Frequently Asked Questions

This challenge aims to support deep tech ventures that can deliver disruptive new products and services for a digitised construction value chain. The focus is on computational design, alternative materials, and digital fabrication to achieve climate neutrality and improve the quality of the built environment.

The 'Energy storage' challenge targets innovations in energy storage technologies that offer low cost, high density, high charging/discharging efficiency, and enhanced durability. It encourages solutions for storing electric and/or thermal energy at various scales and durations, while minimizing carbon footprint and reliance on critical raw materials.

This challenge aims to ensure Europe can service and protect its own space infrastructure and enhance the competitiveness of its space industry. It focuses on developing innovative space technologies, such as in-orbit inspection, collision avoidance, self-assembly of spacecraft, space debris collection, and innovative solutions for Earth observation and satellite communications.

This challenge seeks interdisciplinary solutions for regenerative agriculture and soil health, including innovations in fertilization, crop protection, irrigation, and soil management. It also encourages radical innovations in precision fermentation, natural solutions for carbon management, and technologies adapted to harsh environments.

This challenge focuses on supporting innovative SMEs and small mid-caps in developing novel predictive, prognostic, and companion diagnostic assays to guide cancer treatment. The goal is to enable clinicians to better identify which patients will benefit from specific treatments, predict cancer development, and monitor disease progression.

This challenge seeks technological solutions that facilitate social interaction during pandemics. This includes full systems for aerosol capture and air circulation, next-generation face mask technologies, and rapid surface decontamination devices. Integrating pathogen profiling sensors for real-time information is also encouraged.

If a Strategic Challenge doesn't attract a sufficient number of high-quality applications, the allocated budget will be transferred to other Strategic Challenges. In the event that all Strategic Challenges collectively lack enough suitable applications, the remaining budget will be reallocated to the EIC Accelerator Open.

The EIC Accelerator offers up to €2.5 million in grant funding and up to €15 million in equity financing per project, totaling a potential €17.5 million. This blended financing approach is designed to support DeepTech startups and small mid-caps in finalizing product development, entering the market, and scaling globally.

This challenge aims to support the development of next-generation fault-tolerant quantum computers and quantum sensors that can function in real-world environments. The goal is to advance Europe's capabilities in quantum computing and sensing for applications in various fields, including medicine, materials science, and space.

With the outsourcing of the EIC Fund's management to the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Alter Domus, the EIC could become more risk-averse. This might lead to a preference for projects already in the market or with significant customer commitments, even though the EIC aims to fund DeepTech at earlier stages.

Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) indicate the maturity of your technology, ranging from basic principles observed to actual system proven in an operational environment. The EIC uses TRLs to assess the readiness of your project for funding and market entry.

Being invited to resubmit directly to an interview session significantly increases your chances. Also, if your company is women-led, it will be prioritized to promote gender balance. Finally, early submission of your proposal can give you an edge.

The official 2023 EIC Accelerator Work Programme is expected to be released by the European Innovation Council (EIC). While not official, a draft version is available via ScienceBusiness, along with other Horizon Europe documents.

The specific deadlines for the 2023 EIC Accelerator have not yet been officially published. Keep an eye on the official EIC website for updates on cut-off dates.

The EIC Pathfinder Open supports early-stage research and development of breakthrough technologies. The first deadline for submitting a proposal in 2023 was March 7th at 17:00 Brussels local time.

The other articles in this series, covering topics like eligible applicants, equity investments, and evaluation criteria, will be linked within the article once they are published. Check back regularly for updates.

The 'EIC Accelerator Open' refers to a funding track within the EIC Accelerator that is not tied to specific strategic challenges. It's a broader call for proposals across various DeepTech sectors.

If the EIC faces budget or interview slot limitations, priority is given to companies invited to resubmit, women-led companies (aiming for up to 40%), and then based on the submission date and time of the short proposal.

Relocating your company headquarters or creating a legal entity in a Horizon Europe-associated country solely for the EIC Accelerator is risky. Given the low success rates, it's generally not advisable to make such a move before receiving any official approval from the European Commission (EC) and the EIC.

The 2023 EIC Accelerator Work Programme is expected to bring changes to eligibility criteria, equity investment conditions, technology readiness level requirements, and evaluation criteria. This article series will delve into these aspects in detail.

Yes, entities or persons from non-associated third countries can apply to the EIC Accelerator. However, they must relocate their headquarters or establish an SME in a country associated with Horizon Europe before submitting a full application.

The 'grant-first' approach refers to projects that initially receive grant funding and subsequently attract equity investments. The related article series will explore how these projects secure equity investments within the EIC framework.

The EIC Accelerator primarily focuses on funding DeepTech innovations. These are groundbreaking innovations based on scientific discoveries or technological breakthroughs that require significant, long-term funding before generating returns.

The EIC Accelerator provides up to €2.5 million in grant funding and up to €15 million in equity financing per project, for a potential total of €17.5 million. This blended financing is designed to support DeepTech startups and small mid-caps in finalizing product development and scaling globally.

If your proposal received positive remarks, especially from an evaluator with insider knowledge (e.g., a customer or researcher in the field), highlight these in your rebuttal. Emphasize how this evaluator understood the project's impact, contrasting it with potentially misinformed comments from others.

Yes, it's important to address all criticisms, even those accompanying a 'GO' grading. These criticisms can still raise doubts in the minds of future evaluators. Addressing them proactively demonstrates a thorough understanding of the feedback.

The rebuttal allows applicants to respond to the evaluation of a previously rejected proposal. It's a chance to explain what has changed in the current application and address any misunderstandings or inaccuracies in the initial evaluation. This section is prominently displayed for the new evaluators.

If your proposal received a low score, you'll likely need to make substantial changes to key sections of the application. This might involve reshaping the features, use cases, competitive analysis, value chain, market analysis, or work plan.

Definitely point this out in your rebuttal. Highlighting that the information was already present casts doubt on the evaluator's assessment and suggests they may not have thoroughly reviewed the application.

Yes, if an evaluator made factual errors, misquoted information, or demonstrated a lack of understanding, it's appropriate to politely and objectively point this out in your rebuttal. Use clear and logical arguments to demonstrate the evaluator's mistake.

Unlike VC pitches, the EIC jury may lack specialized knowledge of your technology or industry. Also, jury members aren't investing their own money, which can influence the types of questions they ask. The EIC also prioritizes ambiguous criteria like non-bankability and high-risk, which most investors wouldn't prioritize.

The EIC Accelerator process is highly selective. With excellent projects reaching Step 3, the jury's task is to find the highest potential among them. Due to budget constraints, they often have to reject around 50% of the applicants, even if they are great businesses.

The EIC Accelerator interview is the final step in the EIC Accelerator blended financing application process. It's a jury-based evaluation where SMEs and startups pitch their project. Success in the interview is crucial for securing funding, demonstrating the company's desire, confidence, and motivation to implement their project.

The jury is likely unfamiliar with your project's details and may not be experts in your technology or industry. They aren't investing their own money and must prioritize criteria like high-risk, DeepTech, and non-bankability. Pre-interview due diligence is limited, so your pitch is crucial.

You should approach the interview with the mindset that you cannot give the jury any reason to reject you. Even if your project is excellent, failing to address potential negative perceptions can lead to rejection. Be prepared to address any concerns the jury might have.

If your company raises a substantial amount of funding (e.g., €20M) right before the Step 3 interview, it's likely to be rejected. The EIC prefers to allocate its budget to companies that haven't reached that level of funding yet. They aim to support companies that are truly non-bankable at the time of application.

Non-bankability refers to a company's perceived inability to secure financing from other public or private sources. The EIC uses this criterion to identify and support DeepTech companies that might be overlooked by traditional investors. In practice, it often means the EIC will invest unless someone else invests first.

If Step 2 receives an excess of applications for Step 3, the Step 2 evaluation process might be repeated with stricter criteria. This could lead to a less transparent evaluation method compared to previous years.

The EASME and EIC should clearly communicate if evaluation steps are repeated internally due to application volume. This transparency would help applicants understand the process and potentially adjust their strategy.

Clear communication from the EASME and the EIC regarding how thresholds are set and enforced is crucial. Real-time updates on 'YES' and 'NO' counts and thresholds would be beneficial for applicants.

It's speculated that EASME will not use an internal ranking system. Without a ranking system, managing the volume of applications becomes challenging, potentially leading to stricter evaluation criteria as the deadline approaches.

If the EIC and EASME receive too many 'YES' gradings in Step 1, they might increase the strictness of the 'YES/NO' evaluations dynamically. This could make it more difficult for later Step 1 applicants to succeed.

If possible, consider choosing less competitive EIC Accelerator topics. This could potentially increase your chances of success, especially if the evaluation process becomes stricter due to high application volume.

The timing of your application might not be fixed, so consider postponing it to avoid potential 'freezing periods' or periods of increased competition. Applying early, however, is generally recommended to secure a spot in Step 2.

The 'YES' or 'NO' grading system, without numeric scoring, means proposals likely won't be ranked. This implies that every 'YES' should be invited to Step 2, potentially leading to a bottleneck if too many applications receive a positive evaluation early on.

While you may have existing data and text from other proposals, it's generally not advisable to use them directly. The EIC Accelerator has specific questions and space restrictions, so you'll likely need to rewrite and tailor the content to fit the application requirements.

The Step 2 application requires several annexes, including Letters of Intent (LOI), a Freedom to Operate Analysis (FTO), a Data Management Plan (DMP), a financial spreadsheet, a pitch deck, and a 10-page annex for visual information.

Plan for at least 2 weeks of preparation for the jury interview. This should include practice calls and a detailed review of all proposal materials to ensure familiarity with the content.

The evaluation of the Step 1 proposal can vary, but generally, you should expect a duration of around 3 weeks. If you already have templates prepared, you can start working on your Step 2 application while waiting for the results.

LOIs are important and can take weeks or even months to obtain, as stakeholders are often busy. It's advisable to request LOIs as early as possible to increase your chances of receiving them before the Step 2 deadline.