Manuel Nina Explores Horizon Europe and EIC Opportunities for Deep Tech Startups

On May 14th, participants of the HiTech 2025 program had the opportunity to explore European non-dilutive funding. The session was led by Manuel Nina, Partner & Director of Innovation at Snap! Partners – a HiSeedTech member company – and focused on key funding mechanisms within Horizon Europe that support innovation without requiring startups to give up equity.

Unlocking €94 Billion in Innovation Potential

Manuel opened the session with an insightful overview of Horizon Europe – the EU’s €94.1 billion framework programme for research and innovation – highlighting the main opportunities for deep tech ventures. He focused on two pillars that are particularly relevant for HiTech teams:

• Pillar 2 – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness: Addresses major societal challenges through collaborative R&D.
• Pillar 3 – Innovative Europe: Includes the European Innovation Council (EIC), the EU’s flagship instrument for breakthrough innovation.

He also explained the three main types of actions supported under Horizon Europe:

• Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) – Support the generation of new knowledge or the exploration of novel technologies, products, or services. These projects are funded up to 100% of eligible costs.
  
• Innovation Actions (IA) – Focus on market-oriented activities and demonstrators, including prototyping, testing, piloting, validation, and scaling-up. EU funding covers up to 70% of project costs (or 100% for non-profit entities).
  
• Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) – SSupport coordination and networking across research and innovation initiatives, as well as dissemination activities, policy alignment, and the promotion of best practices. These are funded up to 100%.
  

Spotlight on the Pillar 3 - The European Innovation Council

The session then turned to the European Innovation Council (EIC), which supports breakthrough innovation across different development stages through three key schemes:

• EIC Pathfinder: Provides grants of up to €3-4 million for early-stage development of future technologies (TRL 1–3). Two tracks are available: (i) Open: For any field of science or technology – deadline 21 May 2025; (ii) Challenges: Focused on predefined themes – deadline 29 October 2025.

• EIC Transition: Aimed exclusively at results stemming from Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, or specific Horizon projects. Offers grants of up to €2.5 million to validate and demonstrate technologies (TRL 4–5/6) and to support business and market readiness.
  

• EIC Accelerator: targets start-ups and SMEs with innovation activities (TRL 6-8) funding of up to €2.5 million and equity of up to €10 million. Also, has two tracks - Open and Challenges. Manuel explained the three-step application process:
  1. Short application: Can be submitted at any time and includes a 12-page proposal, a 10-slide pitch deck, and a 3-minute video pitch. Results are provided within six weeks.
  2. Full Application: For successful short applicants. Requires a full business plan and financial details, to be submitted during one of two annual cut-off dates. In 2025, the next cut-off is 29 October, with two more expected in 2026.
  3. Face-to-Face Interview: Final step for applicants who pass the remote evaluation.

He also highlighted the Fast Track option, available for current beneficiaries of Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 projects, allowing them to skip the short application stage.

To illustrate the real-world impact of these funding opportunities, Manuel shared several success stories from Portugal, including Immunethep, NUADA, Nano4 TB/CML, and our HiTech alumni project BioMimetx.

He also shared the official EIC Work Programme, which can be accessed here.

About Manuel Nina:
Manuel Nina is an entrepreneur and innovation consultant, co-founder of Snap! Partners, a company specializing in securing European funding for research and innovation projects. An alumnus of Instituto Superior Técnico, he has played a pivotal role in obtaining over €20 million in EU funding for Portuguese startups and SMEs. Manuel is also a co-founder of GoParity, a sustainable investment platform that democratizes access to financing for renewable energy and social impact projects. His career reflects a commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability through strategic funding and collaborative initiatives.

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