Canarian biotech startup Kanara has been selected by the European Innovation Council under the EIC Pre-Accelerator programme, becoming the only Spanish company chosen in this call and strengthening its position as one of the most promising deep-tech projects within the European innovation ecosystem.
The company will receive a €499,000 grant aimed at accelerating the industrial scale-up of its in vitro plant cell culture platform for the sustainable and controlled production of pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs). The funding will enable Kanara to optimise laboratory processes, strengthen its technological capabilities and advance towards the industrialisation of its technology.
The EIC Pre-Accelerator call, launched by the European Commission, selected a total of 70 companies from 22 countries out of more than 1,000 applications submitted, representing a success rate of approximately 6%. Altogether, the selected companies will receive around €32.5 million in European funding, with grants of up to €500,000 per company.
Portugal, Estonia and Turkey recorded the highest number of successful proposals. In addition, 24% of the selected projects are coordinated by women. Among the companies supported are Biotts, focused on non-invasive transdermal insulin delivery technologies; ENMOS, specialised in smart optical sensors for water and energy efficiency; Frenesim das Ondas, developing breakthrough wave energy technologies; Myceen, focused on sustainable mycelium-based insulation materials; and Skylabs, developer of low-power microcontrollers for space applications.
Kanara’s technology is based on cellular agriculture and enables the production of high-value compounds in fully controlled environments, reducing dependence on vulnerable agricultural supply chains while improving traceability and sustainability across production processes. Although initially focused on the pharmaceutical sector, the platform has potential applications across several strategic industries.
In this context, the company is already collaborating with Moeve on the development of biofuels derived from cellular agriculture through the Light Up programme, expanding the industrial scope of its technology beyond the healthcare sector.
“Achieving the EIC Pre-Accelerator validates our ability to lead strategic global industries from the islands,” Kanara stated. “This recognition proves that the Canary Islands can compete at the forefront of European technological innovation and become a hub for investment, innovation and specialised talent.”
In addition to the 70 funded companies, the European Commission will award the “Seal of Excellence” to a further 320 high-quality applications that could not be financed due to budget limitations, helping them access future national and European complementary funding opportunities.
The EIC Pre-Accelerator programme aims to strengthen the capacity of early-stage startups and SMEs to subsequently access EIC Accelerator funding, attract private investment and benefit from national and regional innovation support schemes. The initiative is jointly promoted by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the WIDERA programme, which seeks to strengthen innovation ecosystems in emerging and outermost regions within Horizon Europe.
The 2025 edition of the programme not only provides direct funding of up to €500,000 per company, but also intensive support to strengthen startups’ technological, business and investment readiness, as well as tailored guidance to facilitate future fundraising rounds.
The next EIC Pre-Accelerator call, planned under the WIDERA 2026-2027 work programme, will have a €40 million budget and increase the maximum funding per company to €1 million.
With this milestone, Kanara aims to position itself as one of Europe’s leading companies in cellular agriculture and advanced biotechnology, demonstrating that the Canary Islands’ geographical location can become a competitive advantage for leading sustainable innovation on a global scale.
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