Frequently Asked Questions

The initial goal was to allocate 25% of EIC Accelerator funding to women-led companies. In the May cut-off, this target was exceeded, with 34% of the selected companies being led by female CEOs.

The EIC Accelerator is looking for innovative technologies with significant scale-up potential. If you are a woman working on such a project, you should consider applying, as you may have a substantial advantage.

No, the quality of the application is still crucial. While the threshold for invitation might be lower for female CEOs, the proposal must still be professionally written and demonstrate a high-level business concept to be considered for funding.

Yes, the EIC Accelerator has always considered gender equality. The proposal template and evaluation results include comments on gender-related policies, which can affect the proposal's score. Also, if two applications have the same score, the number of female team members can be a deciding factor.

Yes, the EU has implemented policies to increase the number of female entrepreneurs funded through the EIC Accelerator. This includes a lower threshold score for female CEOs to receive an interview invitation, increasing their chances of being selected.

Yes, the new policy could increase your chances of receiving an interview invitation in future cut-offs. The lower threshold for female CEOs might make the difference between being invited and not being invited.

The shares of invited and funded women-led companies have increased significantly. Compared to earlier in 2020, the overall rise is estimated to be 5- to 17-fold in just six months, showing a substantial improvement in female representation.

If the quotas are not being reached during a single interview week, previously rejected female-led companies may be eligible for a runner-up interview to help reach the 25% target.

Typically, they originate from two main areas: either a strong technical background (like a university spin-off with cutting-edge R&D) or close ties to industry stakeholders experiencing the customer pain point firsthand. Innovations usually fall into at least one of these categories.

The innovation! The EIC Accelerator, managed by the European Innovation Council, prioritizes funding market-disrupting and market-creating companies. Therefore, understanding the innovative nature of the project is the crucial first step before evaluating other aspects.

No, not at all. While patents are important, they're just one piece of the puzzle. The proposal needs to clearly explain how the innovation directly solves customer needs and is significantly better than alternatives. A patent alone doesn't prove substantial innovation.

Very important. The EIC wants to fund innovations that are difficult to copy. Strong barriers to entry, whether through know-how, proprietary methods, IPR, or commercial advantages, are crucial for long-term success and a positive evaluation.

This article focuses on innovation. You can find parts 2 and 3, which cover traction and the team respectively, by following the links provided within the article.

A strong innovation assessment is key to preparing a competitive EIC Accelerator proposal. By thoroughly evaluating the innovation's origin, its ability to solve customer pain points, its IPR status, and the barriers to entry, you significantly increase the chances of a successful application.

That's perfectly acceptable. Sometimes, a patent can reveal too much information to competitors. Protecting an innovation through trade secrets or other means can be a valid strategy, especially if it provides a stronger competitive advantage.

Barriers to entry can include things like specialized know-how that's hard to replicate, proprietary methods or processes, strong intellectual property rights (IPR), a significant head start in the market, or established relationships with key industry players and customers.

It's absolutely critical. An innovation can be technically impressive, but if it doesn't address a significant customer pain point or offer a clear advantage over existing solutions (easier to use, lower cost), customers won't adopt it. The EIC heavily screens for innovations that are both innovative and profitable.

Focus on the origin of the innovation (technical or industry-driven), how well it solves a customer pain point, the strength and relevance of its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), and the barriers that prevent competitors from easily copying it.

Yes, absolutely. Since the Step 2 proposal template is already available, you should start preparing your application now. This will give you a head start when the submission portal opens on June 9th.

Step 1 submissions were temporarily suspended on May 5th, 2021 to allow the EIC IT team to update the platform and add new features. This closure was unexpected as the call was designed to be continuously open. Submissions are scheduled to reopen on June 22nd.

The suspension was implemented to update the platform and add features to Step 1. While the exact nature of the changes isn't specified, expect some improvements or new functionalities upon its reopening on June 22nd.

Unfortunately, if you haven't already submitted your Step 1 application, you won't be able to apply for the June deadline. However, you can still apply for the final 2021 deadline in October.

The official proposal template for Step 2 has already been published. The Step 2 application process will be officially launched on May 17th, and you'll be able to submit your application starting June 9th.

The preliminary, but official, proposal template for the EIC Accelerator's Step 2 application is available online. Look for a link within the official EIC Accelerator documentation or announcements.

The EIC Accelerator offers blended financing, which combines grant funding with equity investment. This approach aims to provide comprehensive support for innovative SMEs with high-growth potential.

The blog post mentions insufficient announcements from the EIC regarding the suspension. Applicants should actively monitor the official EIC website and communication channels for updates and clarifications.

The suspension disrupts the intended continuous application process. Applicants need to adjust their timelines and strategies based on the new deadlines and submission windows provided by the EIC.

Over 1,200 Step 1 applications were successfully submitted between April and the date of the suspension on May 5th. This indicates a high level of interest in the EIC Accelerator program.

InDesign uses an artboard-type layout, similar to PowerPoint, where you place text boxes on the page before writing. While this may seem inconvenient initially, it provides greater control over text placement and formatting once a template is established.

InDesign shines when dealing with Document 2 (annexes), which often involves embedding numerous PDF files like CVs and support letters. Its superior handling of images and PDFs makes it ideal for managing these large, visually rich documents.

While the content is most important, a well-designed and formatted proposal can improve readability and presentation. InDesign can help achieve a professional look, potentially giving your application a competitive edge, especially concerning file size and image quality.

There is a learning curve, but if you're already familiar with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, InDesign will be easier to pick up. The initial investment in learning InDesign can save time and frustration in the long run, especially with resubmissions.

Consider your collaboration needs, design requirements, and technical skills. If you prioritize collaborative editing and are comfortable with Word, it might be suitable. If you need precise control over design and are comfortable with a steeper learning curve, InDesign is a better choice.

InDesign offers superior control over design, image quality, file size, and PDF export compared to Word. It's particularly useful for managing large documents with embedded PDFs, like Document 2 (annexes), and ensures a professional final product.

The EIC Accelerator application includes Document 1 (main proposal), Document 2 (annexes), Document 3 (financial documents), Document 4 (pitch deck), an abstract, submission forms, and optional ethics documents. Documents 1-4 are submitted as PDFs, with size limits. Financial documents also require an XLS/ODS version.

InDesign's collaboration features, such as commenting and tracked changes, are less prominent than in Word. It's best suited for individual writers or situations where one person is responsible for all edits to the master document.

A text thread in InDesign connects text boxes throughout the document, allowing text to flow seamlessly from one page to the next, similar to how text flows in Word. This feature is crucial for creating a continuous writing experience within InDesign's layout.

While Word is commonly used, it can lead to formatting issues like objects jumping pages, persistent page breaks, and inconsistencies in line breaks across the document. These glitches can be especially problematic given the strict page and size limitations of the EIC Accelerator application.

The EU expects a high return on investment, aiming for accumulated profits exceeding €10 million after market introduction, given typical investments above €1 million. This threshold is higher than what many businesses need, reflecting the EU's focus on disruptive innovations and new market creation.

The specific type of business model is less important than its scalability and profitability. Focus on demonstrating how your chosen model can achieve significant growth and generate substantial profits, regardless of whether it's B2B, SaaS, or another type.

The EU emphasizes scalability because they want to invest in projects with a high growth potential and wide-reaching impact. Your proposal needs to demonstrate how your business model can efficiently serve a large customer base, ideally with increasing profit margins as you scale.

Even if your business model requires multiple facilities, it can still be scalable. You need to demonstrate that the process of setting up these facilities is efficient and that the overall operation can grow significantly without a disproportionate increase in costs.

Profitability refers to the financial return generated by each sale or deployment of your product or service. The EIC Accelerator seeks projects where each individual deployment has a significant impact, contributing substantially to overall revenue and profit.

Show the relationship between your revenues and resource investments. Explain how scaling your operations increases profit margins and whether the relationship between profits and customer numbers is linear or exponential. Highlight any automation that reduces labor-intensive actions.

Not necessarily. While automation is favored for scalability, a business model can still be profitable with some reliance on manual labor. The key is to demonstrate that the overall combination of scalability and profitability meets the EU's high standards for return on investment.

For the EIC Accelerator, prioritize scalability and profitability. Evaluators look for business models that can grow significantly without a proportional increase in resources and that generate substantial profits. Consider how easily you can expand your operations and the revenue generated per customer or deployment.

While general profitability is important, the EIC Accelerator looks for projects with exceptional profitability and scalability potential. The EU wants to support projects that can generate a multi-fold return on their investment, exceeding typical business profitability.

Consider how many product deployments or customers you need to reach a significant revenue target (e.g., €20 million annually). Determine if a single customer can cover your costs and support further technological development. Also, research the pricing of competing offerings.

No, simply mentioning EU policies is not sufficient. You need to demonstrate a clear and direct link between your project and the achievement of specific policy objectives. Provide evidence and data to support your claims and show how your innovation contributes to tangible results.

Acknowledge and address any potential negative impacts transparently. Explain how you plan to mitigate these risks and maximize the positive societal benefits. A balanced and realistic assessment is crucial for demonstrating responsible innovation.