EIC Accelerator

Financing grants

EIC Accelerator

Grant and/or financing to encourage companies to bring their technological innovations to the market and scale them

Up to €15M

Beneficiaries
Natural or legal persons, Midcaps, Investors

Object

The EIC Accelerator (previously known as SME Instrument) aims to empower companies to bring their technological innovations to market and scale them. For this program, high-risk projects are sought, based on an innovative value proposition with high technological content and a committed team.

Amount

Non-refundable subsidies (from €0.5M to €2.5M in the form of a 70% “Grant”), for projects in phases TRL6 -TRL8. Investment: access to venture capital worth up to €15M (<25%) for any TRL.

Eligible expenses

Grant Portion: Eligible expenses incurred for innovation activities, including demonstration of the technology in the relevant environment, system-level prototyping and demonstration, R&D and testing necessary to meet regulatory requirements and standards, intellectual property management and marketing (At least TRL 5/6 to 8).

Investment part: Intended to finance market deployment and scaling, but can also be used for other purposes (including co-financing or even full financing of innovation activities).

Beneficiaries

Natural or legal persons (who are going to establish/transfer a company in EEMM or AACC)
Midcaps
Investors (who are going to invest in a company in EEMM or AACC)

Deadlines, application and evaluation steps

STEP 1- Submit a short proposal (5 pages) through a guided process on the IA platform. In addition, a pitch deck and a 3-minute video must be attached. Open all year long. 4 remote evaluators, to move to STEP 2, at least 2 evaluators must give the GO. (*)
STEP 2 – Complete proposal development on the AI platform. Open all year long.
STEP 3 -Submission and complete proposal evaluation. 3 evaluators, to move to STEP 4, the 3 evaluators must give the GO. (*)
STEP 4 – Interview. May, September and November/December

(*) Only 2 submissions are allowed in each step of the application process. After a year of waiting it will be possible to apply again. In addition, there will be the option to apply to two types of calls: ACCELERATOROPEN-01, open to all industrial sectors in which the budget is €296 M subsidy and €296 M investment ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-01 focused on priority sectors: “Strategic digital & health technologies” and “Green deal for the economic recovery” in which the budget is €296 M subsidy and €296 M investment