As part of the future European research and innovation program, Horizon Europe, the FET Open and FET Proactive schemes will form the heart of the new EIC Pathfinder, a laboratory for the creation of new visions guided by technology where new markets can be developed.
The EIC Pathfinder will assess challenges and missions, starting with the early high-risk stages, and gradually setting research priorities, to accelerate a new dynamic of European innovation and research.
For 30 years, the FET program has guided the exploration of radical new technologies, many of them in the ICT area, but also in the sectors of intelligent systems, life sciences, energy and the environment. Now the EIC outlines a new context for FET research with different opportunities to improve its impact, in two different ways:
- First, the EIC will increase the visibility of FET research results. This is relevant, as innovative companies are always looking for new and stimulating ideas. The EIC, combining the worlds of research and innovation in a single program, will enable faster access to the market of ideas;
- Secondly, turning good research into innovation requires active intervention. Europe needs tools to bring new technologies quickly to a level of maturity, where they can get in touch with investors and markets. The “transition to innovation activities” within the EIC Pathfinder as well as the use of Program Managers will serve this purpose, creating an active link between innovation, market creation and the scale-up mechanisms that are developed through the Accelerator program.