Seven Estonian DeepTech startups just claimed €3.37M in European Innovation Council grants, proving the diversity and quality of the local ecosystem.

Another outsized win is scored by the Estonian ecosystem. Seven local DeepTech startups have secured a combined €3.37M in funding through the European Innovation Council’s Pre-Accelerator programme (EIC Pre-Accelerator), a competitive EU initiative designed to help early-stage companies develop their technology, sharpen their competitiveness, and prepare for larger international funding rounds.

Each successful applicant receives up to €500,000. The programme also acts as a stepping stone towards the EIC Accelerator — the main EIC funding instrument, where grants and investments run into the millions.

This round was specifically aimed at so-called Widening Countries: EU member states which catch up in innovation capacity. The category currently includes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Malta, and Portugal.

Estonia’s showing was notable. “Estonia’s results were very strong among the Widening Countries: with seven funded projects, Estonian companies accounted for 10% of all supported projects. This also demonstrates that the EIC believes in the potential of Estonian and other Widening Countries’ deep-tech startups,” says Anna-Liisa Laarits, international funding expert at Enterprise Estonia.

DeepTech stars

The seven recipients span are:

• Chemestmed is developing an RNA-level treatment for anxiety disorders, targeting the underlying disease mechanism rather than its symptoms.
• CogniFlow has built a droplet-based platform called DropletFactory that uses AI to design and optimise so-called cell factories — biological systems engineered to produce drugs or chemicals — reducing the need for costly and time-consuming lab trials.
• Myceen produces building insulation from mycelium (fungal root networks) and industrial waste, with carbon sequestration built into the material itself.
• Vectiopep is working on an mRNA-based therapeutic cancer vaccine — designed not to prevent cancer, but to treat patients already diagnosed, by directing the immune system against tumour cells.
• TrackDeep develops drone detection and surveillance technology using radio-frequency sensors that can identify drones regardless of the communication protocol they use.
• UP Catalyst captures industrial CO₂ and converts it into graphite, a key component in electric vehicle batteries, while also developing surface treatment methods to improve battery durability.
• SAFEPAS brings laboratory-grade soil analysis directly to the field, helping farmers make more precise decisions about nutrient management and fertiliser application.

The next EIC Pre-Accelerator round, with a total budget of €40M, is expected to open in 2027.