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EIC season's greetings and Business Acceleration Services preview for Q1 2024

Brussels, December 22nd 2023
Summary
  • ›The European Innovation Council sends holiday wishes while summarising a year of matchmaking, pitching, training and partnerships.
  • ›EIC Business Acceleration Services lists a set of open calls and registrations for Q1 2024 including bootcamps, training, the Women Leadership Programme and an Investor Day at the EIC Summit.
  • ›Key deadlines include registrations closing between 4 January and 6 March 2024 depending on the activity.
  • ›The EIC Summit on 18 19 March 2024 in Brussels will include an Investor Day on 19 March devoted to beneficiaries with workshops on IP, investment and scaling.
  • ›Follow the EIC Community platform and EISMEA social channels for calls and event updates and check eligibility and time commitments before applying.

EIC season's greetings and a practical look at Q1 2024 Business Acceleration Services

The European Innovation Council issued a year end message on 22 December 2023 offering holiday wishes to its community and an outline of planned Business Acceleration Services for early 2024. The communication frames 2023 as a year marked by matchmaking, pitching sessions, training and new partnerships organized by the EIC Business Acceleration Services team. It also invites EIC beneficiaries and eligible innovators to register for a range of open calls and online programmes taking place in January through March 2024.

EIC's self-assessment for 2023:The EIC highlights activities such as matchmaking, pitching, training, business opportunities and partnerships conducted by EIC Business Acceleration Services. The message promises continuation of those activities and the launch of new services in 2024. Readers should note that this is an organisational update and a season's greeting rather than a formal impact report. Applicants and beneficiaries should look for formal metrics and independent evaluations for a precise assessment of outcomes.

Open calls and registration deadlines for Q1 2024

Below are the open calls and registration windows announced in the EIC season's greetings. The EIC published deadlines and event dates. Make sure you check eligibility rules on the EIC Community platform before applying. Selection processes and limited places apply for many activities.

Programme / ActivityFormat and datesRegistration deadlineTarget audience / short note
EIC T2M Bootcamp for innovative researchersOnline. Sessions 8 9 10 January 2024 and a pitching day on 5 February 2024Registrations open until 4 January 2024Researchers eligible for EIC Tech to Market including EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition
EIC Summit Investor Day on Sustainability and Deep TechIn person. Investor Day on 19 March 2024 in Brussels within the EIC SummitRegistrations open until 15 January 2024EIC Fund selected beneficiaries invited to pitch to investor panel
Pioneer Programme session on regulatory topics for medicinal productsOnline. Session on 31 January 2024 from 16:00 to 18:30 CETRegistrations open until 19 January 2024EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, ERC-POC, Women TechEU and Seal holders. EMA will present
EIC Women Leadership Programme 4th cohortMarch to May 2024 including online sessions and an in-person element at the EIC SummitRegistrations open until 21 January 2024Female founders and C-suite leaders with at least 2 years company history and prior EIC or EIT support
EIC T2M Innovation Discovery Training (6th edition)Online. Two half-days on 12 and 16 February 2024, morningsRegistrations open until 29 January 2024EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition and ERC-POC beneficiaries
EIC Pioneer Programme new batchOnline. Full programme runs 13 March to 10 July 2024Registrations open until 15 February 2024Researchers and teams eligible for EIC T2M activities
EIC T2M Business Validation ProgrammeOnline. Eight weeks from 4 April to 6 June 2024Registrations open until 6 March 2024EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, ERC-POC, Women TechEU and Seal holders

What each announced activity is designed to do

EIC T2M Bootcamp for innovative researchers:A concentrated practical training intended to help researchers develop investor and market facing skills. The format mixes workshops, one on one sessions with coaches and a final pitching day. The bootcamp aims to help participants shape business model hypotheses and create a stronger pitch, with a follow up pitch workshop about a month after the initial sessions.
Investor Day at the EIC Summit on 19 March 2024:An in person pitching event held in Brussels as part of the EIC Summit. It pairs EIC Fund selected beneficiaries with a broad panel of venture and corporate investors. Companies will be grouped by verticals including Quantum Photonics and Semiconductors, AI Connectivity and IoT, Industrial Biotech and New Materials, Agritech and Food, and Energy Transition. Selection of pitching companies will be made by the investor jury on the basis of submitted profiles and investor preferences.
Pioneer Programme session on regulatory topics for medicinal products with EMA:A focused online session delivered in collaboration with the European Medicines Agency. It is intended to familiarise deep tech and health innovators with the regulatory framework for medicinal products. The session includes presentations by EMA staff and a Q and A with an entrepreneur who has navigated regulatory processes in practice.
EIC Women Leadership Programme 4th cohort:A capacity building programme co delivered with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. The cohort combines training, coaching, mentoring and networking designed for female founders and leaders who already received earlier EIC or EIT support. It includes online modules and an in person training event during the EIC Summit. Travel costs are not covered by the organisers.
EIC T2M Innovation Discovery Training:Two half day sessions aimed at researchers and early stage teams to provide an introduction to entrepreneurship topics such as business models, customer identification, market sizing, IP and funding. The training includes interactive elements and feedback from an entrepreneur with recent hands on experience.
EIC T2M Business Validation Programme:An intensive eight week online programme focused on product market fit, customer discovery and business model testing using Design Thinking and lean methods. Activities include online courses, masterclasses and individual coaching. The programme expects participants to commit 10 to 20 hours per week during the eight week window.

Upcoming events calendar snapshot

The season's message lists a compact events calendar for January through March 2024. Several activities are online. Trade fair participation is also highlighted. Below is the calendar as announced.

MonthEventDatesFormat / Location
January 2024EIC T2M Bootcamp for Innovative Researchers8 10 January and 5 February 2024Online
January 2024EIC International Trade Fairs - CES9 12 January 2024Las Vegas, USA
February 2024EIC T2M Innovation Discovery Training12 and 16 February 2024Online
February 2024EIC ePitching on Cardiovascular or Respiratory Diseases15 February 2024Online
February 2024EIC International Trade Fairs - Mobile World Congress26 29 February 2024Barcelona, Spain
March 2024EIC T2M Pioneer Programme for innovative researchers13 March to 10 July 2024Online
March 2024EIC T2M Business Validation Programme18 March to 13 May 2024Online
March 2024EIC Summit18 19 March 2024Brussels, Belgium. Beneficiaries day on 19 March

Who should apply and where to check eligibility

Most of the listed Tech to Market activities are targeted at EIC Pathfinder projects, EIC Transition projects, ERC proof of concept beneficiaries, Women TechEU awardees and holders of the EIC Seal of Excellence. Many open calls explicitly limit participation to projects from the countries covered by the EIC programme which are the 27 EU Member States and associated Horizon Europe countries. The EIC Community platform is the central place to find open calls eligibility requirements and to register.

Service availability and access:Open calls, trainings and business acceleration services are published on the EIC Community platform. Some offerings are competitive and have limited places. The EIC Business Acceleration Services require time commitment and in some cases pre selection. Applicants should confirm availability for rehearsals or multi week programmes before applying.

A pragmatic reading and implications for applicants

The season's greeting is promotional by nature. It is useful as a consolidated pointer to scheduled programmes and registration windows in early 2024. For applicants this means three practical steps. First, verify your eligibility on the EIC Community platform and confirm time commitments. Second, be realistic about the competitive nature of places and prepare concise, investor friendly materials for selection. Third, track where personal data and company information will be used for event brochures or investor outreach and raise concerns early if needed.

What the message does not provide:The greeting and programme list do not include detailed selection criteria or capacity limits for every activity nor do they include a breakdown of measurable outcomes from the 2023 activities mentioned. If you need impact statistics, follow up on dedicated EIC reports and EISMEA publications that provide metrics and programme evaluations.

How to follow updates

The EIC encourages community members to monitor the EIC Community platform for calls and events. The EIC and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency also post updates on LinkedIn and X. For event specific queries there are designated contact emails and helpdesk services associated with individual open calls.

Warm wishes from the EIC Community team and a reminder that the information shared in the season's greeting is for knowledge sharing and not an official Commission position. Applicants should consult the official event pages for the latest changes and the EIC Community platform for application forms and guidance.

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