Call for CSA (coordination and support action): Financial Support to access services from EIC Ecosystem Partners

Brussels, January 12th 2026

Summary

›The EIC launched a €4.5 million Coordination and Support Action to subsidise startups’ use of services from approved ecosystem partners.
›EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders can receive lump sum support up to €60,000 at 70% for R&D infrastructure, prototyping, IP and legal, and 50% for other services.
›A single CSA beneficiary or consortium will run a continuously open call awarding grants first come first served subject to eligibility and no double funding.
›At least 80% of the CSA budget must go to financial support to third parties and the CSA funding rate is 100% of eligible costs.
›The action builds on the ongoing ACCESS+ initiative and the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme with stronger monitoring and real time dashboards.
›Deadline for CSA proposals is 26 March 2026 at 17:00 CET via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

A new EIC instrument to subsidise access to ecosystem services

The European Innovation Council launched a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action to finance EIC Awardees’ access to specialised services offered by EIC Ecosystem Partners. The aim is to help deep tech companies move faster from incubation to scale up by co-funding services such as investor matchmaking, IP and legal support, technology validation, and access to pilot plants or testbeds. The action formalises and scales experience from the ongoing ACCESS+ initiative and integrates it within the broader EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme.

What is funded and who is eligible

The CSA will channel financial support to third parties through lump sum grants to EIC Awardees and other eligible entities to co-fund access to services listed in the EIC Ecosystem Partner Catalogue. Eligible services include pitching and networking events, customer and investor matchmaking, specialised training such as IP protection or technology due diligence, innovation boot camps and summer schools, mentoring and business coaching, technology validation and acceleration services, and access to innovation infrastructures including pilot plants and testbeds.

Eligibility extends to EIC Awardees under Horizon Europe and the H2020 EIC Pilot as well as entities holding a Seal of Excellence under EIC Work Programmes and the EIC Pre-Accelerator call under the WIDERA Work Programme.

Coordination and Support Action (CSA):A CSA is a Horizon Europe instrument that funds activities like coordination, networking, dissemination, and in this case the administration of financial support to third parties. It does not fund R&D directly but supports the conditions that enable innovation uptake.

Financial support to third parties (FSTP):FSTP allows a CSA beneficiary to provide small grants to third parties under a defined scheme. Here, EIC Awardees can receive lump sums to buy services from listed ecosystem partners. At least 80% of the CSA budget must be reserved for FSTP.

EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders:EIC Awardees are beneficiaries selected under EIC Pathfinder, Transition, Accelerator and related calls. Seal of Excellence holders are applicants positively evaluated but not funded for budgetary reasons. Both groups can access co-funding under this action subject to the scheme’s rules.

EIC Service Catalogue:A curated list of services offered by EIC Ecosystem Partners. Applicants must select a specific provider from this catalogue and include the partner’s confirmation of approval in their application.

Co-funding rates, caps and service coverage

The CSA will co-fund up to 70% of costs for access to R&D infrastructure, prototyping, and IP and legal support. For all other eligible services the co-funding rate is up to 50%. The maximum cumulative support per recipient is €60,000. The scheme uses lump sum amounts aligned with service categories in the EIC Service Catalogue.

Service type	Co-funding rate	Notes
R&D infrastructure and testbeds	Up to 70%	Includes access to pilot plants and technology validation
Prototyping and PoC	Up to 70%	Hardware and software prototyping support
IP and legal support	Up to 70%	Includes IP strategy, protection and legal advisory
Other services	Up to 50%	Acceleration, mentoring, investor readiness, matchmaking, training, internationalisation

How the scheme operates

A selected CSA beneficiary or consortium will run a continuously open call for EIC Awardees. Applications must reference a specific service provider from the EIC Ecosystem Partner Catalogue and include the partner’s approval. Support can cover services to be delivered or those already delivered up to six months before the application date. Lump sum awards will be allocated on a first come first served basis, determined by electronic timestamp, subject to eligibility checks and confirmation that there is no double funding.

Lump sum grants:Instead of reimbursing actual costs ex post, the CSA will pay pre-defined amounts per service category. This simplifies administration for small ticket items and speeds up disbursement if implemented effectively.

Double funding checks:The CSA operator must verify that a service is not financed by two EU sources at the same time. This requires cross checking budgets, signed declarations and existing grants.

Real time dashboards and monitoring:The beneficiary must set up dashboards showing applications, awards, geography, partner type, service types and survey results, and share data with the Agency. Immediate quality surveys follow service delivery and impact surveys are due six months later.

What the CSA operator must deliver

The beneficiary will disseminate call information, run a dedicated helpdesk, monitor service uptake, execute quality and impact surveys, maintain real time reporting and dashboards, and coordinate closely with the EIC and contractors managing the partner catalogue. The operator will contribute to an uptake and impact report on the Ecosystem Partnership Programme and must put in place sound financial management and anti abuse mechanisms. The application system must be lean and not require creating full profiles on existing platforms.

Budget, timeline and how to apply

The CSA has an estimated total value of €4.5 million. The CSA funding rate is 100% of eligible costs, with at least 80% of the total budget to be regranted as financial support to third parties. The European Commission indicates an effective project duration of around two to three years to achieve the objectives. Proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal under topic HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM.

Item	Detail	Source
Programme	Horizon Europe	EIC Work Programme 2026
Action type	Coordination and Support Action	Funding and Tenders Portal
Topic code	HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM	Funding and Tenders Portal
Opening date	08 January 2026	Funding and Tenders Portal
Deadline	26 March 2026 17:00 CET	EIC and EISMEA news
Total budget	€4.5 million	EIC news article
Funding rate for CSA operator	100% of eligible costs	EIC news article
Minimum FSTP share	At least 80% of total budget	Funding and Tenders Portal
Max support per recipient	€60,000 cumulative	EIC news article and Portal
Award method to startups	First come first served with eligibility and anti double funding checks	EIC news article and Portal
Project duration	Around 2 to 3 years suggested	Funding and Tenders Portal
Info session	Online Info Session on 06 February 2026	EISMEA and EIC events

How this relates to ACCESS+ and the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme

ACCESS+ has been co funding up to 50% of costs for startups to access services in the EIC Service Catalogue with grants up to €60,000 per company and a total budget of approximately €3.45 million. It operates a continuous call first come first served and targets roughly 180 companies. The new CSA consolidates this model inside the EIC’s programme architecture and introduces higher co funding, up to 70%, for specific categories such as R&D infrastructure, prototyping, and IP and legal support. It also standardises lump sum categories tied to the catalogue and mandates stronger real time monitoring. Both instruments rely on the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme, which connects startups to accelerators, incubators, research organisations and infrastructure providers across Europe through an approved partner catalogue.

Feature	ACCESS+	New CSA 2026
Target beneficiaries	EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders	EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders including H2020 pilot and EIC Pre-Accelerator
Co-funding rate	Up to 50% across services	Up to 70% for R&D infrastructure, prototyping, IP and legal. Up to 50% for other services
Per company cap	€60,000	€60,000
Award mode	First come first served	First come first served
Service source	EIC Service Catalogue	EIC Service Catalogue with provider pre-approval required
Monitoring	Periodic reporting	Real time dashboards plus quality and impact surveys
Budget scale	About €3.45 million	€4.5 million with at least 80% to third parties

Context and practical implications

The budget is modest relative to the EIC’s overall deep tech ambitions and will likely fund only a limited number of beneficiaries once per company at the maximum cap. The first come first served mechanism rewards speed and readiness to apply, which can disadvantage less resourced teams or those in widening countries unless outreach and helpdesk support are robust. Tying eligibility to the EIC Service Catalogue ensures quality control but may restrict choice if key niche providers are not yet onboarded. The use of lump sums should ease administration for small grants but places more weight on the design of sensible categories and verification of delivery.

First come first served in EU grants:This approach prioritises time of submission over comparative merit once eligibility is met. It is faster to operate but requires careful communication to avoid rush effects and to ensure fair geographic and sectoral distribution where possible.

Innovation infrastructures such as pilot plants and testbeds:These facilities are critical for de risking scale up of deep tech. Access costs can be prohibitive for startups, hence the higher co funding rate. Examples include semiconductor prototyping lines, bioprocess pilot plants, and advanced materials testbeds.

Seal of Excellence:An EU quality label awarded to proposals that passed evaluation thresholds but could not be funded due to budget constraints. It enables access to alternative funding or schemes such as this CSA.

What stakeholders should do now

Potential CSA operators should prepare a lean application and grant workflow, define lump sum categories aligned with the catalogue, set up eligibility and double funding checks, design quality and impact surveys, and plan for a real time dashboard. EIC Awardees planning to apply for support should identify relevant services in the EIC Service Catalogue, secure provider pre approvals, and assemble required documentation to benefit from the timestamp rule. Service providers seeking to be eligible should ensure they are listed as EIC Ecosystem Partners and set up a quick approval process for applicants.

Stakeholder	Immediate actions	Key dependencies
Prospective CSA beneficiary or consortium	Build consortium and governance. Map service categories to lump sums. Design application workflow and dashboards. Prepare dissemination and helpdesk plan.	Coordination with EISMEA and the catalogue contractor. Compliance with FSTP rules and data reporting templates.
EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders	Select services and providers from the catalogue. Obtain provider approval. Prepare budgets and declarations to avoid double funding. Plan for quick submission.	Catalogue availability and provider responsiveness. Internal capacity to meet documentation requirements.
Ecosystem Partners and service providers	Apply or ensure listing in the EIC Service Catalogue. Clarify service scope and pricing. Provide rapid pre approval mechanisms.	Acceptance as EIC Partner. Visibility in the catalogue. Alignment with CSA lump sum categories.

Key dates and information sources

CSA topic HORIZON-EIC-2026-BAS-01-ECOSYSTEM opened on 8 January 2026 and closes on 26 March 2026 at 17:00 CET. Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. An online info session on the call is scheduled for 6 February 2026. Details on the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme and the EIC Service Catalogue are available on the EIC website. ACCESS+ continues to operate a parallel continuous call for co funding until its budget is exhausted or its end date is reached.