What the EIC Community Programme is and why it matters

The EIC Community Programme is part of the European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services. It is presented as a hub where companies and organisations funded or recognised by the EIC can share experience, access upskilling and find partners. The initiative bundles in-person and online activities such as Winter and Summer Schools, one-off Community Talks and Welcome or Coordinators Days. It also centres around the EIC Community Platform which provides a public news feed and a private members area. The programme is intended to help deep tech innovators navigate early scale challenges including fundraising, intellectual property and market entry.

Core activities and formats

The Community Programme organises recurring and one-off activities aimed at building skills, improving project management and creating connections across Europe. Events vary in intensity from multi-hour schools to single-topic talks and are promoted through the Community Platform and associated channels.

EIC Summer School 2024 on Access to Finance

The Summer School edition announced for 2024 concentrated on access to finance. It was delivered in two online sessions on 5 July and 12 July 2024. Session one addressed how to build a concise and convincing pitch deck. Session two focused on investor types and investment terms including valuation and term sheets. The training was targeted at EIC Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator beneficiaries and related awardees.

Session 1: Build a crisp and convincing pitch deck

Session 1 was led by Jari Mieskonen, a practitioner with two decades of experience in venture capital and corporate finance in Northern Europe. The course promised practical guidance on structuring investor communications and prioritising pitch content.

Session 2: Learn about investors and their investment terms

Session 2 covered investor types, valuation fundamentals and common components of term sheets. The session was led by Ben McClure, a fundraising advisor with EIT Digital Growth Services. The agenda included an insights segment with guest speakers from the EIC investor community and was moderated by Diana Rucinschi, Investment Advisor at the EIC.

The trainers profile information was provided by the organisers. For example, organisers stated that Ben McClure has helped founders secure more than 300 million US dollars in venture capital. Those figures and background summaries are typical in event materials but are presented here as organiser supplied claims and have not been independently verified by this article.

The EIC Community Platform and member services

The EIC Community Platform is the programme's central online environment. It serves both public audiences and registered members. The platform links to the EIC Service Catalogue and open calls for Business Acceleration Services and provides a searchable directory of projects, organisations and people.

The platform requires EU Login authentication and registration. Awarded beneficiaries may find their profiles pre registered and can claim them with EU Login credentials. The Community Programme also promotes LinkedIn groups segmented by beneficiary type including upcoming groups for Pathfinder and Transition beneficiaries.

Eligibility and access

The EIC Community Programme is open to a broad range of EIC related beneficiaries. These include second stage EIC Accelerator applicants, EIC Accelerator awardees, EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition awardees, Women TechEU recipients and Seal of Excellence holders under Horizon Europe. The platform is also open to EIC business partners such as coaches, corporates, investors and procurers. Implementing partners are referenced in programme pages with a horizon until November 2025.

Practical details, contacts and registration

All Community Programme activities and open calls are published on the EIC Community Platform. For the Summer School, registration links were published on the event pages. Selected participants were due to receive confirmation emails by 21 June 2024. For platform or event questions users are advised to use the EIC Community contact page and select the appropriate subject such as 'EIC Summer School 2024' or 'Ask a question / get support about the EIC Community platform.'

Implications and a cautious appraisal

The EIC Community Programme addresses real needs in the European deep tech ecosystem. Peer learning and practical training on fundraising and market strategy are useful because many deep tech ventures need help translating research outputs into investor ready propositions. The platform may reduce search costs for collaborators and provide a visible route to EIC Business Acceleration Services.

At the same time there are limitations that are worth noting. Sessions with strict participant caps and one person per beneficiary reduce immediate peer diffusion of lessons unless participants commit to internal knowledge transfer. The decision not to record sessions preserves candid discussion but limits the resource value for those who cannot attend. The organisers present trainer credentials and claimed impacts which are normal for event promotion. These claims are supplied by organisers and trainers and are not independently verified in this piece. Finally, the platform and its benefits are only as useful as subsequent follow up and measurable outcomes. The EIC has historically offered many services but public information about outcome metrics at the community level is limited. Participants should therefore treat this as an access point to resources and networks while requesting clear follow up options and measurable support where possible.

Practical tips for applicants and beneficiaries: prepare a one page summary of your project and a draft pitch deck before attending, clarify measurable fundraising objectives and the size of the round you seek, identify mission critical questions you want answered during Q and A, and plan how you will brief internal colleagues if you are the only delegate allowed to attend.

DISCLAIMER: The information presented here is based on the EIC Community Programme materials and event pages. It is provided for information and orientation purposes and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission or other organisations.