option may be considered. Applicants must demonstrate a clear commercial case, originality, impact potential, and alignment with EIT Food’s missions, focusing on market-ready biotech innovations.
Eligible applicants must comply with European Union and Horizon Europe rules, form consortia with entities from eligible countries, and submit mandatory application documents through the MyEITFood portal. Proposals undergo a rigorous evaluation process based on excellence, impact, implementation quality, and financial feasibility.
Selected projects will receive personalized input from the Biotech Portfolio advisory board and support in dissemination and commercial follow-up. The call remains open until November 17, 2025, and emphasizes gender equality, sustainability, and clear key performance indicators focused on innovation commercialization and market uptake.
For more information, visit EIT Food.
