European Commission publishes updated EIC Fund Investment Guidelines

The European Commission has published its updated version of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund Investment Guidelines.

The Commission published the new guidelines on 27/08/2026. One of the key changes compared with the previous version of the document is the inclusion of defence-related activities. This change was made following the landmark amendment adopted by the Commission in June 2026, lifting the ban on EIC funding and investing directly in defence technologies.

In the guidelines, the general exclusion of armaments and military equipment has been removed. However, the list of excluded activities explicitly now includes actions aimed at developing autonomous lethal weapons without the possibility of meaningful human control over selection and engagement decisions during…