Leaked EIC Fund Statistics, EIC Pathfinder Submission Results and AI Workflows
I have recently obtained a variety of internal statistics for the EIC Accelerator, which show success rates for all steps, country breakdowns, and more.
One of the more interesting documents is the EIC Fund portfolio and its funding history.
EIC Fun(d) Statistics
I have likely received more documents than I should have, so I will not publicise all the data, but I will gradually release interesting statistics in my newsletters.
What I found particularly interesting is the way the EIC Fund commits funding. For the grant, companies can usually predict the timing of incoming funds. For the EIC Fund, it's entirely unpredictable, and most companies will not know how much, or if they will obtain any funding at all, even after the request has been approved.
Here are some high-level statistics regarding the EIC Accelerator Fund payments:
772 EIC Accelerator companies are covered across 2021–2025.
The EIC Fund has a big payment gap: €3.62B requested, €3.24B approved, but only €990.19M (30.6%) paid out. 69.4%, or €2.25B, remains outstanding.
323 companies had approved equity funding, but nothing has been paid out.
197 companies have received only part of the approved EIC Fund payments.
16 companies received more equity than they had initially been approved for, totaling €81.43M above approval.
Small grants are rare: only 83 companies received less than €2M in grant funding.
The Reality of the EIC Fund
This reflects the way the EIC Fund handles equity investments: it aims to provide only a small portion of a funding round and be a minority investor. This is important since the EIC does not want to be the lead funding source but to incentivise private investors to take the lead.
In reality, I expect that the EIC Fund investment is not substantially incentivising any lead or other investments. It is very typical for companies to raise funding during the application process, and the EIC has even provided up to a €2.5M grant to a company that raised €135M within a week of the announcement.
As it stands today, the EIC Fund is more of a way for the EC to take ownership in DeepTech companies and less a vehicle to get them funded. For the latter, it should take a lead or solo investor role, which would actually incentivise other investors to participate.
But then the EIC could not publish an immediate leverage (crowd-in) factor that has political value.
EIC Pathfinder Stats
The latest EIC Pathfinder Open call just closed, so I prepared the key statistics here:
Expected success rate: ~2.0–2.2%
Expected funded projects: ~41–45 projects
Proposals submitted: 2,103
Indicative budget: €166M
Total funding requested: €8.2B+
Countries represented: 76
Unique beneficiary organisations: 4,633
Results expected: October 2026
Another AI Bites the Dust
While I have created ChatEIC, I have noticed many AI grant-writing companies emerging in the past few months. They are usually very eager to sell their services to consultancies, so I am sure it is a difficult business to run.
I believe that any general AI grant-writing app will have a very short lifetime considering the changes the major model providers are publishing week by week. ChatEIC is still great for the EIC Accelerator Step 1, since I have now seen multiple successful submissions with unedited AI output, but general tools face major competition.
Visual Studio Code (VSC) allows you to fully edit documents using the agent workflow, and you can move back and forth between Google Docs using the Markdown feature.
Gemini inside Google Docs is now able to edit documents with version control. While it's still a bit crude, you now have a full agent interface during the regular writing process.
PowerPoint (Claude, ChatGPT) and Google Slides (Gemini) allow you to redesign pitch decks
The main differentiator is now domain expertise (hence, ChatEIC) and not the general grant writer. A general grant writer will be steamrolled, as Sam Altman so eloquently said, by general models.
Prepare Your Application
Need help with the EIC Accelerator or other grants? Here are some options:
- Starter Pack (lowest-risk entry via AI writer ChatEIC and content)
- Advisory (personalized guidance to help you write)
- Writing (complete end-to-end service, including writing and submission)
- Review (personal proposal review by an expert)
Other resources:
- Subsdy (AI grant discovery)
- My Subsdy Profile
- Newsletter (share this newsletter with a colleague)
- Subscribe via Telegram (get updates in the Telegram channel)
- Contact me directly
- Get strategic support
These tips are not only useful for European startups, professional writers, consultants and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) but are generally recommended when writing a business plan or investor documents.
Deadlines: Post-Horizon 2020, the EIC Accelerator accepts Step 1 submissions now while the deadlines for the full applications (Step 2) under Horizon Europe are listed below. The Step 1 applications must be submitted weeks in advance of Step 2. The next EIC Accelerator cut-off for Step 2 (full proposal) can be found here. After Brexit, UK companies can still apply to the EIC Accelerator under Horizon Europe albeit with non-dilutive grant applications only - thereby excluding equity-financing. Switzerland has resumed its participation in Horizon Europe and is now eligible for the EIC Accelerator.
EIC Accelerator Step 1 Deadline 2025
Contact: You can reach out to us via this contact form to work with a professional consultant.
AI Grant Writer: ChatEIC is a fully automated EIC Accelerator grant proposal writer: Get it here.
EIC Accelerator: EIC Accelerator delivers flexible funding options including blended finance (€2.5M grant + €0.5M-€10M equity), grant-only (up to €2.5M), or equity-only arrangements for scale-up and market deployment of breakthrough innovations. The initiative targets SMEs, start-ups, and small mid-caps with up to 499 employees. Technology areas include Biotech, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Quantum, Aerospace, Advanced Materials, and Semiconductors. Get Started
EIC Pathfinder: EIC Pathfinder delivers up to €3 million for Open calls and up to €4 million for Challenge-based calls to support early-stage research and development with proof-of-principle validation. The initiative requires research consortia with a minimum of 3 partners from 3 different countries, including universities, research organizations, and SMEs. Primary technology focus areas include Health/Medical, Quantum Technologies, AI, Environmental/Energy, and Advanced Materials. Get Started
EIC Transition: EIC Transition delivers up to €2.5 million in funding to overcome the 'valley of death' gap between laboratory research and market deployment, emphasizing technology maturation and validation. The initiative supports single legal entities or small consortia of 2-5 partners including SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs, and research organizations. Key technology domains include Health/Medical Technologies, Green/Environmental Innovation, Digital/Microelectronics, Quantum Technologies, and AI/Robotics. Get Started
EIC STEP Scale-Up: EIC STEP Scale-Up delivers significant equity investments of €10-30 million for established deep-tech companies prepared for hyper-growth and large-scale expansion. The initiative targets SMEs or small mid-caps with up to 499 employees who have obtained pre-commitment from qualified investors. Primary focus areas include Digital & Deep Tech (Semiconductors, AI, Quantum), Clean Technologies for Net-Zero objectives, and Biotechnologies. Get Started
EIC Pre-Accelerator: EIC Pre-Accelerator represents a pilot initiative delivering €300,000-€500,000 in funding for early-stage deep-tech development and preparation for the EIC Accelerator program. This program is exclusively accessible to single SMEs or small mid-caps from 'Widening countries' to foster regional innovation development. The initiative encompasses deep-tech innovations across physical, biological, and digital domains. Get Started
EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges: EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges represents a new pilot initiative delivering €300,000 (Stage 1) and up to €2.5 million (Stage 2) for breakthrough deep-tech innovations through ARPA-style staged funding mechanisms with integrated demand-side engagement. This initiative targets single entities or small consortia (2-3 partners) including SMEs, start-ups, and research organizations. Primary focus areas include Physical AI for autonomous robotics applications and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for animal-free biomedical testing, with TRL 4 entry requirements and demonstrated end-user commitment. Get Started
Eureka Network: The Eureka Network delivers various international collaborative R&D initiatives such as Network Projects, Clusters, Eurostars, Globalstars, and Innowwide, providing funding from €50K to €6.75M per project based on the specific initiative. This network emphasizes market-driven innovation and deep-tech advancement across multiple technology sectors including ICT/Digital, Industrial/Manufacturing, Bio/Medical Technologies, Energy/Environment, Quantum, AI, and Circular Economy. Eligible participants include SMEs, large enterprises, research organizations, universities, and startups, with Eurostars particularly focused on R&D-performing SMEs. Get Started
Eurostars: Eurostars represents a joint EU-Eureka initiative delivering €50K-€500K for international R&D collaboration specifically led by SMEs. The program adopts a bottom-up approach, accepting projects from all technology fields without predefined thematic restrictions. R&D-performing SMEs must lead the consortium and demonstrate significant R&D activities. Get Started
Innovation Partnership: Innovation Partnership enables collaborative innovation between public and private sectors with typical funding of €1-5 million per project. The initiative supports cross-sectoral strategic technologies through public-private partnerships and consortia. Projects concentrate on addressing societal challenges through collaborative innovation approaches. Get Started
Innovation Fund: The EU Innovation Fund delivers substantial funding of €7.5 million to €300 million for large-scale demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. The initiative targets clean energy, carbon capture, renewable energy, and energy storage technologies to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Eligible participants include large companies, consortia, and public entities capable of implementing large-scale demonstration projects. Get Started
Innovate UK: Innovate UK delivers various programs with funding ranging from £25K to £10M depending on the specific initiative, supporting business-led innovation, collaborative R&D, and knowledge transfer. The organization funds projects across all sectors with particular emphasis on emerging technologies and supports UK-based businesses, research organizations, and universities. Programs are designed to drive economic growth through innovation and technology commercialization. Get Started
Industrial Partnership: Industrial Partnership delivers €2-10 million in funding for industrial research and innovation partnerships focusing on manufacturing, industrial technologies, and digital transformation. The initiative supports industrial consortia and research organizations in developing collaborative solutions for industrial challenges. Projects aim to strengthen European industrial competitiveness through strategic partnerships. Get Started
LIFE Programme: The LIFE Programme delivers €1-10 million in funding for environmental protection, climate action, and nature conservation projects across the European Union. The initiative supports environmental technologies, climate adaptation strategies, and biodiversity conservation initiatives. Eligible participants include public authorities, private companies, NGOs, and research institutions working on environmental and climate challenges. Get Started
Neotec: Neotec represents a Spanish initiative delivering €250K-€1M in funding for technology-based business creation and development, supporting the growth of innovative Spanish SMEs and start-ups. The program covers all technology sectors and aims to strengthen Spain's technology ecosystem. Funding is specifically targeted at Spanish technology-based SMEs and start-ups to enhance their competitiveness and market presence. Get Started
Thematic Priorities: EU Thematic Priorities encompass various programs aligned with EU strategic priorities including green transition, digital transformation, health, and security initiatives. Funding amounts vary based on the specific program and call requirements, with projects designed to address key European challenges. Applicant eligibility varies by specific program and call, with different requirements for different thematic areas. Get Started
Any more questions? View the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.
Want to see all articles? They can be found here.
For Updates: Join this Newsletter!
