EIT Community AI Challenge 2025

Objectif

The EIT AI Community is launching the AI Challenge 2025 to identify and support AI-powered solutions addressing key business or societal challenges applicable in several sectors that have been defined by Industry leaders.
The competition is open to spin-offs, startups, and scaleups from all participating in the EIT AI Community project.
The solutions proposed can be based, not limited to data sharing and interoperability, process optimization, logistics, generative AI applications, AI agents, and intelligent systems for the defined food sector
The AI Challenge 2025 is seeking innovative companies from across the EU with solutions to the real-world industry challenges set by lead companies:
- BAYER (1): Unlocking Regenerative Agrifood Insights: Secure AI-Driven Extraction of Corporate Knowledge for Trusted Third Parties
- Take Root Bio Technologies (2): AI for Carbon Monitoring and Environmental Optimisation in Modular Agrifood Ecosystems (2.a); Adaptive AI Learning Platform to support TRB’s Agrifood Ecosystem Borderless Training (2.b); Biosphere-Informed Digital Twin for Community Cohesion & Social Impact (2.c)
- Grupo AN (3): AI solution to precisely and dynamically adjust fertilization, minimizing costs and avoiding environmental impacts

The companies proposing the challenges commit to seriously considering the selected proposals for developing a proof-of-concept to evaluate the solution applicability on their real conditions.

Critères d'éligibilité

The applicants must meet the following requirements:
• It is always required that a legal entity for the application submitted has already been established.
• The organization is an SME according to the EU Rules (startup, spin off…)
• The company must be incorporated in an EU Member State or a country associated with
Horizon Europe.
• Applicants shall describe their market traction achieved so far.
• A business development plan, including financial projections, must be described.

Technologies clés

Data spaces for cities, health, and manufacturing
AI and 5G technologies
AI for drones
Synthetic data & anonymisation
Generative AI applications
Process optimisation & logistics

Typologie de consortium

For each of the company challengers (i.e. Bayer, Take Root Bio Technologies, Grupo AN and HCDI), one winner will be selected independently of the specific challenge that they have applied.
There will be a cash prize of 10.000 EUR for each of the challenge winners up to a total budget of 40.000 EUR, that must be used to continue the development of the solution and/or support the Proof of Concept with the challenger company.
Winners will also be eligible for a Growth Package that provides access to the exclusive AI Founders Club — a curated portfolio of support services offered by the EIT Community. This includes tailored coaching, mentoring, and guidance on IP strategy and business development. The competition is designed to identify and scale the most promising AI solutions that are sustainable, resilient, and socially impactful.
The prize will be paid to the selected applicants provided all the requested documents have been submitted.