Frequently Asked Questions

While you can create the acronym yourself, it's often beneficial to involve professional writers or consultants. They have experience in crafting concise and impactful acronyms that effectively summarize complex projects, ensuring it resonates with evaluators.

The acronym is important because it's often the first thing evaluators see and remember about your project. A well-chosen acronym can create a positive first impression and help your proposal stand out from the competition, increasing its memorability.

The acronym serves as a highly condensed summary of your project, giving readers a memorable indication of its core focus. Think of it as a micro-abstract that captures the essence of your proposal in a very short form. It should quickly convey what your project is about.

The acronym is limited to a maximum of 20 characters, including spaces. This constraint emphasizes the need to choose words that are concise and impactful, clearly representing the project's key aspects.

No, the acronym doesn't necessarily need to be a direct abbreviation of the title or use specific keywords. It's more important that it effectively communicates the project's core innovation or long-term vision. Focus on creating something memorable and relevant.

While the acronym itself doesn't need to be in capital letters, it's recommended to capitalize it within the proposal to make it stand out. Using bold formatting and your proposal's main color can also help highlight the acronym throughout the text.

Prioritize the most innovative feature or central part of your technology when selecting an acronym. It should directly relate to either the long-term vision or the groundbreaking innovation that your project offers, making it instantly recognizable.

Avoid including any confidential or proprietary information that could compromise your company's competitive advantage. It's also wise to refrain from providing concrete revenue projections or specific financial data, as this information could be associated with your company indefinitely.

The first part, taking up about two-thirds of the space, should follow a narrative structure. Start by outlining the problem your project addresses, then highlight the current insufficiencies in addressing that problem. Finally, introduce your innovation and its key features as the solution.

Include information that demonstrates your project's momentum and potential. This could include the number of customers, customer inquiries, active users, or access to key resources relevant to your business model, with a focus on the European market.

The abstract should convey the sense of a high-impact innovation that addresses an urgent need. It should also demonstrate that the applicant is competent and capable of fully exploiting the business opportunity presented by the project.

Because the abstract is made public, ensure all figures, metrics, and facts are well-researched and accurate. This is crucial as the information could be associated with your company indefinitely, impacting your reputation and credibility.

The second part, using the remaining one-third of the space, should focus on your team, company, pilot customers, and the expected market impact. Highlight your team's competence and ability to execute the project, and mention any relevant industry changes, job creation, or social issues your project addresses.

No, there isn't a specific template to follow. However, a good rule of thumb is to dedicate approximately two-thirds of the abstract to the problem, insufficiencies, and innovation, and the remaining one-third to the team and market impact.

You can find examples of successful abstracts from funded projects on the results page of the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) database. Reviewing these examples can provide valuable insights into effective abstract writing.

The EIC Accelerator abstract serves as a public summary of your project, outlining its key aspects without revealing confidential information. It's published on the CORDIS website if your proposal is successful, making it a crucial element for public understanding and dissemination of your project's goals and impact.

The abstract should be concise and limited to a maximum of 2,000 characters, including spaces. This requires careful consideration of each word to ensure you convey the essential information effectively within the character limit.

ChatGPT can be useful for generating initial structures for different sections of your proposal. Provide it with a topic and ask it to segment it into sub-levels. While the initial output may require editing, it can provide a good starting point, especially for inexperienced writers. Experiment with different structures and variations to find the best fit for your project.

The EIC Accelerator provides funding (grant and equity) to SMEs and startups. The application process has been revamped from a 30-page PDF to a comprehensive online platform. While the total funding per project remains at €17.5 million, the process is now more compartmentalized and standardized. The 'EIC AI Platform' seems to be more about back-end assessment for evaluators rather than AI assistance for applicants.

One major concern is plagiarism. While the text is AI-generated, it's based on existing datasets, which may contain proprietary information. This means there's a risk of unintentionally including copyrighted material in your proposal. Always review and edit the output carefully to ensure originality.

Yes, ChatGPT can be a useful tool, especially for structuring and brainstorming. However, it's not a magic bullet. It requires significant effort in crafting detailed inputs and extensively editing the outputs. Use it as an aid to your writing process, not as a replacement for your own expertise and critical thinking.

ChatGPT is unlikely to generate useful Freedom To Operate (FTO) analyses or financials from scratch. However, it can assist in creating templates for documents like Data Management Plans (DMPs) or Letters of Intent (LOIs). Provide specific instructions and keywords to guide the chatbot in generating relevant templates.

ChatGPT tends to closely follow the input, often producing vague and uncreative text. It may struggle to understand the specific requirements of the EIC Accelerator. The input required to generate useful output can be almost as long as the output itself, reducing the time-saving benefits. The chatbot also tends to summarize the entire input instead of focusing on answering the specific question.

No, the assessment process is currently too complex and nuanced to be fully automated. The EIC Accelerator's scope is both broad and narrow, and the selection criteria can be inconsistent. The assessment is multifaceted, making it difficult for AI to accurately and consistently select winning projects.

ChatGPT can potentially assist with structuring and brainstorming ideas for your application. It can generate text based on your input, which could save time. However, it requires detailed and specific instructions to produce relevant and high-quality output. Extensive editing and customization are usually necessary, so it's not a complete time-saving solution at this stage.

Provide clear instructions on how the answer should be structured, such as including a list of selling points or quantifiable metrics. Use placeholders for numbers and specific details that you can fill in later. Consider preparing a general text describing your technology, commercial strategy, and team, then ask ChatGPT to convert it into an answer to a specific question.

The process involves assessment, structuring, and writing. First, assess if your project is a good fit for the EIC Accelerator. Then, structure your proposal according to the EIC's template. Finally, write and prepare all the necessary texts and annexes, ensuring consistency across all sections.

Yes, UK entities can apply for the EIC Accelerator, but with a limitation. Due to the UK's association agreement, they are eligible only for the 'grant-only' portion of the EIC Accelerator funding. This means they cannot access the equity financing component.

Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, entities from non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine are currently not eligible for funding. This restriction is in place to ensure the proper allocation and management of funds during the conflict.

OCTs are territories linked to EU member states and are eligible for EIC funding under the same conditions as the member state they are linked to. Examples include Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten (linked to the Netherlands), and French Polynesia and New Caledonia (linked to France).

Yes, some non-EU countries might be eligible for Step 1 applications of the EIC Accelerator. However, eligibility for Step 1 does not guarantee access to Step 2 and 3 or the full EIC Accelerator funding. Always verify the specific eligibility criteria for each step.

While low- to middle-income countries are generally eligible for Horizon Europe funding, they are typically not eligible for mono-beneficiary programs like the EIC Accelerator. However, they can participate in consortium projects within other EIC and Horizon Europe programs under specific conditions. Check the program guidelines for details.

Yes, Liechtenstein is an example of a country that was previously associated with European funding programs but has decided not to participate in Horizon Europe or the EIC Accelerator. Therefore, entities from Liechtenstein are currently not eligible for funding.

Yes, Switzerland is associated with Horizon Europe, including the EIC Accelerator, starting in 2025. This allows Swiss startups and SMEs to apply for both grant and equity funding, similar to EU member states and other associated countries.

Associated countries are non-EU countries that participate in Horizon Europe, including the EIC Accelerator, through specific agreements. This allows their startups and SMEs to apply for funding under the same conditions as EU member states. Examples include Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Israel, Norway, and Ukraine.

All 27 EU member states are eligible for EIC Accelerator funding. This includes countries like Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. These countries can access both grant and equity financing.

Eligible startups and SMEs can obtain up to €2.5 million in grant funding and up to €15 million in equity financing per project. This brings the total potential funding to €17.5 million, supporting high-impact innovations.

If your technology is too complex, it may be difficult for evaluators to grasp the problem and solution, potentially lowering your chances of success. Aim for clarity and simplicity in explaining your project, ensuring that even someone without expertise in your field can understand its value and impact.

While not mandatory, a professional online presence is beneficial. Create a corporate identity with a website, social media accounts, logos, and branded email addresses. This helps build trust and credibility, especially since no due diligence is performed before the final application step.

Your project should be complex enough to be impressive but easy to understand. Evaluators may not be experts in your specific field, so ensure the problem and solution are clear to a layperson. Concisely explain the project's core aspects, especially within the limited character counts in the application.

The EIC favors projects aligned with current political, technological, and social trends. While specific focus areas are updated annually in the Work Programme, evergreen themes like environmental protection, medical technology, AI, energy, and climate mitigation often resonate well. Addressing a clearly understandable problem with high impact is crucial for success.

The EIC Accelerator, funded by the European Commission and European Innovation Council, supports European SMEs and startups. It provides blended financing, potentially reaching €17.5 million per project, consisting of a grant (up to €2.5 million) and equity investment (up to €15 million). This funding aims to help innovative companies scale up their businesses.

A project needs to have impressive and unique technology to be successful. A simple app or easily copied hardware is unlikely to gain funding. The technology should be difficult to replicate and perfectly designed to solve the identified market problem, showcasing a sophisticated technological background.

Clearly outline and justify your commercial strategy, even if you're a pre-revenue startup. If you need distributors, show they are committed and quantify their reach. Explain why customers will buy from you, ideally with commitments and Letters of Intent. A strong commercial plan is essential, especially for the Step 3 interviews.

In 2023, the EIC Accelerator Challenges include areas such as novel biomarker-based assays for cancer treatment, aerosol and surface decontamination for pandemic management, energy storage, New European Bauhaus and AEC digitalization, emerging semiconductor or quantum technology, resilient agriculture, and customer-driven space technologies.

Develop a clear and justified commercial strategy, even if you're in the early stages. Focus on identifying your target market, outlining your sales and marketing approach, and demonstrating potential customer interest. Letters of Intent or commitments from potential customers can significantly strengthen your application.

Focus on a 'sexy' topic aligned with current trends, develop an impressive and unique technology, ensure your project is easy to understand, present a clear commercial strategy with traction, and establish a great team and corporate identity. By addressing these key areas, you can significantly improve your chances of a positive evaluation.

EIC Pathfinder supports projects from TRL 1 to 4, focusing on early-stage research. EIC Transition targets projects between TRL 4 and 6, aiming to mature technologies and develop prototypes. EIC Accelerator is for projects at TRL 5-6 to 9, supporting scaling and market launch.

The EIC reserves the right to cancel ongoing grant projects if a lack of additional financing jeopardizes the project's success. It's crucial to have a plan for securing follow-up funding to ensure the project can reach its desired endpoint and avoid potential cancellation.

EIC Accelerator offers up to €2.5 million in grant funding and €15 million in equity funding. EIC Pathfinder provides up to €3 million per project, while EIC Transition offers up to €2.5 million per project. Assess your project's financial needs to determine which program aligns best with your requirements.