EIC launches Partners Service Catalogue to connect awardees with accelerators, labs and investor-facing services

Brussels, March 24th 2023

Summary

›The European Innovation Council has published an EIC Partners’ Service Catalogue that lists support offers from selected European accelerators, incubators, research organisations and other ecosystem actors.
›EIC beneficiaries can search, filter and apply for services ranging from acceleration and fundraising support to access to labs, technical due diligence and legal or IP advice.
›Services may be free, discounted, negotiable or commercial and some can be funded by EIC Financial Support to Third Parties under EIC ACCESS plus FSTP schemes.
›Applications follow a simple ‘apply now’ flow in the catalogue and the EIC will circulate a bi-monthly Highlights newsletter with upcoming calls and deadlines.
›The partners were selected under the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-investment Support Programme which aims to address specialised sector services and investor access, but prospective users should check eligibility, costs and geographic coverage carefully.

New EIC Partners’ Service Catalogue aims to plug innovators into specialised support

On 24 March 2023 the European Innovation Council published an online EIC Partners’ Service Catalogue. The tool aggregates service offers from a curated group of European ecosystem organisations that have signed up to collaborate with the EIC. The catalogue is intended to help EIC awardees and Seal of Excellence holders access acceleration programmes, incubation, venture building, technical infrastructure, training and investor-facing activities that the EIC cannot provide directly.

What the catalogue contains and who it is for

The catalogue lists concrete service offers from organisations such as accelerators, incubators, technology parks, research and technology organisations and investor networks. Offers include business planning and fundraising support, acceleration programmes, access to laboratory or testing infrastructure, technical and technology due diligence, and advisory services on legal, financial and intellectual property matters. The catalogue is targeted at EIC beneficiaries across the programme spectrum including EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition and EIC Accelerator awardees, and Seal of Excellence holders.

How to find and apply for services

The catalogue is searchable and filterable. Users are advised to start at the homepage and choose the beneficiary category that matches their award or status. Each listed service includes a description, applicant eligibility and an Apply now button. Services that are not accepting applications are shown as Currently closed. Filters exist for service category, partner country and implementation date to refine results. The EIC also provides a separate Partners page listing full partner profiles and their offers.

Step by step to locate a service:1. Select your beneficiary category on the catalogue home page to surface offers aimed at that instrument. 2. Or browse by service category such as Business Planning or Support Fundraising. 3. Open a service description and click Apply now in the lower right of the entry. 4. You can also visit a partner's dedicated page from the Partners list and apply from there. Services with future or expired application windows are labelled Currently closed. Use filters to narrow results by partner country and service date.

Who the first EIC Partners are

The initial cohort includes a mix of public and private actors from across Europe. The EIC highlights partners from countries including France, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Czechia, Slovenia, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. Participating organisations span national innovation agencies, specialised accelerators, venture firms and RTOs.

Partner	Country	Core focus or typical offer
BGI - Building Global Innovators	Portugal	Acceleration, venture building, sector programmes
VDI/VDE-IT	Germany	Project management, technology policy and funding support
Consilience Ventures	United Kingdom	Venture building and investment support
Soulmates Ventures	Czechia	Sustainability-focused VC and acceleration
Catalyze Group	Netherlands	Consulting, project management and funding advisory
Cambridge Future Tech	United Kingdom	Deep tech venture building and scouting
Angels Santé	France	Health-focused investor network and mentoring
IPN - Instituto Pedro Nunes	Portugal	RTD laboratories, incubation and testing facilities
Global Corporate Venturing - Mawsonia	Germany	Corporate venturing and investor matchmaking
InnovX	Romania	Acceleration for financial sector and corporate innovation
E-Health Venture	Belgium	Healthtech acceleration and go-to-market support
ART-ER Attractiveness Research Territory	Italy	Regional innovation and business support
Biocat - BioRegion of Catalonia	Spain	Life sciences ecosystem development and market access
Sue Ellen Investments	Sweden	Investment and advisory services
HighWay AI	Belgium	AI and mobility-focused acceleration
GAIN - Axencia Galega de Innovación	Spain	Regional innovation agency, funding and services
Inkubator Sežana	Slovenia	Incubation and startup support
CBRTP - Centrum Badan I Rozwoju Technologii dla Przemyslu S.A	Poland	R&D, nanomaterials and industrial testing infrastructure
RaiseV	Netherlands	Accelerator programs and investor readiness

Timing, application windows and notifications

Some partner services accept applications on a rolling basis. Others operate on fixed application windows with deadlines. The catalogue indicates status for each offer. To stay informed about new offers and upcoming deadlines the EIC distributes the EIC Partners' Service Catalogue Highlights by email on a bi-monthly basis. Users can subscribe through the catalogue page.

How services are funded and what they cost

Service pricing on the catalogue ranges from free to full commercial price. Many partners offer negotiable or reduced rates and some exchanges may involve equity deals. Importantly the EIC points to the Financial Support to Third Parties scheme implemented under EIC ACCESS plus as one route through which beneficiaries can access funding to buy partner services. That mechanism is subject to its own rules and availability and does not guarantee coverage for every cost.

Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP):FSTP is a modality that allows EU-funded programmes to allocate part of their budget via grants to third parties. Under the EIC ACCESS plus umbrella beneficiaries may be able to use FSTP to pay for catalogue services but this depends on the specific conditions of the EIC award, the FSTP call or scheme and administrative requirements. Beneficiaries should check eligibility early.

Why the EIC set up the Partnerships and Co-investment Support Programme

The EIC selected these partners through the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-investment Support Programme. The programme is intended to expand the EIC Business Acceleration Services so EIC innovators can access sector-specialised expertise and facilities and to help bridge the gap between beneficiaries and private investors. It also aims to promote co-investment alongside the EIC Fund through facilitated interactions between beneficiaries and investors.

EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS) and co-investment goals:BAS are the EIC's networked services that support scale up and investor-readiness. The Partnerships and Co-investment Support Programme augments BAS by onboarding external providers who can deliver niche or sector-specific services and by helping prepare beneficiaries for private investment. The stated aim is to improve market fit and to increase opportunities for co-investment alongside the EIC Fund.

Eligibility categories explained

EIC Pathfinder:An instrument that funds early stage research and proof of concept for breakthrough deep science and novel technologies, typically at lower technology readiness levels.

EIC Transition:Activity that supports the maturation and demonstration of technologies coming out of Pathfinder research so they can move towards commercial development and higher technology readiness levels.

EIC Accelerator:An instrument that provides grants and blended finance to individual companies to scale and bring innovations to market, with a focus on high growth deep tech companies that can attract private investment.

Seal of Excellence holder:A quality label for proposals that scored highly in competitive EU funding evaluations but were not funded due to budget constraints. Seal holders may still be eligible for other support, including catalogue offers depending on partner conditions.

Practical guidance and caveats for prospective applicants

The catalogue reduces search friction by centralising partner offers but it does not replace careful selection and due diligence. Prospective users should confirm eligibility, timing, price and scope directly with partners. Expect administrative steps and possible reporting requirements if external funds such as FSTP are used. Also note the initial partner cohort skews towards certain countries and sectors which can leave regional or domain gaps. The presence of a partner in the catalogue does not equal EIC endorsement of outcomes. Innovators should treat partner claims the same way they would treat commercial offers and validate references, track records and legal terms before committing.

Operational tip:When shortlisting partners consider three filters together: technical fit, demonstrated track record with similar technologies, and explicit pathways to investors if you need co-investment. Use the catalogue filters for initial screening and then request detailed proposals and references.

Communication channels and subscription

EIC will circulate a bi-monthly EIC Partners’ Service Catalogue Highlights email to flag new services and upcoming application deadlines. Innovators can subscribe through the catalogue. For queries the EIC provides a helpdesk email for the Partnerships programme at eicpartnerships-helpdesk@eic-bas.eu.

Contact and legal note

For additional information contact the EIC Partnerships helpdesk. The EIC provides the catalogue in the interest of knowledge sharing. The information should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission or other organisations and users should confirm contractual and legal details directly with partners.

Disclaimer: Services, partners and offers evolve. This article restates the EIC announcement and provides context and practical guidance. It does not substitute the catalogue itself or partner communications. Always verify current availability and terms in the online Service Catalogue.