News
November 25, 2025
Budapest hosted a major celebration of European innovation this year as the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) held the EIT Innovation Awards 2025 at the Budapest Congress Center on November 25. The highlight of the event was the EIT Jumpstarter Grand Finale, where 42 start-ups from 17 countries competed for a total prize pool of €132,500.
EIT Jumpstarter, a pre-acceleration programme developed by the Budapest-based EIT, is designed to transform scientific discoveries into viable businesses and strengthen innovation ecosystems across Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe.
This year, the programme received an unprecedented 908 applications — a 49% increase compared to 2024’s 609 submissions, marking the highest number in the initiative’s history. Applications came from all 28 eligible countries and territories, with a special focus on the Mediterranean, EU Outermost Regions, and Western Balkans economies. As a result, 369 applications (40% of all submissions) came from these strategically targeted areas, underscoring the importance of inclusive outreach and regional engagement.
The highest number of applications came from Ukraine, Türkiye, and Italy. In terms of topics, the Healthcare cohort led the pack with 249 applications, making it the most competitive thematic area, closely followed by Food & Agritech with 169 applications. This surge reflects the growing interest in early-stage innovation across Europe.
The 42 finalist teams were selected from this highly competitive pool and presented their projects in a live pitch competition across seven categories, ranging from Food & Agritech and Energy & Renewables to Smart Cities and Mobility.
Three winners in each category received €10,000 each, while special prizes recognized outstanding projects from the Western Balkans, Mediterranean Member States, and EU Outermost Regions.
Kristina Lovrek, Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) Project Coordinator, remarked:
“It’s inspiring to see how each year the programme attracts even stronger and more innovative ideas. These finalists have the potential to make a real impact, and we are proud to support their journey from early-stage concepts to scalable solutions.”
Since its inception in 2017, EIT Jumpstarter has helped create 140 start-ups, trained over 1,200 participants, generated more than 2,000 new jobs, and attracted roughly €150 million in external investment. The programme operates under the umbrella of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS), which aims to reduce innovation disparities across Europe and connect innovators from emerging and moderate innovation regions to the wider European ecosystem.
Healthcare:
Winner – MYLeukaemia
Runners-up – Prospect Biotech, CheMOnitor
Food & Agritech:
Winner – Polium Scientific (previously Taze Tut)
Runners-up – BOREAL CACAO Ltd, AquaBoostNano
Energy & Renewables:
Winner – RenU Fuel Solutions
Runners-up – Beaver Nexus, ARKai (formerly CirQa),
Smart Cities & Mobility:
Winner – SmartRoads
Runners-up – BridgeAID, SignalWings
New European Bauhaus:
Winner – MycoNest
Runners-up – Groundwork, Virtual Sound Media
Raw Materials:
Winner – ProSpec
Runners-up – OPS Technologies, Chitolastic
Rebuild Ukraine:
Winner – Mindship
Runners-up – VR Revive, OMG Tetra
Special Prizes:
Western Balkans Special Prize – AquaBoostNano
Mediterranean Member States Special Prize – RenU Fuel Solutions
Outermost Regions (OMR) Special Prize – MYLeukaemia
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