EIC Partners' Day 2025: outcomes and questions

On 1 April 2025 the European Innovation Council convened an EIC Partners' Day in Covent Garden, London as a side event to the EIC Summit. Organised by the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme together with the EIC ACCESS+ initiative, both parts of the EIC Business Acceleration Services, the event drew just over 90 participants of which more than 50 were EIC Partners. The purpose was practical. Attendees worked through the recurring operational and strategic obstacles that deep tech start ups face when they try to scale and sought co designed solutions that connect EIC beneficiaries with specialised providers in the EIC Service Catalogue.

Programme and speakers

The session opened with a keynote from Stéphane Ouaki who was at the time Acting Director of EISMEA and Head of Department for the EIC. Ouaki set out the EIC mission and signalled new developments in 2025. Agnieszka Stasiakowska, Head of EIC Business Acceleration Services, followed with an overview of the EIC vision and how BAS is evolving to support deep tech innovators. The gathering was moderated by André Barbosa from the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme and EurA Innovation Ecosystems. Other contributors included Tedora Aibu from the same programme and representatives of the EIC ACCESS+ team, including Antonio Zangrilli and Aleardo Furlani from INNOVA.

Additional presenters represented other BAS strands. Alexandra Romero described the Tech to Market Programme that helps Pathfinder and Transition projects move from lab to market. Catherine Friederes presented the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 which supports commercialisation through participation in high profile trade fairs across the US, the Middle East and the EU. Representatives from partner organisations DevelopMinded and Catalyze Group also contributed practical perspectives.

What the EIC Service Catalogue and ACCESS+ aim to do

Rules, timelines and practical caveats

The ACCESS+ mechanism is a lump sum reimbursement model tied to invoices from EIC Partners. The grant covers up to 50 percent of an eligible service invoice excluding VAT. Services must be provided by EIC Partners listed in the Service Catalogue. Payments are made in instalments depending on grant size. Services with a grant up to EUR 10 000 are paid in a single instalment after completion. Grants above EUR 10 000 are paid in two instalments with 50 percent paid after signature of the FSTP agreement and 50 percent after service completion.

Applicants should also note two inconsistent deadline references that appear across published materials. The event summary published after Partners' Day states that, to be eligible, services must be completed before 30 June 2025. ACCESS+ guidance and eligibility pages elsewhere indicate that services must be completed by 30 June 2026 and that the open call is active until 31 May 2026. Because such discrepancies can materially affect planning, applicants must verify final dates and deadlines on the official EIC ACCESS+ web pages before applying.

Peer learning workshop and co design priorities

The afternoon moved from presentations to a peer learning workshop run as the first formal consultation under EIC ACCESS+. Findings were introduced by Helene Maxwell from ASTER Capital Partners who presented a needs analysis of EIC beneficiaries and by Amal El Ghadfa from EBN who shared methodology for service quality and impact assessment. Paul Stefanut from Booster Labs outlined the workshop objectives.

Participants split into six groups to debate five practical topics intended to shape improvements to the Service Catalogue and ACCESS+. The topics were visibility of the Catalogue, platform usability and service categorisation, enhancing networking and matchmaking, inclusivity and balanced use of providers, and availability and impact of specific service categories. The inputs will feed further peer learning sessions and proposals for new high impact offerings.

Voices from the room

Participants praised the opportunity to meet beneficiaries and providers in person while also raising operational concerns. Service provider Lennaert Jonkers noted that dialogue clarified how to reach beneficiaries. EIC backed entrepreneurs such as Judith Camargo, CEO of Roka Furadada, described the event as useful for meeting providers and understanding the Service Catalogue and ACCESS+. Daniel Keppeler of OptoGenTech said the sessions helped him understand how the system is intended to work.

Consultants and new providers also welcomed the openness of EIC staff to feedback. Christophe Bodin of CBO Consulting said exchanges were fruitful because different perspectives converged. Willem Jeroen Stevens of Clear Corporate Finance, a new entry in the Service Catalogue, said the event was valuable to learn about the EIC and to meet potential clients while appreciating that the EIC is willing to listen to partners.

What this means for beneficiaries and providers

For deep tech founders the event highlighted a practical path to buy in niche services that are otherwise hard to afford or find. The ACCESS+ co funding upside is straightforward but limited. The overall ACCESS+ pot of €3.45 million for potentially 180 companies means budget allocation will be tight if demand concentrates on a small number of high value services. First come, first served selection and timetamped submissions reward early applicants and penalise late movers.

There are also risks on the ground. The rule that only listed EIC Partners can be funded restricts beneficiaries to a subset of possible vendors. Retroactive funding is not allowed. The combination of co funding rules and other public support raises the prospect of complex funding coordination to avoid double funding beyond 100 percent of eligible costs. Reporting and quality monitoring are lighter than conventional individual grants because of the lump sum model but they still require beneficiaries to complete follow up questionnaires and impact assessments.

How to apply and practical checklist

Applicants should not assume that consultant fees not supplied by a listed EIC Partner are eligible. Proposal writing or success fee only consultants are generally excluded unless their service is explicitly listed in the Catalogue and provided by a registered partner.

Contacts and where to verify details

Given the patchwork of publication dates and the apparent discrepancies on service completion deadlines applicants should confirm the latest rules and timelines on the official EIC ACCESS+ pages before committing to contracts. The organisers pointed participants to help desks for technical and eligibility questions.

Concluding assessment

EIC Partners' Day 2025 made a useful practical start in aligning service providers and beneficiaries through dialogue and a first structured peer learning workshop. ACCESS+ offers a plausible funding route to reduce cost barriers for accessing specialist services. The programme faces predictable constraints including limited total funding, rigid eligibility for providers, administrative timelines and inconsistently published deadlines. For beneficiaries that fit the eligibility criteria and move fast the scheme may unlock meaningful support. For the broader ecosystem the test will be whether follow up iterations of the Service Catalogue and ACCESS+ can scale to meet demand without losing clarity and speed.