Top 20 Grants for Deep Tech Startups in Europe in 2025
Europe’s deep tech startup landscape is set to thrive in 2025, with numerous grants and funding opportunities catering specifically to innovative and advanced technology ventures. Below is a curated list of the Top 20 Grants for Deep Tech Startups in Europe for 2025, including details on funding amounts, eligibility criteria, focus areas, and links to their official websites.
Write FREE SEO-optimized Blog Articles! Our Article Writer ensures your blog is loved by both Google and your readers, turning those clicks into customers.
👉 Write your article here
1. European Innovation Council (EIC) Funding
Total Funding: €1.4 billion in 2025
Focus: Deep tech, strategic technologies
Key Programs:
- EIC STEP Scale-up Scheme: €300 million in 2025 for investments between €10-€30 million per company.
- EIC Pathfinder: €262 million for early-stage research, grants up to €4 million.
- EIC Transition: €98 million for market opportunity conversion, grants up to €2.5 million.
- EIC Accelerator: €634 million for scaling innovations with grants below €2.5 million and investments from €500k to €10 million.
- Additional Benefits: Includes Business Acceleration Services.
- Learn more about EIC Funding
2. EIT Health Deep Tech Venture Builder Programme
Funding: Up to €150,000
Focus: Accelerating innovations and overcoming launch hurdles
Program Structure: 10-month program with phases for business idea development and market validation.
Additional Benefits: Access to EIT Health’s innovation ecosystem and dedicated support staff.
3. EIT Digital Champions 2025
Funding: Access to the EIT Digital Growth Services Program
Focus: Digital tech scale-ups with innovative solutions
Benefits: Tailored training and connections with venture capitalists.
Boost Your SEO by listing your startup and get a FREE backlink.
Create a profile in the F/MS Startup Game, add the link to your website and submit.
👉 List your startup now!
4. Women TechEU
Funding: €12 million in equity-free grants
Focus: Women-led deep tech startups
Eligibility: Women-led companies in emerging European countries.
Additional Benefits: Business support services provided.
5. EIC Accelerator
Type: Funding program under Horizon Europe
Funding: Grant component below €2.5 million and equity investments up to €10 million
Focus: Startups and SMEs with innovative, scalable products.
6. EIC Pathfinder
Funding: Grants up to €4 million
Focus: Visionary, multi-disciplinary research projects
Eligibility: Research teams from EU Member States or associated countries.
7. EIC Transition
Funding: Grants up to €2.5 million
Focus: Supports converting horizons research results into market-ready innovations.
8. EIT Urban Mobility Financial Support for Startups
Funding: Up to €2 million per company
Focus: Innovative urban mobility solutions
Eligibility: Startups from RIS countries.
Boost Your SEO with 1,500+ Free Business Directories: increase your DA, get backlinks and traffic.
We've compiled an exclusive list of directories and websites where you can submit your business and start building high-quality backlinks to boost your website traffic and get your SEO snowball rolling.
👉 Submit your startup now!
9. Deep Tech Talent Initiative (EIT)
Goal: Skill one million people in deep tech by 2025
Focus: Talent development through training and mentorship.
Additional Details: Supports women entrepreneurs with personalized coaching.
10. R&D Tax Incentive Netherlands
Type: Tax reduction
Funding: Up to 40% tax reduction on R&D development hours
Focus: Supporting R&D work in the Netherlands
11. Horizon Europe Program
Funding: Varied grants and project co-funding
Focus: Collaborative research projects addressing societal challenges.
Eligibility: Any organization within the EU Member States.
12. Fast Track to Innovation (FTI)
Funding: Grants up to €3 million
Focus: Innovative projects demonstrating market readiness
Eligibility: Consortia of at least three organizations from three different EU Member States.
13. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Funding: Project-based funding dependent on regional needs
Focus: Innovation and research in regional development.
Eligibility: Varies by region; local authority applications may be required.
Boost Your SEO by Getting Featured in Our Blogs and get a backlink.
We publish content about startups, education, tech, funding, etc. that ranks well not only in Google but also in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and other AI tools.
👉 Get featured now!
14. Creative Europe Programme
Funding: Project-based grants for innovative ideas in creative sectors
Focus: Culture and creative sectors addressing future challenges.
Eligibility: Must focus on cross-border cooperation.
15. National Grants and Funding Programs
Funding: Varies by country
Focus: Deep tech in various sectors like health, climate, and digital.
Eligibility: Criteria can differ based on national policies.
16. Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3)
Funding: Investments geared towards regional strengths and specialisation
Focus: Promotes innovation in technologically advanced sectors.
Eligibility: Must align with the strategic objectives of the region.
17. Digital Europe Programme
Funding: Grants for digital transformation projects
Focus: Digitization of societal and economic processes across Europe.
Eligibility: Proposals must support EU-wide digital solutions.
18. EU Space Programme
Funding: Projects related to space technology and innovation
Focus: Development and application of space-based technologies.
Eligibility: Open to companies, research institutions, and public bodies.
19. LIFE Programme
Funding: Supports environmental and climate projects
Focus: Environmentally sustainable and climate action projects.
Eligibility: Open to public and private entities.
20. EU External Funding
Funding: Projects supporting EU's sustainable development goals
Focus: Innovative solutions addressing global challenges.
Eligibility: Partnerships with international non-profits may be required.
For startups looking for funding opportunities, these grants represent a substantial resource within the European landscape in 2025. Each program has unique features aimed at fostering innovation and societal advancement in the deep tech sector.
Join F/MS: Startup Facilitator & Incubator and unlock your startup dreams today! Get your first customers, register you company in the Netherlands and get startup visas for the team.
FAQ
Q: What funding opportunities are available through the European Innovation Council for deep tech startups?
A: The European Innovation Council offers various funding programs, including the EIC STEP Scale-up Scheme, EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, and EIC Accelerator with a total budget of €1.4 billion in 2025. Learn more about EIC funding.
Q: How does the EIT Health Deep Tech Venture Builder Programme support startups?
A: The programme provides grants up to €150,000 to accelerate innovations, alongside support for team creation, business development, and market validation. Discover EIT Health Programme details.
Q: What is the EIT Digital Champions competition?
A: This competition offers selection into an EIT Digital Growth Services Program and connections to venture capitalists for digital tech scale-ups with innovative solutions. Find out more about EIT Digital Champions.
Q: What grants are available for women-led deep tech companies in Europe?
A: The Women TechEU initiative allocates €12 million in equity-free grants to support 160 women-led deep tech startups, along with additional business support services. Learn more about Women TechEU.
Q: What funding does the EIC Accelerator program provide?
A: The EIC Accelerator offers grants up to €2.5 million and equity investments of up to €10 million for startups and SMEs with innovative products or services. Explore EIC Accelerator opportunities.
Q: What is the purpose of the EIC Pathfinder program?
A: EIC Pathfinder funds visionary, multi-disciplinary research projects with grants up to €4 million, aimed at breakthrough innovations. Learn more about EIC Pathfinder.
Q: What benefits does the EIC Transition program offer?
A: The EIC Transition provides grants up to €2.5 million to support projects transitioning research results into market-ready innovations. Discover EIC Transition details.
Q: What funding is available through the EIT Urban Mobility Financial Support for startups?
A: Startups can receive funding of up to €2 million for innovative urban mobility solutions. Learn more about EIT Urban Mobility support.
Q: How does the Deep Tech Talent Initiative aim to support talent development?
A: This initiative focuses on skilling one million people in deep tech by 2025 through training, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Find out more about the Deep Tech Talent Initiative.
Q: What is the R&D Tax Incentive in the Netherlands?
A: The tax incentive provides up to a 40% tax reduction for hours spent on R&D work, benefiting around 20,000 companies each year. Discover more about R&D Tax Incentive.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
