A jump in submissions for the June 2023 EIC Accelerator cut-off

The European Innovation Council's Accelerator closed its June 2023 full application cut-off on 21 June with 648 full proposals submitted. That number represents an increase relative to the first two cut-offs of 2023, when 476 full proposals were submitted in January and 551 in March. The June figure comes after the EIC migrated its Accelerator application process to the Funding and Tenders portal's Electronic Submission System in early June and after the agency extended the original 7 June deadline by two weeks to 21 June at 17:00 to accommodate the change.

Who applied and what they targeted

Applicants to the June cut-off came from 34 countries. The European Innovation Council and its executive agency reported participation from 15 so called widening countries. Around one fifth of the submitted full proposals, 107 in total, addressed one of the strategic Accelerator challenges that the EIC has identified for 2024. These challenges are predefined topic areas intended to channel funding toward policy priorities and market opportunities.

What changed in the application process

The EIC moved submissions for the Accelerator from the bespoke EIC submission platform to the Funding and Tenders Opportunities portal's Electronic Submission System (SEP) in early June. To give applicants time to adapt the June cut-off was extended from the original 7 June to 21 June 2023. Short form applications at Step 1 are handled on a separate EISMEA IT platform because the short application requires a slide deck and video pitch and a different user flow. That separate short application platform became operational in early July.

Evaluation steps and timeline

Submitted full proposals are being evaluated by independent experts. The EIC follows a multi-stage selection process. After the remote evaluation stage the most promising candidates are invited to face-to-face or virtual jury interviews. For the June batch the EIC planned jury pitch sessions in September, with selection decisions expected in October 2023. The agency expects to maintain a relatively rapid turnover for short proposals. EISMEA has stated it aims to evaluate short Step 1 applications within approximately four weeks of submission.

How funding under the Accelerator is structured

What the increase in submissions may mean

A rise in applications can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand it suggests continued strong demand for patient capital and EIC support across Europe and interest in the EIC's strategic challenges. On the other hand the migration of platforms and changes to the submission process may have produced a backlog or encouraged resubmissions in the transition window. Higher volumes also put pressure on evaluation capacity which can affect timelines and the depth of review. Quantity does not automatically translate into quality or higher funding rates.

Points of caution

Stakeholders should avoid reading the raw submission number as a direct sign of increased quality or immediate impact. The EIC has been simplifying templates and adjusting the financial forms and evaluators' briefings to reflect investor-oriented language. That may change who applies and how proposals are framed. Applicants should be prepared for rigorous financial scrutiny and investor-style questioning at the jury stage. Widening participation figures are encouraging but converting applications from less research-intensive countries into funded portfolios will require sustained outreach and capacity building beyond a single cut-off.

Practical next steps for applicants

If you submitted a full application for the June cut-off expect independent evaluation and possible invitation to pitch in September. Companies preparing short Step 1 applications must use the new Step 1 IT platform when it is available and can expect evaluation within about four weeks. Successful Step 1 applicants will either have time to prepare a full Step 2 application for the October cut-off or up to one year to apply at a subsequent cut-off. Keep an eye on the EIC and EISMEA FAQs and guidance documents because forms, financial templates and procedural details have been revised during the platform migration.

Background note on the platform change

The EIC consolidated its submission system by migrating Accelerator full proposal submissions to the central Electronic Submission System used by Horizon Europe. The change required a short extension of the June cut-off to give applicants time to adapt their documents. The EIC has published FAQs and training material to guide applicants through the new process. The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, EISMEA, is the managing agency responsible for running the Accelerator selection and administrative process.

Implications for the EU innovation ecosystem

The June numbers reinforce that the EIC Accelerator remains a central instrument for deep tech scale-up in Europe. For policymakers, the immediate challenge is converting interest into funded projects that deliver measurable economic and technological outcomes and that spread benefits across the Union. For the ecosystem, an effective and predictable application and evaluation process is crucial to maintain confidence among founders and investors. Observers should watch the October selection results to assess whether the higher submission volume translated into a proportionate rise in funded companies or simply increased competition for the same pool of available resources.

The EIC's published materials on this cut-off stress the procedural changes and provide links to updated guidance. Prospective applicants should factor platform and template changes into their plans and budget sufficient time to rework applications if a future migration or adjustment occurs.