EIT Food currently has its Proof-of-Concept Co-Financing Instrument open to help reduce the risk of pilots and proof-of-concept projects between agrifood startups and corporate customers.
| Deadline | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep, 30 Oct, 30 Nov 2026 | Foodtech pilots | EIT Food |
The opportunity is not designed to develop an idea from scratch. It is aimed at startups that already have a sufficiently advanced solution and are ready to test it under real-world conditions with a customer, through a proof of concept or small-scale pilot that could lead to a commercial relationship.
The instrument seeks to support startup-corporate collaborations that can accelerate the commercial validation of technologies, products or services in the food sector, including foodtech, agri-foodtech, food packaging, ingredients, processes, sustainability and efficiency.
It is designed for proofs of concept and small-scale pilots with total project costs below €60,000.
Who it is for and how to participate
EIT Food explicitly mentions activities such as sample creation, field trials, functional and property testing, and efficiency assessments. In practice, it may be particularly relevant for startups looking to validate, for example:
- new food materials or packaging with a manufacturer, brand or retailer;
- technologies to extend food shelf life and reduce waste;
- reuse or circular packaging solutions applied within a restaurant or food-service chain;
- new ingredients, upcycled products, alternative proteins or formulations;
- technologies for valorising agrifood by-products or side-streams;
- traceability, sensor, AI or monitoring solutions for the food value chain;
- technologies that improve process efficiency or reduce water, energy or raw material consumption;
- solutions for agriculture, production, logistics or storage that can be tested with an industrial customer.
This call may be especially relevant if your startup can answer yes to the following questions:
✓ Do you already have a developed agrifood solution, rather than just an idea?
✓ Is there a specific company interested in testing it?
✓ Can you design a clearly defined PoC or pilot for less than €60,000?
✓ Can the pilot demonstrate performance, efficiency, impact or commercial viability?
✓ If it works, is there a realistic opportunity for a contract, scale-up or wider deployment afterwards?
If the answer is yes, this could be a particularly interesting opportunity to turn a commercial conversation into a first real project with a customer.
The next cut-off dates are 30 September, 30 October and 30 November 2026, at 12:00 CET.
Source: EIT Food.