EIC Community Programme: what beneficiaries say about training, networking and access to support
- ›The EIC Community Programme runs trainings, peer workshops and Schools to upskill EIC beneficiaries and foster networking.
- ›Participants praised practical sessions such as financial modelling and women leadership training and highlighted networking value.
- ›Coordinators Days and corporate matchmaking expose awardees to procurement and large corporate opportunities but timing and readiness remain recurring questions.
- ›The EIC Community Platform hosts a large membership but the reported impact claims cover different timeframes and should be interpreted with caution.
- ›An EIC Summer School on Access to Finance was scheduled for July 2024 to help founders pitch and engage investors.
EIC Community Programme: insights from beneficiaries and what the activities deliver
The European Innovation Council Community Programme packages peer learning, targeted trainings and networking for companies and researchers who have received EIC backing. The initiative aims to complement grant or blended finance with practical skills, matchmaking and exposure to buyers and investors. Recent beneficiary feedback highlights the value of hands-on sessions and contacts with corporates. At the same time some recurring issues appear, notably founders asking when to approach corporates and how to translate EIC visibility into concrete commercial traction.
What the programme provides
Voices from beneficiaries
Participants repeatedly praised practical trainers and the networking opportunities. Igor Nakonechnyi, founder and CTO at QustomDot, thanked trainers for an inspiring financial modelling session. Alexandra Kurz of VB Devices said a social media training changed her view on the need for a dedicated social strategy. Joan Fitzpatrick of KiteMedical said she wanted to use all EIC resources and appreciated hearing from peers who had recently closed investment rounds. At the same time Volker Kruempe of Minespider flagged a common question among SMEs: when is the right time to engage corporates and procurers after receiving funding.
Scale and claimed impacts from Business Acceleration Services
The EIC Business Acceleration Services publish headline metrics about meetings, fundraising and deals that have emerged through their programmes. These figures are useful to understand scale but they combine results from different initiatives and timeframes. Beneficiaries and observers should therefore treat them as indicative rather than a direct causal measure of every activity.
| Metric | Claim | Publisher note or timeframe |
| One-on-one meetings between awardees and corporates, procurers and investors | +20,000 | Reported since 2021 |
| Deals reported | 595 | |
| Capital raised through investor outreach | EUR 350 million | |
| Capital raised by EIC Scaling Club members since joining | EUR 1.2 billion | |
| Turnover generated from trade fairs | EUR 42 million | Since 2024 only |
| Funds raised through innovation procurement support | EUR 7.7 million | Out of EUR 28.4 million in submitted tenders, since March 2024 only |
| Pilots following matches between innovators and buyers | 22 ongoing and 16 completed | Supported with EUR 1.93 million |
| Coaching and training reach since 2021 | 2,400 awardees and applicants coached | |
| EIC Community Platform membership | 15,598 members, 7,879 companies, 245 groups | Platform snapshot published by the Community Programme |
Who can join and how activities fit into the broader EIC ecosystem
Practical example: the Financial Modelling training
The March 2024 in-person workshop targeted early-stage projects and Accelerator companies with two parallel tracks. The early-stage track covered valuation basics, pitching intangibles, revenue forecasting and financial statement introductions. The Accelerator track focused on why models matter, the three financial statements, income statement modelling, case studies and presentation aesthetics. The advertised learning outcomes included the ability to estimate and communicate project value and to produce investor-ready models.
A measured view on impact and next steps
Beneficiary testimonials and platform metrics demonstrate that the EIC Community Programme creates opportunities for knowledge exchange and introductions. That said the step from attending a workshop to securing procurement contracts or closing investment rounds depends on many variables including product market fit, timing, sales readiness and investor interest. Participants often raise operational questions such as how to prepare to meet corporates and when to push for commercial pilots. These are not easily solved by single events and point to the need for continuos engagement, tailored follow-up and realistic expectations about timelines.
For founders and project leads the practical advice is straightforward. Treat EIC events as a place to get feedback, to refine your pitch and to meet potential partners. Use the Community Platform to maintain contact and track open calls for services and cofunding. If your goal is procurement or corporate pilots make sure you invest effort in aligning your value proposition to buyer needs and in demonstrating readiness for integration or pilot deployment.
Upcoming and continuing activity
At the time of publication an EIC Summer School on Access to Finance was scheduled for July 2024 and registrations were open for related sessions. The Community Platform remains the central entry point for event announcements, open calls and Business Acceleration Services offers. Many EIC BAS calls and partner opportunities are published there and some include cofunded access to partner services through the EIC ACCESS+ grants.
If you are an EIC beneficiary and want to participate make sure your EU Login credentials are active and check the platform for event dates and selection criteria.
Final notes and disclaimer
This article synthesises published EIC Community material and beneficiary quotes to present a structured view of the Programme. The EIC reports a range of impact metrics across its Business Acceleration Services. Those figures should be read with the context that they span different programmes and timeframes and do not prove direct causality for every participant. The original EIC communications include a standard disclaimer that content is provided for knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission or other organisations.