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EIC Accelerator

Mono-beneficiary acceleration scheme, providing a unique combination of funding from 0.5M to 17.5M Euro, for scale-up and commercialization of a disruptive product, belonging to an excellent high-growth-potential company

What is the EIC Accelerator?

  • The EIC Accelerator is a financing and acceleration scheme, under the European Framework Programme Horizon Europe
  • This program is intended for companies with a groundbreaking product \ service \ process \ business model, who are conducting close-to-market R&D; When its goal is to market the innovative product- scale-up a prototype and advance towards market uptake.
  • See the 2023 Leaflet here and the work program here.

Who can apply?

  • Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME); defined:
    1. Less than 250 employees
    2. Less than 50 million Euros in annual turnover or less than 43 million Euros of balance sheet
  • Small mid-cap; defined: 
    1. Single enterprise up to 499 employees 
    2. Only for the investment component
  • One or more natural persons or legal entities intending to establish an SME

Funding under the EIC Accelerator scheme

  • Grant only, Equity, Blended (Grant + Equity), Grant first
  • Investment component: 0.5M€ up to 15M€; Grant component: up to 2.5M€  
  • The company receives 70% of the amount needed for the project + 25% overhead (~87.5%).
  • Used for a full-fledged project that can take between 18-24 months

    Evaluation Process

    • The evaluation of proposals is done in three steps: 
      • Short submission -remotely by 4 independent evaluators
      • Full application- remotely by 3 independent evaluators
      • Face-to-face interview conducted in Brussels (or via virtual platform)

    When to submit and in what subjects?

    • Short proposals: all year long
    • Full proposal cut-offs dates are: 11.1.23 (for Open only), 22.3.23, 7.6.23, 4.10.23.
    • Interviews dates are:

                       cut-off 1: February 27 – March 10

                       cut-off 2: May 22 – June 2

                       cut-off 3: September 11 – 22

                       cut-off 4: November 27 – December 8

    • Topics:
      • All subjects are eligible for funding, 'bottom-up' approach; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: Novel biomarker-based assays to guide personalised cancer treatment; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: Aerosol and surface decontamination for pandemic management; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: Energy storage; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: New European Bauhaus and Architecture, Engineering and Construction digitalisation for decarbonisation; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: Emerging semiconductor or quantum technology components; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: Novel technologies for resilient agriculture; or
      • EIC Accelerator Challenge: Customer-driven, innovative space technologies and services.
    • There are limitations on re-submissions

    Business Acceleration Service

    Winners and Seal of Excellence receive Business acceleration services and take part of the EIC Community platform

    Useful information