EIC Accelerator funded by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe.
Grants up to €2.5 million covering up to 70% of eligible costs.
Equity investments from €0.5 million up to €10 million (can be higher for strategic technologies).
Grant activities to be completed within 24 months.
Funding period aligned with Horizon Europe (2021-2027).
Support startups and SMEs with market-creating or disruptive innovations.
Bridge the gap from innovation (TRL 6-8) to commercialization.
Promote game-changing, disruptive innovations that create or transform markets.
Startups, scale-ups, growth SMEs, and small mid-caps with high growth potential.
Natural persons planning to establish SMEs.
European top SMEs and small mid-caps.
Part of Horizon Europe framework program for research and innovation.
Recurring calls with open and thematic topics.
Includes business acceleration services and coaching.
European Union via Horizon Europe.
Funding types include grants, equity investments, and blended finance.
Addresses funding gap for high-risk, high-potential deep tech innovations.
Supports scaling up and market entry of disruptive technologies.
Recurring with periodic cut-off dates (e.g., March 12 and October 1, 2025).
Continuous submission possible for short proposals.
Startups and SMEs (including spin-outs).
Small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) eligible for investment only.
Natural persons intending to establish SMEs or mid-caps.
Must meet European SME definition: less than 250 employees, turnover under €50 million or balance sheet total under €43 million.
Consolidated figures used if company is not independent.
Ownership by venture capital, public investment companies, universities, or non-profit research centers allowed.
Small mid-caps allowed up to 499 employees.
SMEs with less than 250 employees or small mid-caps with less than 500 employees.
Companies must demonstrate capacity to scale up.
Applicants from EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe.
Applicants from third countries must relocate company before full application.
UK applicants eligible only for grant-only scheme.
Companies should have market-oriented innovations with high growth potential.
Focus on companies with ambition and commitment to scale up.
Applications are for single entities; consortia are not eligible.
Single startups, SMEs, or small mid-caps; no consortia or universities.
Particular encouragement for startups and SMEs with female CEOs.
Applicants may submit only one application at a time; additional applications allowed after receiving results.
Projects should be at TRL 6 or above (technology demonstration and beyond).
Commercialization of new, disruptive technologies.
Projects that create new markets or disrupt existing ones.
Technology readiness levels 6 to 8 for grant funding; above TRL 8 funded via equity.
Open to all technology fields (Accelerator Open).
Also thematic calls aligned with European priorities (Accelerator Challenges).
Innovative startups, SMEs, and small mid-caps with high growth potential.
EU Member States and associated countries.
No basic research or pure development projects; these fall under other Horizon Europe pillars or regional subsidies.
Bridging innovation to commercialization.
Market creation or disruption.
Technology demonstration and validation.
Projects must align with disruptive innovation and European strategic interests.
International market impact and growth.
Economic and social impact through innovation.
Projects at pilot to full implementation scale (TRL 6-8).
Not explicitly specified.
Applicants must demonstrate technical maturity at TRL 6 or above.
Not explicitly specified.
Video pitch requires core team members (up to three people) to present motivation.
Not applicable; focus on innovation commercialization.
Due diligence required for blended finance applications.
Full proposal includes business plan, pitch deck, and video pitch.
Due diligence and screening processes in place.
IP due diligence is key; supported by EIC.
Technology readiness level 6 to 8 for grant funding.
Not required; single entity applications.
Not explicitly specified.
Not explicitly specified.
Grant funding up to €2.5 million, limited to 70% of eligible costs.
Equity investments from €0.5 million to €10 million via EIC Fund.
Higher amounts possible for technologies of European strategic interest.
Not explicitly detailed in summary.
Not explicitly specified.
Blended finance involves grant plus equity/quasi-equity.
Grant component involves signing Grant Agreement and pre-financing payment.
Investment component involves due diligence and negotiation.
Not explicitly specified.
Not explicitly specified.
Investment component aims to crowd in other investors.
Grant covers up to 70% of project costs.
Not specified.
Additional flexibility of investment component allows raise of max €2 million.
Due diligence required for investment component.
Short proposals can be submitted anytime; evaluated monthly (first Tuesday).
Full proposals submitted to periodic cut-off dates: March 12 and October 1, 2025.
Additional proposals can be submitted during evaluation periods for next cut-off.
Grant activities to be completed within 24 months.
Due diligence and investment decisions take 2-6 months after interview.
Not explicitly specified.
Three-step selection: short proposal, full proposal, interview.
Interview results within 2-3 weeks after interview.
Extensive screening and evaluation by experts and jury.
Phased application process with go/no-go decisions.
Not specified.
Full business plan required in full proposal.
Not specified.
Ongoing support via Business Acceleration Services.
Applicants must comply with EU regulations and Horizon Europe rules.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Applicants from third countries must relocate to eligible countries before full application.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Encouragement for female-led startups.
Compliance with Horizon Europe legal framework.
Short proposal: summary form, pitch deck (up to 10 slides), video pitch (up to 3 minutes).
Full proposal: full business plan, pitch deck, video pitch.
Step 1: Submit short proposal anytime.
Step 2: Submit full proposal after GO on short proposal.
Step 3: Interview with EIC jury.
Step 4: Negotiate grant and start due diligence for investment.
Go/no-go principle; no scores assigned.
Evaluation by expert evaluators and EIC jury.
Short proposal feedback in 4-6 weeks.
Full proposal evaluation in 8-9 weeks.
Interview within 4-5 weeks after full proposal results.
Interview results in 2-3 weeks.
Innovative, disruptive projects with high growth potential.
Alignment with European strategic priorities.
Short proposal submission and GO required before full proposal.
Submission via Funding and Tenders Portal.
Pitch decks, video pitches, business plans.
Face-to-face interview with EIC jury in Brussels.
Support from National Contact Points and Enterprise Europe Network.
Additional applications allowed after receiving results of previous submission.
Focus on disruptive innovation and market creation.
Blended finance combining grants and equity investments.
High competition and rigorous evaluation.
Due diligence for investment component.
Alignment with European strategic technology priorities.
Access to Business Acceleration Services.
Innovative, scalable, and disruptive projects.
Strong business plans and team presentations.
Gender inclusion encouraged.
Sustainability not explicitly detailed.
Projects must be game changers with disruptive innovation.
Focus on technology demonstration and commercialization, not basic research.
EIC Fund acts as risk taker to attract other investors.
Applicants from third countries must relocate to eligible countries.
Access to coaching, mentoring, and networking events.
Startups and SMEs with high growth potential.
Companies achieving 'centaur' status with valuations over €100 million.
Not specified.
Grants up to €2.5 million; equity investments up to €10 million.
Applicants may submit multiple applications over time.
Recipients from EU Member States and associated countries.
All technology sectors eligible.
European strategic technologies prioritized for higher funding.
Shift to go/no-go evaluation instead of scoring.
Over 70 companies reached centaur status; six valued over €500 million.
Importance of IP due diligence and strong business plans.