A month from the end of the EIC Summit 2025, the takeaways from the established event in European deep-tech innovation are not over! As in the previous ‘Wrapping up the EIC Summit 2025: discover some of the main takeaways’ article, we deep dived into the workshops dedicated to EIC Business Acceleration Services (EIC BAS), in this second wrap-up article we would like you to get a glimpse of the inspiring testimonials from EIC beneficiaries with different backgrounds and stages of their innovation.
Taking the stage both on the EIC beneficiaries' day and on the EIC flagship event, open to all interested stakeholders, the EIC—backed innovators shared compelling stories about the origins of their innovations, the milestones they achieved with the EIC support and their ambitions for the future.
EIC-backed innovators on stage:
Mariana Popescu on EIC Pathfinder FlexiForm project
On the very first day of the Summit, right before the start of the workshops delving into EIC BAS and its programmes, Assistant Professor of Digital Fabrication at TU Delft, Mariana Popescu, had the opportunity to be the first EIC beneficiary to get on the plenary stage to provide her insights based on her experience leading the EIC Pathfinder FlexiForm project.
Through her presentation, Mariana illustrated how the EIC-backed project leverages on the structural efficiency of geometries and 3D knitted textiles with the potential to transform the construction industry by reducing material usage and embodied carbon in new buildings.
As for the project’s goals, an open-source material database will be established, aimed at facilitating the widespread adoption of sustainable practices in the construction industry.
In the closing remarks, Mariana highlighted:
With the EIC Pathfinder project we are trying to close the fabrication pipeline loop. When all the pieces fall into place what is missing is to adopt these technologies and the ones of the rest of the projects' portfolio.
Saurabh Joshi on EIC Transition 3P-Tec project
Later that day, the start of the European Innovation Procurement Award Ceremony was preceded by other testimonials on EIC impact, including the one by Saurabh Joshi, Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bremen and part of the Transition project 3P-Tec.
Similarly to Mariana, Saurabh put a major stress on how the EIC has been supporting the innovation journey of 3PTec’s team, who – through their novel breeding technologies – seek to enable farmers to achieve high yields with climate-resilient crops:
We are pioneers in this technology worldwide and the EIC is supporting us in becoming entrepreneurs. Thanks to this project I have taken courses to finetune the value proposition.
Since the EIC project significantly builds on the discoveries made thanks to other EU-funded projects, as the EU-supported bi-BLOCK project, Saurabh concluded by calling on the numerous EIC beneficiaries present and on their ideas:
We need you, we need people to combine our ideas!
Christoffer Levandowski on EIC Accelerator QualE-fly project
The following day, the flagship event open to all interested stakeholders was yet another occasion for other inspiring stories, based on the innovation journeys of EIC beneficiaries supported by different funding schemes.
Following the fireside chat with former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta and Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, it was the turn of Christoffer Levandowski, Public Funding and Innovation Program Manager at Heart Aerospace, to take the floor on the plenary stage.
Christoffer’s speech took the audience back in time to when Heart Aerospace, where he coordinates and grows the R&D portfolio, received the EIC Accelerator grant:
The EIC came in at a very critical moment in our company history, and supported us through the EIC Accelerator. It was between the seeding round and our series A round, when we had started gaining some traction but we really needed to level up on our milestones.
Looking ahead, the Sweden-based startup aims to electrify air travel, delivering the world's first electric airliner certified for commercial flight by 2026.
The EIC Summit 2025 highlights
The EIC Summit welcomed over 1,400 participants for two days full of initiatives: from thought-provoking talks and workshops to networking opportunities and award ceremonies.
It has also been an opportunity for EIC-backed innovators and interested stakeholders to explore how to scale, partner, raise funds, and conquer new markets through a full track of sessions dedicated to the EIC Business Acceleration Services (EIC BAS).
Moreover, at the occasion of the satellite event of this year’s EIC Summit, EIC Investor Day on Climate Tech, 24 EIC Accelerator innovators stepped on stage on 2 April to pitch their solutions to top investors present at the EIC Summit 2025.
And that’s not all. The visitors had the pleasure of meeting the minds behind the 23 EIC-backed projects featured in our project exhibition, true examples of innovation in action!
Read about other highlights from this year’s edition, as the presentation of the EIC Impact Report 2025 , in our previous EIC Summit 2025 wrap-up article.
Additional Information about the EIC Business Acceleration Services
Under Horizon Europe, the EIC strives to ensure that financial support is only the beginning of your journey as an EIC beneficiary, with mechanisms available to bring your innovations to the market and grow your business. As an EIC-supported innovator, you can benefit from access to a range of tailor-made EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS) available at any stage of development of your activities and of the research and innovation cycle. Learn more by visiting the official website and the page dedicated to resources, which includes the EIC BAS brochure.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.