Proof-of-Concept Co-Financing — Cutoff 1 (31 July 2026)
Funds proof-of-concept and pilot projects for agrifood startups collaborating with corporate partners.
The EIT Food Proof-of-Concept Co-Financing Instrument is a cash sub-grant programme that de-risks early-stage startup-corporate collaborations in the agrifood sector by co-financing small-scale pilot projects and proofs-of-concept. The instrument operates on a twice-annual submission calendar; the first cutoff for 2026 is July 31. Eligible activities include sample creation, field trials, function…
Proof-of-concept and small-scale pilot projects in the agrifood sector, co-developed with a corporate client, with a total project cost below €60,000.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see what you submit
Sign up free to see how they score you
Sign up free to see the timeline
Guides for this application
All guides →How to Write a Grant Proposal Reviewers Can Score
Learn how to write a grant proposal around reviewer criteria, evidence, work packages, budget logic, and commercialization for deeptech and R&D funding.
DocumentsGrant Work Plan Template: Work Packages, Gantt, Milestones, and Risks
Use this grant work plan template to structure work packages, tasks, owners, deliverables, Gantt timing, dependencies, and risk registers.
Submit & reportGrant Reporting Requirements: Post-Award Reports and Compliance
Learn what grant reporting requirements cover, how financial and performance reports work, what to track after an award, and how to avoid post-award compliance mistakes.
Write proposalGrant Letter of Intent: How to Write an LOI or Letter of Inquiry
Learn what a grant letter of intent is, when funders ask for LOIs or letters of inquiry, what to include, what to avoid, and how funder rules differ.
More from EIT Food
All grants from this funder →Proof-of-Concept Co-Financing — Cutoff 2 (30 November 2026)
🇪🇺EIT Food · European Union
Funds proof-of-concept and pilot projects for agrifood startups collaborating with corporate partners.
EIT Food Innovation Prizes
EIT Food · European Union
Pays early-stage agrifood startups up to €10,000 at pan-European regional pitch finals.
Seedbed Venture Catalyst — TeamUp
🇪🇺EIT Food · European Union
Invests startup and industry teams with commercialization support for Seedbed Venture Catalyst TeamUp in food technology, agriculture innovation, and climate technology.
EIT Food Accelerator Network (FAN) – Call for Startups 2026
🇪🇺EIT Food · European Union
Awards up to €50,000 to top agrifood and foodtech startups after a hub-based accelerator.
EIT Food Education Start-up Award
EIT Food · European Union
Pays up to 10 startups €4,000 each if they came out of an EIT Food Education programme.
Food Accelerator Network (FAN)
🇪🇺EIT Food · European Union
Offers EIT Food's Food Accelerator Network for agrifood startups across Europe to validate and prepare market-ready products.
Similar grants
Browse the directory →
FAST-IP/27 Cohort
🇮🇪NovaUCD · Ireland
Funds agrifood professionals developing market-ready sustainable agriculture and food technology solutions.
TKI-toeslag Top Sector Co-Funding
🇳🇱EZK · Netherlands
Supports Dutch innovation consortia through TKI-toeslag with public top up for high impact private-sector development work.
Horizon Organic Farming Data
🇪🇺European Commission · European Union
Funds a €6M coordination action that makes organic-farming data more complete, interoperable and useful from farm to consumer.
Co-created Innovations for a Competitive Food Sector and Sustainable Transitions
🇸🇪Formas · Sweden
Funds Swedish food companies co-creating food-sector innovations with academic partners.
Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC)
🇳🇱NWO · Netherlands
Funds multi-sector consortium research in the Netherlands with private co-financing for innovation readiness.
EIC Accelerator Challenge: Biotech for Regenerating Agricultural Soils
🇪🇺EIC · European Union
Supports scaling deep-tech for soil health, sustainability, and resilience of EU agriculture.