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 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:
– EIC Accelerator Challenges in predefined areas of emerging and strategic technologies;
– EIC Accelerator Open, which has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field of technology or application
EIC Accelerator 2025 Challenges :
Challenge 01 – Acceleration of advanced materials development and upscaling along the value chain
Scaling SMEs belonging to the whole value chain of advanced materials and addressing one or more of these four key application areas: energy, mobility, electronics, construction.
Challenge 02 – Biotechnology driven low emission food and feed production systems
Radically decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and the wider environmental footprint of the food production system requires further action on several fronts.
Challenge 03 – GenAI4EU: Creating European Champions in Generative AI
To support start-ups and SMEs committed to bringing transformative AI-driven solutions to market, to safeguard human autonomy and enhance human expertise thus providing significant added value to decision-making processes, services or industrial workflows.
Challenge 04 – Innovative in-space servicing, operations, robotics and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure
To support companies developing cost-effective, scalable and resilient solutions to service and/or augment satellite capabilities, perform in-orbit refuelling, contribute to space debris reduction, and protect EU space infrastructure
Challenge 05 – Breakthrough innovations for future mobility
To support cost-effective and scalable deep tech breakthroughs that will help deliver reductions in mobility-related emissions.
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EIC Accelerator Open: This call is for innovations in any field of technology and innovations that cut across different scientific, technological, sectoral and application fields.
The EIC Accelerator provides a unique combination of funding from EUR 0.5 to EUR 12.5 million and Business Acceleration Services.
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).
Grant funding:
– Non-dilutive, up to € 2.5 million, for innovation activities only (TRL 6-8), to be completed within 24 months.
– Grant only – for start-ups and SMEs with capacity to scale-up. To be provided only once during the implementation period of the Horizon Europe programme (2021-2027).
Investment component:
To fill the gap for high – risk innovation to a stage where they can be fully financed by other investments. € 0.5 – € 10 million.
– Blended finance: a grant component & direct equity or quasi-equity such as convertible loans.
– Investment only: for mid caps companies and companies that have received a «grant only».
Who can apply?
Applicants from EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme:
– Single start-up or SME (including spin-outs)
– Small mid-caps (fewer than 499 employees) in need of rapid scale up of the TRL 9 activity. Mid-caps can apply for investment only.
– Natural persons or legal entities willing to set up an SMEs or a mid-cap.
Applicants from third countries:
– Applicants from third countries may relocate their company in order to become eligible. This must be done before submitting the full application.
– Applicants from the United Kingdom can apply for the “grant only” scheme
Concurrent applications:
– Applicants may submit only one application to the EIC Accelerator. Additional applications can be submitted after receiving the results of the original submission.
The EIC welcomes applications from innovators in all EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme. It particularly welcomes applications from startups and SMEs with female CEOs.
