Phosphenix wins €2.5M EIC Transition grant for SIGHTED visual cortex prosthesis project
Summary
French medtech company Phosphenix won a €2.5 million EIC Transition grant for their SIGHTED project to develop and commercialize a BCI for vision restoration that directly stimulates the visual cortex. Unlike retinal implants (which require intact optic nerve) or Science Corporation's PRIMA (which requires intact retinal cells), Phosphenix's cortical approach targets patients whose visual cortex is intact but the peripheral visual pathway is disrupted — including those with optic nerve damage, advanced retinal degeneration, or glaucoma. The EIC Transition grant bridges the gap between fundamental research and commercialization for high-risk deep tech.
Why it matters
Phosphenix represents the third distinct approach to visual BCI — alongside Science Corp's retinal photovoltaics and Neuralink's Blindsight cortical implant. EIC Transition funding validates the scientific merit of direct cortical visual stimulation for the patients who cannot benefit from retinal approaches. The different target populations for these three approaches means all three can eventually coexist commercially.
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