EIC x Acclime soft-landing: 12 EIC awardees head to Singapore for a week of mentoring, SWITCH participation and investor outreach
- ›Twelve EIC awardees will participate in an EIC x Acclime soft-landing mission in Singapore from 24 to 30 October 2024.
- ›The week includes tailored mentoring, workshops, visits to Singapore agencies and participation in SWITCH, Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology.
- ›Selected companies will pitch to local corporates and investors but must cover their own travel and accommodation costs.
- ›The mission targets EIC-backed cleantech firms and follows selection and preparatory activities organised by EIC and partners.
EIC Soft-Landing in Singapore: what is happening and who is going
The European Innovation Council is sending a delegation of 12 EIC awardees to Singapore for a one-week soft-landing and acceleration programme organised with Acclime and multiple Singaporean partners. The mission runs from 24 to 30 October 2024 and includes bespoke mentoring, market-entry workshops, visits to public and corporate headquarters, and participation in SWITCH, Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology. The initiative is framed as a hands-on introduction to the Southeast Asian market and its investor and corporate ecosystem.
Programme format and core activities
Participants will receive high-level mentoring and customised workshops aimed at market entry and business development in Asia. The week also builds in pitching opportunities to local corporates and investors and sector-specific meetings, for example with cleantech specialists when relevant. The EIC and its partners emphasise the opportunity to leverage SWITCH as a platform to meet potential partners and investors.
SWITCH and why it matters for European deep tech
Statements in the EIC material reference past SWITCH attendance figures to illustrate scale. SWITCH and similar trade show participation are valuable for building initial pipeline but should be treated as early-stage market testing rather than a fast path to signed contracts. Converting contacts made at events into pilots and paid contracts typically requires follow-up, localisation and time.
The selected EIC awardees
The EIC announcement lists the 12 companies chosen for the soft-landing mission. All are EIC awardees and were selected for their relevance to cleantech and adjacent sectors. The list as published is below, together with short factual notes where company specialisations have public profiles.
| Company | Country | Notes (public profile or technology where available) |
| Terabee | France | Listed as one of the participants. Public sources indicate Terabee operates in sensor and distance-sensing technologies but the EIC announcement does not expand on the company profile. |
| Nano Tech SPA | Italy | Included in the delegation. Company-specific details were not expanded in the EIC announcement. |
| GAFT | Netherlands | GAFT develops a biological route to sustainable aviation fuel using CO2, water and renewable energy to produce fatty-acid feedstock for SAF production. The company presents an end-to-end approach that replaces fossil and food-derived feedstocks. |
| New Photonics | Israel | Listed in the delegation. The EIC text does not provide a company description. |
| Plant-E | Netherlands | Participant listed. Company details were not provided in the EIC announcement. |
| DAC SP. | Poland | DAC promotes Dynamic Air Cooling, a refrigeration and air conditioning technology that claims to use air as the coolant and to operate without synthetic HFC refrigerants. |
| Magment GmbH | Germany | Participant listed. Specific company technology was not described in the EIC announcement. |
| SwissDeCode SA | Switzerland | SwissDeCode provides rapid DNA-based on-site food testing platforms and lab-on-chip solutions for food authenticity, contamination detection and certification at point of need. |
| Nobula 3D AB | Sweden | Nobula develops Direct Glass Laser Deposition glass 3D printing technology enabling complex glass structures and desktop sized glass printers operating at high temperatures. |
| AEInnova | Spain | AEInnova produces industrial sensors and IoT systems that harvest waste heat to power monitoring devices for predictive maintenance, with LoRaWAN or similar long-range communications. |
| Ecopolplast | Poland | Ecopolplast manufactures Ecoplastomer, thermoplastic materials made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic and recycled rubber crumb, pitched as a circular alternative to virgin thermoplastics. |
| Reselo | Sweden | Listed in the delegation. The EIC announcement does not provide a profile and public access to some pages appeared blocked at the time of collection. |
Eligibility, selection and costs
The soft-landing mission is an EIC Business Acceleration Service offered to approved EIC awardees. The open call that led to the selection emphasised cleantech sectors such as energy transition, agri-food tech, industrial biotechnology, new materials and construction. The open call required applicants to have secured EIC funding and to have reached Series A funding or be in advanced stages of Series A fundraising. Applicants were expected to provide a market entry strategy for Asia and demonstrate operational readiness and a management team able to scale.
What founders should expect and practical realities
Singapore provides an efficient environment for due diligence and initial commercialisation discussions. Local public agencies such as Enterprise Singapore and the Economic Development Board play an active role in supporting market entry, providing grants and matchmaking services for international firms with credible plans. However, the business environment remains highly competitive and often requires local partnerships, well-structured pilots, or evidence of customer traction.
Limitations, risks and a cautious view
The EIC framing of the mission highlights opportunity and support. That said founders and stakeholders should treat such missions as an early stage in market entry rather than a guarantor of success. Notable constraints include the financial burden of travel and accommodation on participating startups, the Series A funding requirement which selects a more mature cohort and hence excludes earlier stage ventures, and the reality that converting contacts made at events often requires months of follow-up and localised product adaptation. The programme also cannot remove regulatory, intellectual property or procurement barriers that vary across Southeast Asian countries.
Administrative and contact details
The EIC programme materials invited questions to Acclime via e.leonet@acclime.com. The original announcement included a standard disclaimer that the information shared is for knowledge and should not be treated as the official view of the European Commission or other organisations.
What to read next
Founders interested in similar programmes should review the EIC Business Acceleration Services catalogue and local Singapore resources such as Enterprise Singapore and the EDB’s market guides. For event-specific intelligence, consult SWITCH materials and agendas to target the right sessions and attendees in advance.
The EIC community emphasises ongoing preparatory work. The announcement notes the selected participants have begun rigorous preparation ahead of the mission. Good preparation increases the chance that contacts made during a week-long soft-landing will lead to pilots, procurement conversations and investor interest in Asia.