Frequently Asked Questions

The EIC Accelerator Challenges have largely remained the same since the draft work program. The main change is the inclusion of semiconductor technologies within the quantum computing technologies Challenge.

The 'Novel biomarker-based assays to guide personalised cancer treatment' EIC Accelerator Challenge has a budget of €65 million. This funding aims to support advancements in personalized cancer treatment approaches.

The three main funding programs are EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, and EIC Accelerator. Each program targets different stages of innovation, from early-stage research to scaling up businesses.

The EIC renews its Work Programme annually. These updates often include changes to the Challenges, available budgets, and application cut-off dates, so it's important to stay informed.

Detailed information about the specific technology areas and restrictions for each EIC Accelerator Challenge can be found in the official EIC Work Programme. Be sure to consult this document for complete details.

The EIC Accelerator, funded by the European Commission and EIC, supports startups and SMEs. It offers up to €2.5 million in grant funding and €15 million in equity financing, totaling €17.5 million per project. It's the EIC's most well-funded instrument.

The EIC Accelerator has the largest budget in 2023, with €611.75 million allocated for open calls and €523.49 million for specific Challenges. This highlights its importance in the EIC's overall strategy.

Challenge 4 aims to support deep tech ventures that provide digitally enabled solutions for the construction sector. The focus is on computational design, alternative materials, and digital fabrication to achieve climate neutrality, reduce embodied carbon emissions, and improve the quality of the built environment.

Challenge 6 focuses on improving the resilience and security of the European food supply chain through environmentally friendly technologies. It supports solutions for regenerative agriculture, soil health, precision fermentation, and carbon management, aiming to reduce dependency on critical supply chains and promote EU technological autonomy.

Challenge 5 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 quantum capabilities and promote its digital sovereignty in areas like medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and materials science.

The EIC Accelerator provides funding to DeepTech startups and small mid-caps. It offers 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.

If a Strategic Challenge doesn't have enough applications selected for funding, the remaining budget will be transferred to other Challenges. If all Challenges lack sufficient applications, the remaining budget will be allocated to the EIC Accelerator Open call.

The EIC Accelerator Strategic Challenges are thematic areas with dedicated budgets, outlined in the EIC's Work Programme. These challenges are updated annually and aim to address specific technological and societal needs. Applying to a challenge may increase your chances of success due to fewer applicants.

Challenge 2 seeks technological solutions for aerosol capture, pathogen deactivation, and air circulation management. This includes advanced air-filtering systems, next-generation face masks, and rapid surface decontamination devices, aiming to reduce the need for social distancing during pandemics.

Challenge 1 focuses on supporting SMEs and small midcaps in developing novel biomarker-based assays for personalized cancer treatment. The goal is to develop assays that can predict treatment benefits, identify precancerous lesions, predict recurrence, and monitor the clinical course of the disease.

Challenge 3 targets innovations in energy storage technologies, focusing on low cost, high density, high charging/discharging efficiency, and enhanced durability. It encourages solutions for electric and/or thermal energy storage at various scales and durations, minimizing carbon footprint and critical raw material usage.

ScienceBusiness has published a draft of the 2023 EIC Work Programme. You can find the entire library of Horizon Europe documents by the European Commission (EC) on their website, though these are mostly in draft form.

While the official documents are yet to be released by the EIC, ScienceBusiness has published a second draft dated July 2022. You can find the entire library of Horizon Europe documents by the European Commission (EC) on their website, though note that these are mostly in draft form.

The EIC allows applicants to view comments from evaluators. If you believe there was a factual mistake, absence of required information, or a manifest error, you can file a formal complaint. Otherwise, you can address the feedback and resubmit in the next cut-off.

TRL stands for Technology Readiness Level. TRL 5/6 means the technology has been adequately assessed in a laboratory environment and relevant environments to characterize its potential and assess the level of risk. The EIC Accelerator requires this level of technological maturity for Step 2 applications.

The EIC uses an AI-based platform to analyze financial metrics. Jury members may also consult with specialized experts in science or technology to assess your project's financial viability and potential for return on investment.

If your Step 1 application is re-evaluated as a 'GO' after a successful complaint, you become eligible to submit your full Step 2 application to the same cutoff date that was originally available to you.

The Step 3 interview criteria are similar to previous EIC Accelerator iterations. The EIC Jury may consult external analysts to assess your project before the interview. These analyses, including financial metrics and potentially scientific/technical assessments, will be available to applicants after the decision.

The Step 1 evaluation focuses on three key areas: Excellence (breakthrough nature and timing), Impact (scale-up potential and broader impact), and Level of risk, implementation, and need for Union support (team capability and motivation).

Potentially, yes. With the EIC Fund's management outsourced to the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Alter Domus, there's a possibility the EIC might favor projects already in the market or with significant customer commitments, even though it aims to fund DeepTech at earlier stages (TRL5).

The EIC Accelerator offers 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 option is designed to support DeepTech startups and small mid-caps in scaling their innovations.

Step 2 evaluates Excellence (breakthrough nature, timing, technological feasibility, IP), Impact (scale-up potential, broader impact, market fit, commercialization strategy, key partners), and Level of risk, implementation, and need for Union support (team, milestones, risk level, risk mitigation).

The EIC Accelerator offers up to €2.5 million in grant funding and up to €15 million in equity financing per project. This blended financing option can provide a total of up to €17.5 million to DeepTech startups and small mid-caps.

Unfortunately, the official deadlines for the 2023 EIC Accelerator haven't been published yet. Keep an eye on the EIC Accelerator Deadlines page for updates as soon as they become available.

The 2023 Work Programme outlines timelines of 4 weeks for Step 1 and 6 weeks for Step 2 of the evaluation process. However, these timelines can vary depending on the EIC's workload and the scheduling of Step 3 interviews.

The EIC Accelerator Open is a funding track within the EIC Accelerator that is not focused on specific strategic challenges. The first cut-off date in 2023 is expected to focus only on the EIC Accelerator Open.

The EIC Accelerator aims to have women-led companies represent up to 40% of invited companies. This is part of their effort to promote gender balance in the funding process.

The EIC Accelerator application process involves multiple steps, including Step 1 (short proposal), Step 2 (full proposal), and Step 3 (interview). Each step has its own evaluation criteria and timeline.

The EIC uses a scale from TRL 1 to TRL 9, ranging from 'basic principles observed' to 'actual system proven in operational environment'. These levels help assess the maturity of your technology.

The deadline for submitting your proposal to the EIC Pathfinder Open was March 7, 2023, at 17h00 Brussels local Time.

You can find more information about the conditions for EIC equity investments in Part 3 of this article series: 'The Conditions for EIC Equity Investments'.

If the EIC receives more high-quality applications than it can fund, it prioritizes based on recommendation status for the interview, gender balance (women-led companies), and the submission date and time of the short proposal.

The other articles in this series will cover topics such as grant-first projects, equity investments, technology readiness levels, evaluation criteria, strategic challenges, and the new EIC ecosystem. Check back for updates as they are published.

Yes, it's likely that the number of Step 1 applications will increase. Technically, any company from third countries not associated with Horizon Europe can now apply, potentially leading to a surge in applications at this initial stage.

The EIC Accelerator provides up to €2.5 million in grant funding and €15 million in equity financing to DeepTech startups and small mid-caps. It's designed to help these companies finalize product development, enter the market, and scale globally. The program focuses on innovations based on scientific or technological breakthroughs.

Applying to Step 1 as a way of assessing the quality of a project and determining the odds of future success is not recommended. The correlation of scores between all three Steps can be small while Step 3 can entirely shift the evaluation criteria.

The EIC aims to reduce the number of applicants and simplify the application and evaluation process. Opening up the full process to major American and Asian markets would likely overwhelm the system with a massive influx of applications.

The EIC Accelerator application process consists of three steps. Step 1 is a short application, Step 2 involves submitting a full business plan, and Step 3 is a face-to-face or online interview. Each step has its own evaluation criteria.

Yes, entities or persons from non-associated third countries can apply. However, they must relocate their headquarters or establish an SME in a country associated with Horizon Europe. This must be done before submitting the full Step 2 application.

While the EIC Accelerator may fund software products and services, its primary focus remains on funding groundbreaking DeepTech innovations. These innovations are typically based on significant scientific discoveries or technological breakthroughs requiring substantial, long-term investment.

ScienceBusiness has published a draft of the 2023 EIC Work Programme. You can also find the entire library of Horizon Europe documents by the European Commission (EC) on their website, though these are mostly in draft form. Keep in mind that all information is subject to change.

Relocating your company or creating a legal entity in a Horizon Europe-associated country prior to receiving any official approval from the European Commission (EC) and the EIC is not recommended. The success rates for the EIC Accelerator are low, especially at Step 2.

If an evaluator is factually incorrect, the rebuttal should clearly and logically explain why. Point out misrepresentations of products, misquotes, numerical errors, or incorrect data. Also, highlight any information the evaluator claimed was missing but was actually included in the original submission.

It's appropriate to highlight an evaluator's ignorance when they've made obvious logical flaws, misrepresented information, or based their assessment on incorrect data. Do so objectively and professionally, focusing on factual inaccuracies rather than personal attacks.

If your application received a low score, substantial changes are likely needed. This may involve reshaping key sections of the application, such as the features & use cases, competitors, value chain, market, and work plan.