Annexes published for EIC Accelerator full proposal and changes to Part A

On 7 February 2024 the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency published guidance for applicants that have received a 'GO' for their short proposal and are preparing full applications for the EIC Accelerator cut-off on 13 March 2024. The announcement sets out which annexes applicants should familiarise themselves with and flags an update to 'Part A' of the full application form intended to collect key data automatically. The agency recommends preparatory work but asks applicants not to upload forms until the final templates are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

What the annexes cover

These annexes are procedural and administrative documents. They exist to standardise the financial and ownership information received from companies and to facilitate assessment and contracting. For offers that include the EIC investment component, the equity needs template will be important because the EIC has separate processes for the grant and for the EU funded equity investment managed by the EIC Fund.

Changes to Part A of the full application form

Collecting this information centrally will make it easier for the EIC and network partners to target coaching, matchmaking and follow up. Applicants should note that some of the new fields are consent based. Explicit consent will be needed to share application data with external support networks. The EISMEA data protection notice and Horizon Europe rules govern how personal and company data are processed and shared. Applicants concerned about privacy should read those notices before giving consent.

Availability and recommended applicant actions

The EIC expects the updated Part A and the full annex pack to be available on the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal by mid February 2024 for eligible applicants. The portal will send automatic notifications with submission links to applicants who received a 'GO' at Step 1. The agency advises applicants to familiarise themselves with the forms and annexes now but to wait to upload completed templates until the final versions appear on the Portal.

Context and implications for applicants and the ecosystem

The EIC Accelerator is a two stage process. Step 1 is a short proposal stage. Successful Step 1 applicants receive an invitation to prepare a full proposal for Step 2. Step 2 includes remote evaluation and often a jury interview. The paperwork released in these annexes is part of routine preparation for contracting and for assessing any investment component that may accompany a grant. The EIC operates within the broader Horizon Europe framework and works with ecosystem partners such as National Contact Points and the Enterprise Europe Network to support applicants.

From a practical perspective the updated Part A is intended to reduce manual data entry and to allow the EIC to surface basic demographic information. That can be useful for monitoring diversity targets and for tailoring support. Applicants should be aware that giving consent to share application data with ecosystem partners will increase the number of bodies that may see their application information. That can accelerate access to services but also increases the surface for data sharing. The EISMEA data protection notice explains retention periods and recipients in more detail.

Timing and next steps

Contacts and where to find the documents

The updated Part A and the annex pack are available through the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal once published. The EIC announcement also provided a downloadable ZIP of annexes linked from the EIC website. For questions applicants can contact the EISMEA helpdesk. Applicants should consult the EISMEA data protection notice for details on data use, retention and recipients before consenting to share application data with third party networks.

A measured view

The annexes and form updates are administrative steps intended to speed up assessment and support. They do not change the substantive evaluation criteria of the EIC Accelerator. Applicants should use the time between the announcement and mid February to organise internal paperwork and financial modelling. They should also treat the new consent options deliberately rather than reflexively. Sharing data with National Contact Points and Enterprise Europe Network members can unlock helpful services but it is not obligatory. Read the data protection information and consider the trade off between additional support and wider data distribution.