EIC Accelerator

The EIC accelerator helps companies (mainly SMEs, including start-ups) to develop high-impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones.

It focuses in particular on innovations based on scientific discoveries or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) for which significant funding is required over a long period before they can generate profits (‘patient capital’).
A distinction is made between :

EIC Accelerator Open, which has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in all areas of technology or application: 384M EUR
EIC Accelerator Challenges in predefined areas of emerging and strategic technologies: EUR 250M

Eligibility

Topics

1.Accelerating the development of advanced materials and moving up the value chain

2.Low-emission food and feed production systems based on biotechnology

3.GenAI4EU : Creating European champions in generative AI

4.Services, operations, robotics and innovative space technologies for a resilient EU space infrastructure

Eligible partners/consortium

a single enterprise classified as an SME and established in a Member State or Associated Country; or
a single enterprise classified as a small or medium-sized enterprise (up to 499 employees) established in a Member State or Associated country, but only in exceptional cases for the purposes of rapid scaling up; or
one or more natural persons (including sole traders) or legal entities, who are either :

a. from a Member State or Associated Country intending to set up an SME or small enterprise of intermediate size; or
b. intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap enterprise
c. from a non-associated third country intending to create an SME (including start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or associated country.

Type d'aide

The EIC Accelerator provides for :
a) a ‘Grant Only’ component which will take the form of a lump sum contribution via a grant agreement. The grant will be awarded only once to a legal entity for the duration of the Horizon Europe programme (2021-27): max EUR 2.5 M
b) blended finance, which consists of:

An investment component, generally in the form of direct equity or quasi-equity such as convertible loans via an investment agreement.
A grant component, which will take the form of a lump-sum contribution via a grant agreement.

c) Investment component (Equity-Only) support for non-bankable SMEs, including start-ups, which have already received an eligible grant, by means of an investment agreement.

The 30% co-financing covered by the grant element must be financed by the beneficiary from its own resources.

Deadlines

Short proposal from 29/10/24 with no deadline (‘run of the mill’ principle).
Submission of the full proposal on 12 March or 1 October 2025.

Further information

To know more, please contact AQUIMER!