IMB-CNM secures funding for an EIC Pathfinder project on neurotechnology and advanced materials

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The European Innovation Council (EIC) has announced the results of the EIC Pathfinder Open 2026 call, selecting 43 research projects with a total funding of 166 million euros—amounting to up to 4 million euros per project.

POLARIS is one of the selected Spanish projects and brings together eight leading European partners in the fields of neurotechnology, advanced materials, microelectronics, neuroscience, and clinical medicine. Its objective is to develop a new generation of graphene-based brain implants for the monitoring and treatment of patients with acute brain injury. The initiative aims to overcome the limitations of current technologies by creating neural interfaces capable of recording brain signals with unprecedented sensitivity, while also facilitating future strategies for personalized neuromodulation. 

The Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) is a partner, with researcher Anton Guimerà leading the contribution. POLARIS is led by the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) by researcher Jose Antonio Garrido.

The consortium integrates complementary capabilities across the entire value chain—from technological development to preclinical and clinical validation:

• ICN2 (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology): scientific coordination of the project and development of graphene-based neural interfaces.
• CSIC – Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM): design, fabrication, and integration of microsystems and advanced electronics for implantable devices.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne): development of technologies and procedures for the minimally invasive implantation of neural interfaces.
• The University of Manchester: preclinical validation of new neuromodulation strategies and functional evaluation of the developed technology.
• LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München): research into neurophysiological biomarkers and experimental validation in brain injury models.
• University of Oldenburg: advanced analysis and processing of neural signals, as well as the development of computational tools for data interpretation.
• Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin: definition of clinical requirements, translational validation, and assessment of the technology’s potential within hospital settings.
• INBRAIN Neuroelectronics: technological scaling, industrialization, and an exploitation plan for the future transfer of the technology into clinical practice. Through this multidisciplinary collaboration, POLARIS aims to lay the foundation for a new European neurotechnology platform that will enable a better understanding of brain dynamics in neurocritical patients, enhance clinical monitoring capabilities, and pave the way for more precise and personalized neuromodulation therapies.

Spain to coordinate six projects under the European Innovation Council's EIC Pathfinder Open 2026 call

From pioneering cancer treatments and quantum computing to advanced manufacturing and climate-resilient technologies, these projects aim to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and lay the groundwork for the groundbreaking innovations of the future.

Spain will coordinate 6 EIC Pathfinder Open projects, the highest number of coordinated projects for any European Union country. Furthermore, with 31 participations, it ranks second among EU nations in terms of the number of participations, and third in terms of the rate of return, securing 18 million euros.

In total, 6 projects will be coordinated by research institutions and other entities based in Spain, including the Autonomous University of Madrid (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Foundation for Applied Medical Research at the University of Navarra (FIMA), the University of Cádiz, Ploid AI Biotech S.L., and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2).