EIC Accelerator Challenges: Deep Tech for Climate Adaptation is a funding program from the European Innovation Council (EIC) that funds startups and SMEs developing innovative deep-tech solutions to help Europe adapt to key climate risks, including heat and mortality, food systems disruption, water scarcity, and flooding.

The program supports commercially scalable technologies addressing climate adaptation across the four IPCC-identified key risks for Europe. Eligible applicants are startups and small and medium-sized enterprises based in EU member states or ERC-associated countries. Awards include up to EUR 2.

5 million in grants and up to EUR 15 million in equity investment. The application deadline is May 6, 2026.

Deep Tech for Climate Adaptation - European Innovation Council Deep Tech for Climate Adaptation Developing and commercially scaling timely solutions needed across Europe to adapt to key climate risks. Europe is warming faster than any other continent in the world. As the Earth continues to warm, climate change is increasingly affecting humans, economic activities and natural systems across the globe including in Europe.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identified 4 key risks for Europe, which will become more severe as the world continues to warm: Mortality and morbidity of people and changes in ecosystems due to heat Heat and drought stress on crops Flooding and sea level rise As policies and actions are not keeping up with the rapidly growing climate risks, the need for adaptation solutions will only become more pressing.

Start-ups and scale-ups are already developing deep tech solutions to address these climate risks. On the other hand, the European Commission - through its EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change – is supporting climate adaptation efforts on the ground, uniting more than 400 regional and local authorities across Europe towards climate resilience by 2030.

The aim of this Challenge is to improve Europe’s Climate resilience by scaling up companies and solutions and connect them to the Mission’s regions and local authorities. This Challenge competition focuses on deep tech solutions including nature-based solutions (NbS) and engineering approaches reinforced by AI and other Key Enabling Technologies (KET).

The start-ups and SMEs to be supported under this Challenge must look to develop and deploy deep-tech innovations that will address one of the following priorities: Combating extreme heat in urban environments : climate-neutral solutions that address urban heat island effects and urban cooling by for example reducing heat transfer, heat accumulation and cooling costs in urban areas.

Proposals could include solutions such as, but not limited to, temperature-responsive and reflective materials, insulation, coating that regulate building temperatures, biomimetic nano-structured metamaterials that selectively/adaptively reflect or absorb light bandwidth, novel green-roof and green-façade systems integrating nature and materials for new build and retrofit.

Climate Smart Agriculture : this includes scalable climate smart crops, nature-based solutions, agroecology, integrated pest management with increased resilience to several simultaneous climate threats as well as microbial solutions, and bio stimulants enhancing climate resilience.

Deep tech solutions for indoor food production such as, but not limited to, variable transparency solar glass which could be applied to industrial and residential buildings also fall within scope; Combating Water scarcity : this includes the reuse of water trough wastewater processing and water filtration solutions sensitive to emerging pollutants and could include biotech solutions such as, but not limited to, bacterial, mycelial or plant extraction or degradation and nature-based solutions.

These solutions must be suitable for large and small-scale applications in urban and/or rural regions Flood and coastal protection​ : includes solutions for new (temporary) buildings / (green) infrastructure and retrofit to help infrastructure withstand damage from storm waters, coastal and river flooding alongside novel/ targeted predictive systems or early warning systems.

Expected outcomes and impacts By targeting deep tech including nature-based solutions, this Challenge looks to develop and commercially scale timely solutions needed across Europe to adapt to key climate risks. Applicants are encouraged to consider the potential impact of emerging environmental markets on their business, and to explore the strategic opportunities these markets may unlock when paired with innovative business models .

Furthermore, the EIC will, through its Business Acceleration Services, especially the innovation procurement programme, connect the startups and SMEs supported under this Challenge with the network of regions and local authorities engaged in the Mission on Climate Adaptation (leveraging the Mission Implementation Platform), to facilitate the accelerated uptake of breakthrough solutions for climate adaptation.

The solutions stemming from this Challenge will be part of the portfolio of solutions developed by the Adaptation Mission. The EIC Challenges are extensively described in the EIC Work Programme. For more information about this challenge, please go to the corresponding section of the EIC Work Programme .

Applications to the EIC Accelerator challenges must be done on the Funding and Tenders portal. Please read the application procedure in the EIC Accelerator page. Go to the application procedure