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Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The EIC Accelerator supports businesses, primarily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, to scale up high-impact innovations, particularly 'deep tech' solutions. - Core Objective: Enable the scale-up of breakthrough technologies with market-creating or disruptive potential, especially those requiring significant long-term funding ('patient capital') and attracting co-investment. - Target Recipient Type & Size: Single companies classified as SMEs or small mid-caps (up to 499 employees), or natural persons/legal entities intending to establish such companies. - Designation: SECTOR-AGNOSTIC (EIC Accelerator Open) or SECTOR-SPECIFIC (EIC Accelerator Challenges in predefined areas like advanced materials, biotech for food, Generative AI, in-space servicing, and future mobility). - Geographic Scope: Companies established in EU Member States or Associated Countries. - Key Filtering Criteria: Innovations at TRL 5 or higher, deep tech, high-risk/high-gain, significant funding needs that attract follow-on private investment. - Grant Frequency: Continuous submission for short proposals, with fixed cut-off dates for full proposal evaluations (multiple rounds per year, recurring annually).

Financial Structure

  • Total Indicative Budget (EIC Accelerator 2025): EUR 634 million.
  • Allocation: EUR 384 million for EIC Accelerator Open, EUR 250 million for EIC Accelerator Challenges.
  • Investment Component Budget: EUR 348 million (managed by the EIC Fund); this amount may be increased by unused amounts from previous Work Programmes.
  • Minimum Investment Component: EUR 0.5 million.
  • Maximum Investment Component: EUR 10 million (higher amounts are available under the EIC STEP Scale-up call).
  • Maximum Grant-Only Support: EUR 2.5 million (provided only once per legal entity for the duration of Horizon Europe).
  • Funding Rate (Grant): 100% of eligible costs.
  • Co-financing: The beneficiary must finance 30% of the work packages covered by the grant component using its own resources.
  • Investment Terms: Negotiated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the EIC Fund Investment Guidelines.
  • Currency: EUR.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Size
  • Single company classified as a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.
  • Single company classified as a small mid-cap (up to 499 employees), established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country (eligible for 'investment component only' or 'blended finance' in exceptional rapid scale-up cases).
  • One or more natural persons (including individual entrepreneurs) or legal entities from an EU Member State or an Associated Country, intending to establish an SME or small mid-cap by the time of grant or investment agreement signature.
  • Natural persons or legal entities intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country (must have prior agreement with the company).
  • Entities from non-associated third countries intending to establish or relocate an SME (including start-ups) to an EU Member State or an Associated Country (must prove effective establishment at full proposal submission).
Geographic Location
  • Must be established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country.
  • Applicants from the United Kingdom (UK) are eligible, but can only request and receive funding in the form of 'grant only'.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
  • The technology component of the innovation must be at least Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5), meaning it has been tested and validated in a relevant environment (e.g., industrially relevant environment).
Submission History
  • Limitations apply to the number of times a proposal can be submitted (refer to the EIC Work Programme 2025 for details).
Fast Track & Plug-in Schemes
  • Fast Track: Eligible projects funded by Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 may apply through their existing project (refer to Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2025).
  • Plug-in Scheme: Projects financed by an eligible program managed by an EU Member State or Associated Country may apply (refer to Annex 4 of the EIC Work Programme 2025).
Financial & Operational Capacity
  • General financial and operational capacity requirements apply as detailed in Annex 2(C) of the EIC Work Programme 2025.

Application Process

Application Stages
  • Short Proposal Submission: Applications can be submitted at any time via the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal, starting October 29, 2025. Short applications are batched and sent for evaluation on the first Tuesday of every month.
  • Full Proposal Submission: If your short proposal is successful, you will receive coaching support to prepare a full proposal. Full proposals are submitted to specific cut-off dates.
Full Proposal Cut-off Dates (2025)
  • March 12, 2025
  • October 1, 2025
Evaluation Timelines (Indicative)
  • Short Proposal Evaluation Result: Within approximately 4-6 weeks from the batching date.
  • Full Proposal Remote Evaluation Result: Within approximately 8-9 weeks.
  • Jury Interview Invitation: Approximately 3-4 weeks after remote evaluation results.
  • Jury Interview Result: Within approximately 2-3 weeks after the interview.
Application Format & Documentation
  • Short Proposal: Standard application form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 1 - short proposal) available in the Submission System.
  • Full Proposal: Specific application form (Part B) available in the Submission System; page limits apply as described in the form.
  • Required documentation and materials will be detailed within the application form.
Support Provided During Application
  • Coaching support is available for successful short proposal applicants to prepare their full proposal.
Post-Award Requirements & Support
  • Successful applicants receive tailor-made access to a wide range of Business Acceleration Services (BAS).
  • The EIC Fund manages the investment component and monitors compliance with investment terms.
  • Ongoing reporting and monitoring requirements will be detailed in the grant and/or investment agreements.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Evaluation Approach
  • The EIC Accelerator uses a multi-stage evaluation process involving remote assessment by expert evaluators and interviews with an EIC Jury, primarily based on a 'GO/NO GO' scoring system.
Key Factors for Evaluation
  • Impact Potential: Does the innovation have the potential to create new markets or significantly disrupt existing ones in Europe or globally?
  • Technology Breakthrough/Deep Tech: Is the innovation based on cutting-edge scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs ('deep tech')?
  • Scalability & Growth Ambition: Does the applicant (startup or SME) demonstrate the ambition and commitment to scale up their innovation?
  • Investment Readiness: Can the EIC support act as a catalyst to attract the full investment amounts needed for scale-up from other investors?
  • Risk Profile: Is the innovation high-risk, where private investors alone might not invest the full amount due to the time and risk involved?
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Has the technology component been tested and validated at least at TRL 5?
Scoring System
  • Short proposals are evaluated against admissibility, eligibility, and award criteria elements.
  • Full proposals are assessed remotely and during interviews based on 'GO/NO GO' decisions.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance
  • Adherence to the 'Do No Significant Harm' principle.
  • Proposals with potential nuclear applications (including those within the Euratom Treaty scope) are eligible for funding.
Intellectual Property (IP) Policies
  • The EIC Fund aims to ensure that supported companies maintain most of their value, including IP, within the EU or Associated Countries to foster economic growth and job creation.
  • Beneficiaries must inform the Agency if IP generated by EIC projects is proposed to be transferred to an entity in a non-associated third country.
Economic Security Safeguards
  • Participation Restrictions: For specific EIC Accelerator Challenges related to artificial intelligence and space, legal entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible third country may be restricted from participating.
  • Investment Safeguards: The EIC Fund may apply appropriate safeguard measures in investment agreements for companies selected in strategic areas (advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and biotechnologies) to protect European interests.
  • Financial Sanctions: The EIC Fund does not engage with institutions or individuals on sanction lists, in non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, or identified as high-risk third countries for money laundering/terrorism financing.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Requirement
  • Innovation must have reached at least TRL 5 (technology tested and validated in a relevant environment).
Strategic Focus Areas (Challenges)
  • While the EIC Accelerator 'Open' call is sector-agnostic, 'Challenge' calls focus on predefined areas:
    • Acceleration of advanced materials development and upscaling.
    • Biotechnology driven low emission food production systems.
    • GenAI4EU: Creating European Champions in Generative AI.
    • Innovative in-space servicing, operations, space-based robotics, and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure.
    • Breakthrough innovations for future mobility.
Other Considerations
  • The EIC Accelerator focuses on 'deep tech' innovations and provides 'patient capital' to bridge financing gaps where risks are too high for private investors alone.

Grant Details

sme startup deep tech innovation scale-up grant investment equity business acceleration coaching europe eu horizon europe eic accelerator trl5 breakthrough technologies artificial intelligence ai generative ai biotechnology advanced materials space technologies robotics mobility green transition digital transition patient capital market creation disruptive innovation strategic autonomy
EIC Accelerator 2025 - Short application
HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-01
Horizon Europe
SME ENTERPRISE INDIVIDUAL OTHER
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE UK
TECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE AGRICULTURE ENERGY TRANSPORTATION OTHER
GROWTH MATURE
0-10 11-50 51-250 251-500
SDG2 SDG3 SDG7 SDG8 SDG9 SDG12 SDG13 SDG17
FUNDING MENTORSHIP CAPACITY_BUILDING INNOVATION_COMMERCIALIZATION OPERATIONAL_SUPPORT NETWORKING
False
634000000.00
500000.00
10000000.00
EUR
100.00
Dec. 18, 2025, midnight
Approximately 4-6 weeks for short proposals, 8-9 weeks for full proposal remote evaluation, plus 3-4 weeks for jury interview, and 2-3 weeks for final result.