Open Calls
EIT Health has a schedule of events, open calls, and opportunities for you to get involved, meet other innovators, like-minded people, and experts.
Open Calls
InnoStars Awards
The InnoStars Awards accelerates early-stage start-ups, MVPs, and prototype-stage companies from Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe.
Within the programme, start-ups can apply:
- to the Validation Track (for MVP and prototype stage start-ups with no revenue),
- to the Investment Track (for start-ups already on the market and looking for seed/series A investment).
Participants will receive mentoring, travel and accommodation support, and smart money to a total value of 15,000 EUR and will participate in two onsite bootcamps:
- Validation Track: eHTA business planning, IP management, mapping funding opportunities, professional pitching, establishing investment relations, value proposition validation, networking strategies, market entry strategies, health tech marketing, public speaking, social media hints and tricks.
- Investment Track: establishing and managing investor relationships, optimizing pitch deck for investment purposes, fine-tuning term sheets, investor negotiation strategies, mentoring with investors, board meeting simulation.
In the Grand Final pitching contest, the top three Validation and Investment Track companies will receive awards 1st: 25,000 EUR; 2nd: 15,000 EUR; 3rd: 10,000 EUR.
Organisations chosen to participate in the programme after the application and selection process must become EIT Health InnoStars Community Members, which requires a yearly membership fee of 1,000 EUR.
Submission deadline: 9 August, 2024 (extended)
InnoStars Connect
Introducing the new InnoStars Connect programme!
InnoStars Connect aims to foster collaboration and innovation in the healthcare sector by establishing a cross-border community, facilitating connections between challenge owners and organisations to form partnerships that tackle healthcare challenges aligned with industry needs.
The two challenge owners for the first cycle are Chiesi Group and SYNLAB Italia, Europe’s front-runner pharmaceutical companies, are looking for ground-breaking solutions in early diagnostics, patient care, drug delivery, and rare disease therapy.
We're welcoming ideas from start-ups and SMEs, from universities, research institutions, and hospitals
A total of 10 teams will be chosen to participate in the programme and will receive smart money, expert guidance and extend their professional network. They will participate in the challenge owners Bootcamp to validate and scale their solutions.
Submission deadline: 7 July, 2024 (extended)
- Previous calls
EIT Jumpstarter
Do you have an innovative idea and want to jumpstart your business?
EIT Jumpstarter is a pre-accelerator run by six communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The programme includes eight categories: health, food, raw materials, energy, urban mobility, manufacturing, New European Bauhaus (focused on sustainable and inclusive living spaces) and a cohort for Ukrainian innovators. EIT Jumpstarter aims to push early-stage innovators from emerging European regions onto the market and help their scientific ideas and innovations become successful businesses.
The programme lasts seven months, during which selected teams work with expert trainers and mentors and deep dive together into business modelling and business planning. Based on the developed business plan, the start-ups are evaluated, and the best teams in each category are qualified for the Grand Final, where they compete for the prize of 10,000 EUR in each category.
Submission deadline: 5 May, 2024
Attract to Invest 2023
EIT Health’s programme prepares companies for successful investment rounds. Attract to Invest offers a 3-stage program structure where all stages offer challenges, opportunities and valuable prizes for the best performing applicants.
During the programme, teams will receive smart money, learn practical fundraising skills, gain funding for improving their products or services, and extend their professional network. On the second half of September, the teams will participate in the Fundraising Bootcamp.
Are you running a healthcare startup with a product on the market and you plan to open a seed or series A investment round? Join the Attract to Invest programme by EIT Health InnoStars and equip yourself with practical fundraising techniques.
Submission deadline: 21 July, 2023
InnoStars Awards 2023
The InnoStars Awards is a key acceleration programme for early-stage start-ups from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, where the pace of innovation is more moderate.
The programme helps transform prototypes and MVPs into health solutions or products and bring them to the market. Over the last seven years, more than 100 start-ups have been trained and more than half have been successful in the market. The InnoStars Awards is also a unique place for investors looking for gems in biotech, MedTech and life sciences, and a must-attend pit stop in the healthcare start-up journey.Win up to €25 000 to launch your product or service, find your first customers and get in connection with EIT Health Partners from all over Europe. Present your success story in the local and European media.
Ready to accelerate your start-up?Submission deadline: 16 April, 2023
EIT Jumpstarter
Do you have an innovative idea and want to jumpstart your business?
EIT Jumpstarter is a pre-accelerator run by seven communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The programme includes nine categories: health, food, raw materials, energy, urban mobility, manufacturing, digital, New European Bauhaus (focused on sustainable and inclusive living spaces) and a cohort for Ukrainian innovators. EIT Jumpstarter aims to push early-stage innovators from emerging European regions onto the market and help their scientific ideas and innovations become successful businesses.
The programme lasts seven months, during which selected teams work with expert trainers and mentors and deep dive together into business modelling and business planning. Based on the developed business plan, the start-ups are evaluated, and the six best teams in each category are qualified for the Grand Final, where they compete for the prize of 10,000 EUR in each category.
Submission deadline: 16 April, 2023
Bridgehead 2023
EIT Health’s Bridgehead programme brings together health entrepreneurs who want to grow their business in the European market with top incubators and accelerators who have the expertise and resources to make it happen.
We help match your scale-up with an incubator or accelerator from EIT Health’s approved network – we call these organisations our Catalysers. Together, you will plan how to access new markets in Europe quickly and decisively, tap into local networks of partners and clients, access infrastructure and understand new regulatory systems. You’ll be given the seasoned expertise, insight and support needed to help realise your business ambitions.
Submission deadline: 2 May, 2023
Catapult 2023
Introducing a unique competition and training programme that showcases life sciences and health tech start-ups to leading experts and investors across Europe. The programme awards the best business concepts, fast-tracking start-ups to become part of the EIT Health Community of world-leading companies.
Throughout the programme, start-ups receive intensive training as they build their credibility and visibility through pan-European exposure. Finalists pitch at the Bits & Pretzels HealthTech event as they go head-to-head for cash and industry prizes, and the opportunity to be displayed on the New York Nasdaq Tower.
Submission deadline: 2 May, 2023
Wild Card 2023
The programme pairs early-stage start-ups with the resources they need to validate their problem-solution, achieve product-market fit, and secure investment opportunities.
Each year, the Wild Card programme invites start-up teams who are not afraid to take risks to develop an innovative solution for a specific health challenge. Fostering a supportive and collaborative environment, Wild Card encourages participants to think outside the box and challenge conventional thinking. With the guidance and support of experts and investors, teams have the opportunity to take on the challenge and bring innovative products and services to the healthcare industry.
Submission deadline: 2 May, 2023
User Validation Labs (ULabs) 2023
The User Validation Labs (ULabs) programme connects you with EIT Health partners in Europe that can help you organise and execute a validation study for your start-up’s innovation. The ULabs include living labs, accelerators, hospitals and innovation centres that can help you get access to and collect feedback from your future end users. You will be able to test your product or service with patients, clinicians and medical staff in Europe.
Submission deadline: 2 May, 2023
Patient Innovation Bootcamp 2023
Who better than patients and their caregivers to have crucial insight for product innovation?
Offering a unique combination of mentoring, and onsite and online training, this Bootcamp supports the development and launch of innovative solutions created by people directly affected by health conditions. The aim is to help them move their solutions from ideas to prototypes to market-ready innovations.
The Patient Innovation Bootcamp consists of mentoring and training in Lisbon, medical and technology validation in Barcelona, implementation and dissemination in Copenhagen, and online training regarding business model design in between. Travel and accommodation costs are supported by the programme for selected start-ups.
Submission deadline: 31 May, 2023
Regulatory Pathways to Market Bootcamp 2023
Do you want to take your digital health and medical device ideas to a European market? The Regulatory Pathways to Market Bootcamp supports early-stage start-ups to ease their entry into market.
In this 10-week online programme you will understand the highly regulated pathway within the European healthcare system and identify potential pathways to reimbursement. With the support of industry experts, you will design a go-to-market path for your start-up.
Submission deadline: 31 May, 2023
MedTech Bootcamp 2023
Are you part of an early-stage medtech or digital health start-up? Then here’s your chance to take part in the MedTech Bootcamp. Get a clear and valid proof of concept, so you can launch your business into a European market.
In this six-week, online programme, experts and mentors will help you understand and refine your project, business and financial plan. You’ll take a closer look at the market and your competition, receiving the help you need to better understand medical device regulations and how these apply to your project. And, with intensive training throughout the programme, you will perfect your pitch to investors to give you the best chance of success.
Submission deadline: 31 May, 2023
Past Calls
BeHealSy BeHealSy is a one-year innovation and entrepreneurship module of PhD level that focuses on Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems. Through this module you’ll be equipped with multidisciplinary research skills in health systems and become capable of translating research outcomes into innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Application deadline: 15.08.2022.
Health DRIVE 2022
The EIT Health DRIVE training programme has been designed for organisations in European countries with modest or moderate innovation capacity (including Latvia) who provide support for innovators to turn their research/ideas into successful businesses and aim to establish a specialized, comprehensive programme for health & life science start-ups.
Application deadline: 12.07.2022., 12:00 CET
InnoStars Awards
A programme, designed to help start-ups validate the need for healthcare innovation, attract investors and shorten the time it takes to get ideas to market.
Application deadline: 27 March.
Bridgehead
Bridgehead provides European start-ups and scale-ups with individualised support in growing their validated businesses beyond their home markets.
Application deadline: 14 March.
EIT Health Catapult
EIT Health Catapult exposes European healthcare start-ups to experts, health industry leaders and international investors with training, mentoring and competitive pitching.
Application deadline: 14 March.
Start-ups Meet Pharma
Start-ups Meet Pharma is a challenge-based acceleration programme in which key pharma partners in Europe pose challenges for start-ups, who receive mentoring and support.
Application deadline: 14 March.
Women Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
The Women Entrepreneurship Bootcamp connects early-stage, women-led or co-led healthcare start-ups to an unparalleled network of mentors in order to nurture and support rapid growth.
Application deadline: 14 March.
Reactor Bootcamp
Are you looking for the path to commercialise your innovative healthcare solution? The Reactor Bootcamp will provide a customised path so you can find your product-market fit and accelerate early adoption and get prepared for partnership building.
Application deadline: 14 March.
Patient Innovation Bootcamp
Who better than patients and their caregivers to have that crucial insight which leads to true product innovation?
Application deadline: 14 March.
MedTech Bootcamp
Are you part of an early-stage start-up? Then here’s your chance to take part in the MedTech Bootcamp. Get a clear and valid proof of concept, so you can launch your business into a European market.
Application deadline: 27 June.
Archive
2021
EIT Health RIS Innovation Call 2022
Investor Network: Accelerating early-stage equity funding for promising healthcare start-ups
