EIC Accelerator Open & Challenges

Application deadline: 01/10/2025

Project type

The EIC Accelerator supports SMEs and start-ups to evolve high-impact, high-risk deeptech innovations with the potential to create or disrupt markets in Europe and worldwide. It focuses on late-stage technology development and scale-up. Your innovation must be tested and validated in a laboratory or relevant environment (at least at technological maturity level 5, ideally TRL 6) before submitting an application.

EIC Accelerator Open: Open to proposals in any technological or application field, with no predefined thematic priorities.

EIC Accelerator Challenges: Focusing on emerging and strategic technologies. For healthcare innovations, the themes include biotechnologies and innovations in artificial intelligence.

Beneficiaries

• Individual applicants: SMEs and start-ups based in EU member states or associated countries.
• Small mid-cap companies (up to 499 employees): can also apply as individual candidates for investment or mixed financing, in exceptional cases, for rapid scale-up.

Financing

The EIC Accelerator offers financial support in the form of grants, investments or mixed financing. A project can apply for each type of funding mentioned.

• Subsidy: Subsidy covering 70% of costs, up to €2.5 million.
• EIC Fund investment: Direct equity or quasi-equity investment of between €0.5m and €10m, requested in addition to or after the grant during the life of the project. The EIC Accelerator aims to catalyze investment by attracting additional investors to support scale-up.
  For example: For larger investments, consider the EIC STEP Scale Up call.
• Mixed financing: Combination of subsidies and investments. In this case, subsidies can cover more than 70% if justified.

Additional benefits
In addition to the unique opportunity to obtain a grant and an investment for your company, you will also benefit from :

• The STEP Seal of Excellence.
• The attraction of other investors needed to scale up innovation thanks to EIC support.

Coaching and mentoring, as well as access to professional networks.

Characteristics of supported projects

EIC Accelerator grant funding covers innovation activities, including technology demonstration in a relevant environment, prototyping and system-level demonstration, R&D and testing to meet regulatory and standardization requirements, intellectual property management, as well as obtaining market authorizations to reach TRL 8, ideally TRL 9.
In the case of digital health and healthcare innovations, phase 3 clinical trials must be completed within the lifetime of the project.