Open call - Shape the future of farming with Bayer

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is inviting EIC-backed start-ups and scale-ups to embark on a business acceleration journey culminating in the EIC Corporate Day with Bayer, one of the world’s leading life sciences companies in healthcare and agriculture. The EIC-backed companies selected to participate in this initiative will receive tailored business support prior to their participation in an exclusive pitching and matching session with Bayer’s experts and decision-makers in the Crop Science Global Headquarters (Monheim am Rhein, Germany), on 4-5 November 2025.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity and apply by 21 July 2025:  

Application to the EIC Corporate Day with Bayer

The services, provided by the EIC, will include dedicated training, mentoring, pitch dry runs, and further support to present their solutions in an in-person pitching and matching session in November with the corporations' decision-makers. Additionally, the selected EIC companies will benefit from post-event support to maximise the impact of their business proposals.

Crop Science, a division of Bayer AG, is the world’s leading agriculture enterprise by sales, with businesses in crop protection, seeds and traits. Crop Science offers a broad portfolio of high-value seeds, improved plant traits, innovative chemical and biological crop protection products, digital solutions and extensive customer service for sustainable agriculture. Through transformative technologies including sustainable small molecules, biologicals, precision agriculture, and digital platforms, Crop Science is driving forward the next generation of agricultural innovation.

Why apply?

The selected EIC-backed companies will benefit from:

• Personalised preparatory support, including a group session with Bayer, a 1-to-1 session with business experts, high-quality feedback to adjust the pitch deck, pitch dry run, and a business proposal review.         
• Privileged access to Bayer’s high-level decision-makers.
• Knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities.
• Potential for collaborations, strategic partnerships, or market entry with Bayer.

Who can apply?

This call is open ONLY for EIC-backed start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs.

Bayer is seeking high-impact innovative and sustainable solutions aligned with the following innovation challenges in agriculture:

Challenge 1: Next-generation technologies for the development of sustainable crop protection

• Enabling technologies: Platforms that facilitate the design, development, and application of sustainable chemical or biological crop protection products.
• Innovative approaches to assess human and environmental safety: Methodologies such as New Approach Methodologies (NAMS) and Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA).
• Active ingredients: Readily developed chemical or biological active ingredients with potential for market application.

Challenge 2: Enhancing crop fertility and soil health measurement

• Biostimulants: Biological-based solutions to enhance crop fertility and plant performance.
• Soil health measurement technologies: Scalable and cost-effective tools to assess soil degradation, fertility, nutrient composition (C, N, P), microbiomes, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.

Challenge 3: Precision application technologies

• Precision crop protection solutions (digital and physical): Tools that optimise timing, targeting, and dosage of crop protection products, improving sustainability and efficiency.

Challenge 4: Scalable in-field data generation technologies

• Monitoring and sensing: Real-time data collection on plant health, performance, and residue analysis.
• Field trials and Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV): Tools to improve data accuracy, scalability of trials, and support for measurement, reporting, and verification systems.

Please specify which challenge(s) you are addressing in your application.

EIC-backed companies can apply here.

Please acknowledge that the information you provide on the application form will be shared with Bayer, which will select the participants based on their business interests and strategic goals. 

What happens after your application?

The EIC team will contact all selected applicants once the process is finished. However, this contact does not include feedback or recommendations for those not selected. 

If selected, participants must be available for the entire duration of the programme, which includes the preparation phase (online training sessions, pitch checks, and business proposal reviews), the event days (in-person) on 4-5 November 2025 in Monheim am Rhein, Germany, and follow-up activities. Selected companies must be represented by C-level executives. Additionally, selected participants will be responsible for arranging and covering their travel and accommodation costs. 

All participants are expected to fill out a brief satisfaction survey shortly after the matchmaking opportunity and a business impact survey after six months. Failure to do so may lead to exclusion from future Business Acceleration Services. 

Cancellation policy

Cancellations will only be accepted in duly justified cases of force majeure. Unjustified cancellations may result in exclusion from future EIC Business Acceleration Services opportunities. For more information, contact our Helpdesk (please select "EIC Corporate Day with Bayer" as the subject).

About the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme

This call and service are part of the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme, an initiative supporting EIC-backed companies looking to scale by securing new customers and business partners. To date, more than 1,500 EIC-backed start-ups and scale-ups, together with over 2,500 high-level representatives from more than 100 large companies, have taken part in the programme, resulting in significant impacts on organisations, tracking progress, and closing deals, often within 6 months. 

About Bayer

Bayer is a life science company and a global leader in health care and nutrition. Our innovative products support efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Its Crop Science Division, headquartered in Monheim, Germany, is the global leader in agriculture. The Bayer group with its three Divisions operates in over 90 countries, employs around 93,000 people worldwide, and reported €46.6 billion in revenue in 2024.

Stay up to date! 

The EIC Corporate Partnership Programme is an initiative of the EIC Business Acceleration Services.

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