EIC Service Catalogue highlights new acceleration, incubation and venture building offers, with co-funding through ACCESS+

Brussels, April 30th 2026

Summary

›EIC spotlights three partner offers on acceleration, incubation and venture building for EIC awardees and Seal of Excellence holders.
›EIC ACCESS+ can co-fund up to 50 percent of paid services with grants up to €60,000 per beneficiary until 31 May 2026.
›First come first served selection and a limited budget mean founders should move quickly and assess value for money.
›Services span open innovation in food biotech, early-stage venture building and Central and Eastern Europe scaling support.

EIC expands hands-on venture support beyond grants

The European Innovation Council is promoting a new set of partner services that claim to accelerate the path from research to market. Through the EIC Service Catalogue, beneficiaries of EIC Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator, as well as Seal of Excellence holders, can filter offers by sector and Technological Readiness Level and contract tailored support. The Council positions this as a complement to funding. The promise is practical help on validation, corporate pilots, internationalisation and investor access. As with most ecosystem directories, the value will depend on the depth of each partner's network, the actual delivery capacity and whether the cost of services translates into measurable commercial traction for startups.

What the EIC Service Catalogue provides

The Catalogue aggregates services from European innovation ecosystem organisations known as EIC Partners. It covers more than ten categories including acceleration and venture building, access to infrastructure and R&D, matchmaking and internationalisation, business planning, coaching and mentoring, intellectual property and legal, due diligence, prototyping and proof of concept, and HR and talent. Offers range from free to full price, with many advertised as negotiable or available through equity arrangements. Business Support Tools listed in the Catalogue are not covered by the co-funding scheme described below.

Technological Readiness Level filtering:TRL is a scale used in EU programmes to gauge technology maturity, typically from TRL 1 basic principles observed to TRL 9 proven in operational environment. Filtering by TRL can help match early research teams with proof of concept services and more mature startups with investor readiness, regulatory or scale-up support.

Open innovation in practice:Open innovation refers to structured collaboration between startups, corporates and research organisations to co-develop, test or integrate new technologies. In Europe this often takes the form of pilot projects, challenge-led scouting and corporate venture client models rather than large equity investments by corporates. Success is best measured by paid pilots that convert into procurement or licensing, not only by the number of introductions.

Three highlighted offers: focus areas and claims

This edition surfaces three partner organisations. Their positioning maps onto common gaps in the EU innovation pipeline such as sector-specific validation, early venture design and access to capital and markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Founders should review deliverables and references to validate claims of market readiness and scaling impact.

Provider	Focus and services	Who it targets	Geography and ecosystem notes
Shakeup Factory	Food biotech open innovation platform. Emphasis on alternative proteins, functional ingredients and sustainable food systems. Runs targeted innovation programmes, startup validation and corporate–startup pilot collaborations.	EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator and Seal of Excellence holders.	France based with European network. Leads FoodBioX. Claims strong EU ecosystem links and experience in corporate innovation roadmapping.
Vivinnov	Startup studio and accelerator for early-stage ventures with environmental, social and digital impact. Offers tailored acceleration, venture building, investment readiness and internationalisation.	EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator and Seal of Excellence holders.	France based. Reports support to 50+ startups and over €6 million facilitated in dilutive and non-dilutive funding. Acts as business angel and ecosystem connector.
InnovX	Acceleration with entrepreneurial education, investor access and corporate partnerships. Curated pitching and strategic partnerships to connect with VC funds and global corporates.	EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator and Seal of Excellence holders.	Romania based. Positions itself as a leading CEE accelerator and cites partnerships with major tech and service firms. Claims support for international expansion and fundraising.

Several superlatives appear in the partner descriptions such as leading or proven expertise. These are common in accelerator marketing. Founders should look for transparent metrics such as conversion rates from pilot to procurement, follow-on funding quality, customer references and tangible IP or regulatory milestones rather than headline labels.

Co-funding for paid services through EIC ACCESS+

EIC innovators can apply for financial support to purchase paid services listed in the Catalogue via the EIC ACCESS+ initiative. The scheme offers grants up to €60,000 per beneficiary that cover up to 50 percent of service costs. The call runs from 1 November 2024 to 31 May 2026 unless closed earlier by official notice. The total call budget is stated as €3.45 million and the programme aims to support 180 companies. Selection is first come first served following an eligibility check, with applications batched weekly and assessed within seven days after the last application in each cohort.

ACCESS+ package	Maximum per package	Representative service types
Research	Up to €60,000	Access to infrastructure and R&D support, prototyping and proof of concept
Skills improvement	Up to €10,000	Coaching and mentoring, HR and talent
Business acceleration	Up to €30,000	Acceleration, incubation and venture building, business planning, matchmaking and internationalisation
Access funds	Up to €30,000	IP and legal, due diligence, fundraising support

ACCESS+ requires applicants to select a provider from the EIC Service Catalogue and submit through the EIC ACCESS+ Community Hub. A time stamp is assigned at submission. Grants reimburse half of eligible service costs up to the €60,000 cap across one or multiple services. Beneficiaries must be deep-tech startups that are EIC awardees or Seal of Excellence holders with a legal entity in an EU Member State or associated country.

Eligibility and application steps

Step	What to do	Notes
1. Check eligibility	Confirm you are an EIC Pathfinder, Transition, Accelerator awardee or Seal of Excellence holder and qualify as deep-tech.	Entity must be legally based in EU or associated country.
2. Choose provider	Select one or more services from the EIC Service Catalogue.	Business Support Tools are not co-funded under ACCESS+.
3. Join Community Hub	Register on the EIC ACCESS+ Community Hub to get the application form.	Hub also hosts info sessions and networking.
4. Apply	Submit the form. An electronic time stamp will set your place in the queue.	Evaluation is first come first served within weekly cohorts.
5. Evaluation and grant	If eligible and selected, receive co-funding covering up to 50 percent of service costs.	Maximum cumulative grant is €60,000 per beneficiary.

Where this fits in the EIC ecosystem

The EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme curates and grows the partner network behind the Catalogue. It targets one persistent pain point for EU innovators which is access to specialised and often fragmented services that vary by region and sector. Partners range from private venture builders and accelerators to public innovation agencies, technology parks and research and technology organisations. Pricing models differ by provider, from free to fee based to equity swaps. The Business Acceleration Services newsletter now features regular Catalogue highlights and open calls to help founders navigate options.

Potential benefits

For founders, curated access can shorten the search for credible providers and reduce the cost of high-quality services through co-funding. For sectors like food biotech where pilots depend on corporate supply chains and regulatory validation, structured open innovation can accelerate product-market fit. In Central and Eastern Europe where access to later stage capital remains uneven, accelerators with strong investor ties can open international channels.

Caveats worth noting

The ACCESS+ budget and target of 180 companies is modest relative to the thousands of EIC awardees and Seal of Excellence holders. First come first served can favour teams with more administrative capacity and network awareness rather than those with the strongest needs or impact potential. Grants only cover half of service costs, so startups must budget the remainder. Claims like leading accelerator or proven expertise vary widely across providers and are not independently verified in the Catalogue. There is also a risk of duplicating support available through national programmes, Enterprise Europe Network or regional clusters unless services are clearly differentiated. Finally, measurable outcomes should be prioritised such as recurring revenue, procurement contracts, certified IP or regulatory milestones over generic outputs like number of introductions.

Featured partner snapshots with context

Shakeup Factory in food biotech:Positioned at the intersection of alternative proteins, functional ingredients and sustainable food systems. Runs validation tracks and corporate pilot pathways under FoodBioX. Given the capital intensity and regulatory constraints in food biotech, founders should seek clarity on access to pilot facilities, food safety and novel food approval pathways and corporate willingness to move from pilot to procurement.

Vivinnov as a startup studio and accelerator:France based and focused on early-stage venture building with impact themes. It reports support for over 50 startups and more than €6 million facilitated in funding. Those numbers are modest but can be meaningful for pre-seed teams. Founders should understand how studio resources translate into cap table implications, post-programme governance and concrete investor introductions.

InnovX for CEE scaling:Romania based accelerator connecting startups with venture capital and corporates through curated pitching. It highlights ties to large tech vendors and service firms. In a region where many startups target Western European or US markets, diligence should focus on who the active investor partners are, their typical cheque sizes, and the conversion from demo day exposure to signed term sheets.

Newsletter and contacts

The EIC Business Acceleration Services newsletter now includes a standing section with Catalogue highlights. Subscribers can expect monthly updates on new partner offers, open calls, interviews and success stories. For questions about the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme or technical issues related to the Catalogue, the EIC Community contact page can be used by selecting the relevant category. The helpdesk can also be reached at eicpartnerships-helpdesk@eic-bas.eu.

Key figures and dates at a glance

Item	Detail	Comment
ACCESS+ co-funding rate	Up to 50 percent of eligible service costs	Reimburses half of approved invoices
Maximum grant per beneficiary	Up to €60,000	Across one or multiple services
Total call budget	€3.45 million	Stated for the current call
Target number of companies	180	Allocation subject to eligibility and timing
Application window	1 Nov 2024 to 31 May 2026	May close earlier by official notice
Selection process	First come first served	Applications stamped and evaluated weekly
Beneficiaries	EIC awardees and Seal of Excellence holders	Entity must be in EU or associated country

Seal of Excellence explained:The Seal of Excellence is granted to proposals evaluated under Horizon Europe that met quality thresholds but were not funded due to budget limits. Holders often qualify for alternative EU or national support schemes and are eligible for many EIC Business Acceleration Services and ACCESS+ co-funding.

Bottom line for founders

The EIC Service Catalogue and ACCESS+ funding can be useful if the selected services directly accelerate market entry or fundraising on a timeline tied to your milestones. Approach partner claims with standard diligence. Ask for concrete deliverables, clear KPIs and references. Budget for the non-funded half of service costs and be mindful that first come first served may close earlier than expected if demand outstrips the €3.45 million allocation.