What is the Timeline for the Application?

March 19, 2019 • By Stephan Segler, PhD

EIC Accelerator Funding Horizon Europe SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator

Since I am frequently asked about the specific timeline and duration for the EU's SME Instrument funding, here is a brief overview of how long it takes to apply:

Phase 1:

- There are 4 deadlines per year for which applications can be submitted (usually February, May, September and November)

- 1 Month is required to prepare the application so that there is enough time to get all support documents ready

- 4 to 8 weeks until the result is out

- 6 to 12 weeks until the grant agreement contract is signed (and the first part of the grant is received)

Once Phase 1 is funded, it should take 3-5 month to prepare the feasibility study and to get ready for Phase 2. The process for Phase 2 is similar to Phase 1 with 4 deadlines per year and roughly the same waiting periods.

Important: If the first application is rejected then the next deadline will be 3 months later which means that each re-submission increases the time needed to receive the grant.

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

Seconds

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.

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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).

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