What Does "Prototype Stage" Mean?

March 19, 2019 • By Stephan Segler, PhD

EIC Accelerator Funding Horizon Europe SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator

If you already have a prototype (an App or a physical product) then it is important to have some quantifiable feedback. For example:

(a) You have active users on your platform who have given you feedback regarding the effectiveness of your solution (lowered costs or other benefits - expressed in percentages or absolute values).

(b) If you have a physical product then you have proven its functionality and possibly have some commitments from retailers, companies (if B2B) or pre-sales from end-users (if B2C).

This shows that your project is functional and that there is a market demand/benefit.

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:

EIC Accelerator Step 1 Deadline 2025

Days

Hours

Minutes

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EIC Accelerator Step 2 Deadline 2025

March

October

EIC Accelerator Step 2 Deadlines: March 12^th 2025 and October 1^st 2025

EIC Accelerator Step 3 Deadline 2025

June

January

EIC Accelerator Step 3 Interview Dates: Week of June 2^nd 2025 and January 2026

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.

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.

EU, UK & US Startups: Alternative financing options for EU, UK and US innovation startups are the EIC Pathfinder (combining Future and Emerging Technologies - FET Open & FET Proactive) with €4M per project, Thematic Priorities, European Innovation Partnerships (EIP), Innovate UK with £3M (for UK-companies only) as well as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants with $1M (for US-companies only).

Any more questions? View the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.

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