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This round is closed. Synced from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal on 9 November 2026.
Scope:The EIC Accelerator supports companies (principally SMEs, including start-ups) to scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones. The EIC Accelerator provides a unique combination of funding from EUR 0.5 to EUR 12.5 million and Business Acceleration Services (see Section VI of the EIC Work Programme 2025).
The EIC Accelerator focuses in particular on innovations building on scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’). Such innovations often struggle to attract financing because the risks and time period involved are too high. Funding and support from the EIC Accelerator is designed to enable such innovators to attract the full investment amounts needed for scale up in a shorter timeframe.
The EIC Accelerator supports the later stages of technology development as well as scale up. The technology component of your innovation must therefore have been tested and validated in a laboratory and other relevant environment (e.g., at least Technology Readiness Level 5). The EIC Accelerator looks to support companies where the EIC support will act as a catalyst to crowd in other investors necessary for the scale up of the innovation.
Applicants to EIC Accelerator can submit proposals through the following topics:
For further information please see the EIC Work Programme 2025.
1. Admissibility Conditions:
To be an eligible applicant to EIC Accelerator, you must apply as one of the following eligible entities:
a. from a Member State or an Associated Country intending to establish an SME or small mid-cap (as defined above) in a Member State or Associated Country by the time of signing the EIC Accelerator grant agreement or, in case the equity only is awarded, at the latest at the date of signature of the agreement on its investment component;
b. intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap established in a Member State or an Associated Country and may submit a proposal on behalf of that SME or small mid-cap, provided that a prior agreement exists with the company. The grant agreement and/or the investment agreement will be signed with the beneficiary/final recipient of funding company only; or
c. from a non-associated third country intending to establish an SME (including start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or an Associated Country. Your company must prove its effective establishment in a Member State or an Associated Country at the time of submission of the full proposal.
The standard admissibility and eligibility conditions are detailed in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
There are limitations on the number of times you can submit a proposal described in the section Application submission limits of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
If you are currently a participant in an eligible project funded by Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 then you may be able to apply through your existing project under the Fast Track scheme (see Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2025). This scheme is managed by the funding body responsible for the existing project and applies to funding bodies listed in Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
Applicants may also be able to apply if they have a project financed by an eligible programme managed by a Member State or an Associated Country under the pilot Plug-in scheme. The Plug-in scheme to apply to the EIC Accelerator is detailed in Annex 4 of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System
The application process consists of a number of steps:
Submission of short proposals
Applications may be submitted at any time via the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (as from the 29 October 2025). Short applications will be batched and sent for evaluation the first Tuesday of every month. From the date of the batching, you will be informed within approximately 4-6 weeks, and you will receive the evaluation result of your short proposal specifying whether or not your proposal met the admissibility, eligibility and award criteria evaluation elements and can therefore proceed to submit a full proposal. In both cases, you will receive feedback from the assigned four expert evaluators.
Submission of full proposals
If your short proposal is successful, then you will be entitled to receive coaching support to prepare a full proposal from one of the business coaches from the EIC Business Acceleration Services. You can only receive this support once for a proposal.
The optional coaching support is designed to improve the value proposition, business plan and investor pitch. However, it is your decision how to respond to the feedback and support, and the content of your proposal is your sole responsibility.
If you succeeded with your short application under the 2025 Work programme, your full proposal can be submitted to any of the following cut-offs during 2025, and any of the cut-offs for 2026. Applicants who succeeded with a positive evaluation of their short proposal under the 2023 or 2024 EIC Work Programme may apply to any of the following cut-offs in 2025. You may decide which cut-off to apply to.
The two cut-off dates for 2025 are:
The cut-off dates for 2026 will be announced in the 2026 Work Programme due to be adopted in Autumn 2025.
The applicants that are eligible to apply for a full proposal will receive the links to the submission environment and will be able to submit the full proposal for the following topics: 
EIC Accelerator Open, which has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field of technology or application;
If an application falls within the scope of the Challenges topics below, grant funding is subject to eligibility in accordance with the specific conditions applicable to those topics:
GenAI4EU: Creating European Champions in Generative AI (Section IV.2.3 of the EIC Work Programme 2025)
Innovative in-space servicing, operations, space-based robotics and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure (Section IV.2.4 of the EIC Work Programme 2025)
EIC Accelerator Challenges in the following predefined areas of emerging and strategic technologies:
Challenge 01 - Acceleration of advanced materials development and upscaling along the value chain
Challenge 02 - Biotechnology driven low emission food production systems
Challenge 03 - GenAI4EU: Creating European Champions in Generative AI
Challenge 04 - Innovative in-space servicing, operations, space-based robotics and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure
Challenge 05 - Breakthrough innovations for future mobility
Once you submit your full proposal, it will be assessed remotely against award criteria evaluation elements by three EIC expert evaluators. Within approximately eight-nine weeks you will be informed about the result of the remote evaluation. If successful, you will be invited to attend an interview with an EIC Jury.
Interviews with an EIC Jury
All companies receiving a GO from the remote evaluation stage will be invited to an interview with an EIC jury in Brussels as the final step in the selection process. Interviews will be organised approximately three to four weeks after applicants are informed of the result of the remote evaluation (or longer if there is a need for a further set of interviews). At the interview, you will be assessed by a panel of maximum six jury members. You will be informed about the result of the interview within approximately two-three weeks. Expenses incurred by applicants attending the in-person interviews will not be reimbursed.
Invitation to negotiate grant component and due diligence process for investment component
If selected for (potential) funding, you will be invited to negotiate a grant agreement for the requested grant component (if you have applied for it) and to start the due diligence for the investment component (if you have applied for it).
For further information please see the EIC Work Programme 2025.
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex 2(B. Eligibility) of the EIC Work Programme 2025. Applicants from the United Kingdom can apply to the EIC Accelerator, but can only request and receive funding in the form of “grant only”.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
described in Annex 2(General conditions for proposals) of the EIC Work Programme 2025. 
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex 2(C. Financial and Operational Capacity) of the EIC Work Programme 2025. 
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
described in section IV of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
described in section IV of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in section IV of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
described in Annex G of the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 13. General Annexes.
described in Section IV.1, Section IV.2.3 and Section IV.2.4 of the EIC Work Programme 2025.
Call Documents
EIC Work Programme 2025
Application form and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 1 - short proposal)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Lump Sum MGA
Call-specific instructions
Detailed budget table (HE LS) 
Information on clinical studies (HE) 
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 13. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide 
EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment 
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual 
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions 
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
Applicants asked the EU 15 questions about this call and the EU published the answers. They clarify the call documents but do not replace them.
There is no complaint procedure after a first NO GO. Nonetheless, you can resubmit and you are able to rebut comments from the first evaluators. If your proposal is a resubmission (meaning you have already received one NO GO), and two evaluators give a GO on all criteria and the other evaluator gives a GO on two of the criteria and a NO GO on the other criterion (hence you score 8 GOs), then your proposal will be evaluated by a fourth expert on that criterion. If the fourth expert gives a GO on this criterion you will be invited to interview, otherwise your proposal will be rejected. Applicants who receive a second NO GO will receive the means of redress in their official rejection letter.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 24 Jul 2023
If your company is located outside the EU but established in an associated country, it is eligible to apply for EIC Accelerator calls in the same manner as a Member State. In the event that your company is based in a non-associated third country but intends to establish an SME (including start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or an Associated Country, your company may submit a short proposal as a non-associated third country but must prove its effective establishment in a Member State or an Associated Country at the time of submission of the full proposal.
In case further clarifications are needed please see FAQ "In Horizon Europe, what is the status of participants from non-EU, Associated or Third Countries?"
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 21 Feb 2023
Like for the Fast Track scheme described above, under the pilot Plug In scheme (Annex 4 to the EIC Work Programme) applicants do not apply directly to the EIC Accelerator call. The Plug-in scheme applies to proposals stemming from existing national or regional programmes that have been assessed and certified. It is the management bodies of the certified national or regional programmes which decide whether an existing project is suitable for support under the EIC Accelerator, based on a project review to assess the innovation and market deployment potential. The implementation of the pilot Plug In will start as soon as 2/3 of EU Member States have at least one programme certified. An assessment of candidate programmes is ongoing and the results are expected January 2023 after which the certified programmes may submit Plug In applications. A list of certified Plug In programmes will be available on the EIC website. To know how the Plug In scheme is being implemented, please contact the responsible funding body for that programme.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
Grant-only beneficiaries under the EIC Accelerator pilot in Horizon 2020 can apply for an investment component follow-up in Horizon Europe. To do so, eligible applicants will have to submit a new proposal via the short application stage of the evaluation procedure for the EIC Accelerator.Companies awarded a grant under the EIC pilot Accelerator in Horizon 2020 managed by the Agency can also benefit from the Fast Track scheme to the EIC Accelerator. Please keep in mind that for previous beneficiaries of a grant, the Fast Track scheme cannot be used to request grant-only support. Eligible projects can contact their project officers for further information.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
Non-bankable SMEs, including start-ups, which have already received grant-only support under the Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator, grant-only support under the Horizon 2020 EIC Pilot and grant-only support under the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument can request equity-only support.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
An investment request higher than EUR 15 million is allowed only in duly justified cases for proposals concerning technologies that are strategic for the Union, where there is global competition and where the funding needs significantly exceed what is available in Europe, even for early stage technology development.
There is no explicit list of strategic technologies and applicants can propose innovations they consider strategic, with a justification included in their application.
The areas included in the Accelerator challenges on “semiconductor or quantum technology components” and “innovative space technologies and services” would normally be considered as strategic. Other relevant examples include those identified under EU industry policy, such as Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, Big Data, Blockchain, cloud technologies, connectivity, Industrial Biotechnology, Internet of Things, Micro- and Nanoelectronics, Mobility, Nanotechnology, Photonics, Robotics, and IT for Security/Cybersecurity (ati.ec.europa.eu). Other areas such as critical raw materials, batteries, green hydrogen, cloud and edge technologies, zero emission aircraft, RNA and cancer vaccines could also be considered as relevant. This list of potential examples is neither exhaustive, nor are the examples definitive confirmations that the respective sectors will be considered as strategic at the time when a given proposal is examined – this depends on the specificities of the proposal and on the developments in the respective sectors.
Requests for over 15 million euro will not normally be accepted for investments which are standard in the sector, for example late stage clinical trials in the pharmaceutical sector, except where the intervention assessed is considered of key strategic value (e.g. is considered by EMA for accelerated review or PRIME designation). The assessment of global competition and availability of funding needs in Europe will be made on a case-by-case basis during the evaluation and due diligence process, i.e. the fact that a proposal relates to a strategic sector is a necessary but in no way a sufficient condition for it to be considered for this exceptional investment. To note that the EIC juries or the due diligence process may lead to recommendation for a lower investment amount if the request for an investment over 15 million euro is not sufficiently justified. Applicants should also be aware that in a pilot phase in 2022, the total budget for investments above 15 million euro is limited to 15 percent of the total budget for the EIC accelerator. Once this limit is reached, the maximum investments will be 15 million euro (for the duration of 2022). Proposals will be submitted to the EIC/EIE programme Committee for opinion.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
You will have 12 months from the date of notification of a GO on your short proposal to prepare and submit a full proposal. If you have submitted a full proposal within these 12 months but received a NO GO, you may resubmit your full proposal at a subsequent cut-off within 12 months from the date of the submission of the first full proposal. If your first full proposal submission was made to a cut-off in 2021 or 2022, you may resubmit to any of the cut-offs in 2023. If your proposal is rejected a second time, you will not be allowed to submit another proposal for 12 months, starting from the date of submission of your revised full proposal, at which point you may only submit a new or significantly improved proposal to the short application stage.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 8 Dec 2023
The applicable EIC investment guidelines were published on the EIC website on 1 March 2022 subject to approval by the EIC Fund Board.
It is not expected that the final investment guidelines will significantly differ from the published version. The final version will mainly reflect the restructuring of the EIC Fund.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 7 Dec 2023
The 2023 EIC Work Programme includes more focused Accelerator challenges, which target startups and SMEs with potential breakthrough innovations in strategic areas for Europe.If your innovation fits within one of the 7 challenges it is recommended that you apply for the relevant challenge (to note, you do this at full proposal stage, and not for the short applications). The 7 challenges are fully described in the 2023 Work Programme in terms of specific topics, technologies and expected impact.Proposals submitted to these challenges have a pre-allocated budget (as specified in the work programme) and will be evaluated by dedicated independent experts. If your project is selected, it will be part of a thematic portfolio, and the corresponding Programme Manager(s) will support you and the other projects of the portfolio to scale up and address common barriers. You may also request equity investments above EUR 15 million in duly justified cases as set out in the Work Programme.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 6 Dec 2023
Blended finance projects selected following the cut-offs in 2021 faced delays while the implementation arrangements for the investment component for the fully-fledged EIC under Horizon Europe were being put in place.
Backlogs are being overcome and the EIC Fund is expected to be ready to process investment decisions for companies selected under the 2023 cut-offs without delays.
Cut-off dates:
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 24 Jul 2023
Small mid-caps should be mostly focussing on market deployment but still fine-tuning limited innovation activities at TRL8 level which require a grant component. The company is expected to show or reach rapid scale up, which means that it has the potential in the medium term to increase its valuation to unicorn status (over €1 billion) or can demonstrate a growth rate greater than 20% per annum either by the number of employees or by turnover in the previous or following years. It is expected that the company should be raising a minimum equity funding round of EUR 30 million with a committed lead investor that the EIC Fund can catalyse on an indicative basis of at least 1:2 (i.e. for any 1 EUR invested by the EIC Fund at least 2 EUR would be invested by other investors).
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
After the interview, you will be notified of the outcome of the interview. If it was your second rejection at the interview (not counting direct resubmission), you will receive an official rejection letter and your Seal of Excellence (if the jury agrees and you have given consent). If it was your first submission at interview, you will receive your official rejection letter at the latest 12 months after your first submission. Alternatively, if you do not intend to resubmit and want to receive immediately your official Seal of Excellence, you may renounce to resubmit and request those documents upon receiving interview results.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
The EIC investment guidelines provide a definition of ‘qualified investor’.
It could be generally defined as an investor that has the capacity to validate the market and technology prospects of the prospective investee company, and concludes the investment with market-compliant terms and conditions. In addition, the qualified investor shall have full alignment of interest with the EIC Fund and shall not have other motives driving the investment decision. Qualified investors may vary on a case-by-case basis, and for each case the qualification is subject to assessment by the Investment Partners.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
The EIC investment guidelines provide details on investment scenarios. Following an initial assessment implying some level of due diligence, including ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) compliance checks (led by the EIC Fund), the EIB, as investment advisor, will categorise the transactions into investment scenarios or “buckets”. Investment scenarios are based on companies’ investment maturity and their ability to attract co-investments. The EIC investment will be structured according to the investment scenarios.In some exceptional cases, the EIC Fund may recommend the Agency to reject an investment when initial assessment or due diligence, at any stage, reports substantial negative issues in accordance with the EIC investment guidelinesPDF.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
The Commission needs to adapt the structure and management of the EIC Fund to the Horizon Europe regulation. It must also draw lessons from the pilot phase (2019-2020) in order to make the Fund sustainable for the number and amounts of investments expected in the period 2021-2027.In September 2022, the Commission completed a restructuring of the EIC Fund with the appointment of an external fund manager. Within the mandate given by the Commission following the evaluation process, investment decisions (and their related conditions and management) are implemented by the EIC Fund. The Commission plans to entrust tasks related to the implementation and management of the investment component of the EIC Accelerator to an implementing partner during 2023.
Asked about the 2023 call; check it still appliesRead it on the EU portal ↗Answered 16 Feb 2023
Confirm the current call documents and submission conditions with the funding authority.
View on EU portal ↗Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal · synced 2026-11-09
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