Final Call for EIT Jumpstarter 2025: Innovators from Europe Join to Inspire Change
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has recently announced the final call for applications for the EIT Jumpstarter 2025 program. This initiative, which targets innovators from across Europe, particularly emphasizes support for those in the Balkan nations, the Mediterranean region, and EU's outermost areas. With a focus on emerging regions, the EIT Jumpstarter aims to turn fresh concepts into viable business solutions, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the continent.
Set to award grants totaling €150,000, the EIT Jumpstarter 2025 program is designed to help teams transition their innovative ideas from conception to the marketplace. It is an integral part of the EU's efforts to unearth and nurture exceptional talent with remarkable ideas, promoting a culture of innovation. Prospective applicants are encouraged to seize this final opportunity and connect with one of Europe's leading innovation networks.
Program participants will have until April 2nd to submit their applications via the dedicated EIT Jumpstarter website. The response from previous iterations of this program has been overwhelmingly positive. Over the past eight years, it has successfully educated more than 1,300 aspiring entrepreneurs, contributing to the launch of 124 startups and the creation of approximately 2,600 new jobs. Notably, EIT-supported startups have generated around €150 million in external investments — a significant return on investment that averages out to €30 for every €1 contributed to the program.
Tina Benda, a representative from EIT RawMaterials, stresses the value of the EIT Jumpstarter as an ideal platform for validating innovative ideas and exploring the commercialization potential of research findings. This year, the program is particularly focusing on innovators from the Mediterranean and peripheral EU regions, which include areas like Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte, Saint Martin, the Azores, and Madeira, as well as the Canary Islands. Applicants from these regions will have unique opportunities, with special awards available for standout projects.
Additional encouragement is being extended to talented individuals from North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina; those applicants will have distinct opportunities available to them as well.
The EIT Jumpstarter invites submissions in eight different categories by the April 2nd deadline, covering topics ranging from agritech and healthcare to advanced manufacturing, energy, smart cities, and the New European Bauhaus initiative, among others. Out of all applicants, 190 teams will be chosen to participate in online boot camps and pitch days, with 80 selected teams advancing to an intensive program where they will refine their business plans and register their startups.
Come November 2025, 48 finalist teams will compete in a prestigious pitch contest for cash prizes and the chance to showcase their ventures within the EIT framework, which is recognized as the largest innovation network in Europe. The EIT plays a critical role in enhancing Europe's innovative capacity, addressing global challenges, and fostering entrepreneurial talent to contribute to sustainable growth and job creation across the continent. The institute is an essential pillar of Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation program, showcasing Europe's commitment to supporting innovative advancements for the future.