Two partners from the EIC Pathfinder-funded projects were among the winners of the Innovation Rader Prize:
- ExoMatter, a start-up from Germany, were awarded the overall 2025 Innovation Radar Prize for their innovative ExoMatter Platform for Materials R&D, which offers easily searchable AI-enriched data for scientific materials screening, through powerful filters and Exira, the first natural language AI-Agent in this field. They are partners in the Pathfinder SULPHURREAL project, which aims to demonstrate and validate a breakthrough approach for the next generation of carbon-free, direct conversion of solar energy into chemicals that can be stored for virtually unlimited periods.
- Ecolyte, from Austria, won the ‘Climate, Energy & Mobility’ category for their innovative ion conductive, paper-based membrane that can be used in batteries, fuel cells, electrolysers and water purification systems. They are partners in VanillaFlow project, which which seeks to develop radically new approaches to integrated energy storage by combining artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with flow battery technology. The project aims to replace currently used non-sustainable and critical raw materials with readily available, renewable materials based on starch and lignocellulosics.
Background information
The 2025 Innovation Radar Prize was the 11th edition of this annual celebration of EU innovative excellence. Organised by the European Commission and the Innovation Radar Bridge initiative, it took place in the Unicorn Factory Lisboa, Portugal. Twelve EU-funded start-ups from across Europe competed in three prize categories.
At the event each of the 12 finalists – all SMEs, start-ups or spin-offs who had previously received research and innovation funding from the European Commission – delivered a pitch to investors and entrepreneurs outlining their ground-breaking innovations and plans to scale them in the marketplace.
More information
Innovation Radar Prize winners