EIC Accelerator
Funding for
later stages of technology development
Grant amount
Up to €2.5 m (grant) and €15 m (equity)
Deadline
The next cutoff date for the full application is on 21 June
Answer
About 4 months
later stages of technology development
Up to €2.5 m (grant) and €15 m (equity)
The next cutoff date for the full application is on 21 June
About 4 months
In 2023, the cutoff dates are: 11 Januar, 22 March, 21 June (postponed from 7 June due to a new electronic submission system) and 4 October. You can apply for the EIC Accelerator Open (no predefined thematic priorities or the EIC Accelerator Challenges where the thematic challenges in 2023 are:
The EIC Accelerator funding programme is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC), who aims to identify and support breakthrough technologies and game changing innovations to create new markets and scale up internationally. The ambition of the program is to create the next unicorns (growth companies valued at more than €1bn). The program supports game-changing innovation.
The programme is targeted at enterprises with:
The program is very attractive in terms of grant amount (up to €15m) and funding rate (70% plus 25% overhead, in practice 87.5% of actual expenses).
The EIC Accelerator is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with radically new ideas underpinned by a business plan for rolling out marketable innovation solutions and with ambitions to scale up. It targets for-profit SMEs only, including young companies and start-ups, from any sector.
Large corporates, research centers or scientists cannot apply directly, but they can participate in projects as subcontractors or third parties and don’t need to be established in an EU Member State or associated country.
Any start-up and small and medium-sized enterprise that is established in one of the EU Member States or is established in a Horizon Europe Associated Country can receive EU funding and support.
The EIC provides grant-only support or blended finance (grant in combination with equity investment).
The EIC Accelerator offers small and medium-sized businesses the following:
All proposals are evaluated based on three award criteria:
The EIC Accelerator application process is divided into steps.
Step 1: You must register on the EU’s Funding and Tenders Portal. On the portal, different sections are filled in with details about your innovation, your market potential, your team, company information etc. and a pitch-deck of maximum 10 slides and a presentation video of maximum 3 minutes are attached.
If your short application receives a GO (normally within 4 weeks), you can submit a Full application within a year.
Step 2: The full application will also be submitted on the Portal and will e.g. include a detailed business plan, full information on company finances and structure and a set of milestones to for the EIC to manage the funding
If your short application receives a GO, you will be invited to a face-to-face interview.
The maximum delay to inform applicants will be 4 months from the date of the cut-off. The indicative date for the signing of grant agreements is maximum 6 months from the date of the corresponding cut-off.
For full details on the evaluation procedure read the guidelines for applicants on the Horizon Funding and Tender Portal.
Yes, your EIC Accelerator application can be resubmitted.
Yes. For more information please visit Horizon Europe.