The European Innovation Council (EIC) has published a report detailing 25 emerging ‘deep’ technologies at low to mid maturity levels across space tech, clean tech and biotech that could play a key role in shaping future innovation in Europe.
By the time new technologies become widely known, either through markets or public debate, many of the decisions that shape their trajectory have already been taken, said Momchil Sabev, director of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. That means anticipating emerging deep-tech developments early is essential for Europe’s competitiveness and sovereignty, he said.
The EIC is the European Union’s flagship programme for finding and supporting deep-tech innovation under Horizon Europe: the report - EIC Tech Report 2026 - is built on data from funded projects and applications submitted to the council.
The list is broken into three sections; digital and space technologies, covering advanced semiconductor materials, secure computing and AI, quantum communications and space infrastructure; clean and resource-efficient technologies, including secondary raw material recovery, electrochemical water treatment, advanced heat-to-electricity conversion materials and building integrated energy systems; and biotechnologies and health, featuring biological production platforms, genomics-enabled crops, computational protein design, scalable cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
The EIC said the report showcases innovation with potential to contribute to Europe’s resilience and strategic autonomy, such as Europe’s ability to build and sustain its own critical capabilities to avoid structural lock-ins beyond its control in a shifting global landscape.
For example, accelerated domestication of perennial grains through biotech could support Europe's objectives related to food security, soil protection, and reduced dependency on imported fertilisers. "By enabling low-input cropping systems, perennial grains may reduce environmental and economic costs linked to nitrate pollution, soil degradation, and input volatility," the report notes.
Meanwhile, microbial biomining for secondary metal recovery and bioremediation is in line with Europe's Critical Raw Materials Act, which emphasises strengthening secure and sustainable supply, including greater recovery and processing capacity within Europe. "At system level, coupling metal extraction with bioremediation creates options to embed recovery within existing industrial or post-mining sites," the report says.
The 25 technologies highlighted by the report are:
Digital and space
- 2D materials for advanced memory and memristive devices
- Scalable MXene manufacturing for industrial electromagnetic applications
- Quantum repeaters for trusted-node-free quantum networks
- Embedded Zero Trust Architectures for distributed and federated AI systems
- Bio-inspired AI for emerging self-organising and resource-efficient systems
- Embodied AI for adaptive agents in open and dynamic environments
- Edge computing for scalable and loss-tolerant satellite operations
- Graphene-based coatings and composites for performance-critical space systems
- Advanced in-space servicing robotics for orbital infrastructure maintenance and reuse
Clean and resource-efficient technologies
- Microbial biomining for secondary metal recovery and bioremediation
- Capacitive deionization systems for low-energy water desalination and treatment
- Electrochemical treatment systems for destruction of persistent contaminants in water
- Advanced thermoelectric materials for low- and mid-temperature waste heat recovery
- Spin-caloritronic materials for solid-state heat-to-electricity conversion and sensing
- Inverse design with digital twins for predictive materials manufacturing
- Passive cooling and gravity-based storage for energy-active buildings
Biotechnologies and health
- Mycelium-based hybrid fermentation for whole-food production
- Biotech-enabled perennial crops for regenerative agricultural systems
- Novel microbiome therapeutics for preventive and personalised health
- Computational protein design for accelerated drug and enzyme discovery
- Automated manufacturing technologies for scalable CAR immune cell therapies
- Biohybrid microrobots for cellular-scale therapeutic interventions
- Autonomous robotic systems for integrated surgical workflows
- Non-invasive and minimally-invasive brain interfaces for adaptive therapeutic modulation
- Portable and ultra-low field magnetic resonance imaging for distributed clinical uses
Further reading on innovation
- What’s driving R&D? AI, sustainability and connectivity
- 10 innovations that could transform chemistry
- The FDA approved these 46 new drugs in 2025
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