How the EIC Coaching Programme Works and What Innovators Should Know

Brussels, September 9th 2024

Summary

›The EIC Coaching Programme offers free, matched business coaching to EIC-funded projects and selected applicants across Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator tracks.
›Coaching is delivered by independent experts recruited through an open call and managed by EISMEA with contracts, confidentiality rules and a daily fee of EUR 1 000 for coaches.
›Most applicants receive three days of coaching during full proposal preparation while EIC beneficiaries may access up to 12 days depending on their status.
›The service emphasizes strategy, go-to-market and investor readiness rather than doing the work for teams, and there are safeguards and exclusion rules for coaches.
›Promotional claims about impact are strong but rely on self-reporting and may reflect selection effects and participation bias.

EIC Coaching Programme: a practical guide for innovators

The European Innovation Council offers a structured coaching service intended to help researchers and entrepreneurs turn deep technology projects into viable, scalable businesses. The service pairs teams with independent business coaches who have start-up, scale-up or investment experience. The coaching is presented as free to beneficiaries and applicants and is administered by the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency, EISMEA.

What the programme promises

According to EIC materials, coaching helps avoid common mistakes, sharpen strategy, accelerate market entry and improve leadership. Coaches are independent experts who sign a code of conduct including confidentiality and non disclosure provisions. Promotional pages cite very high satisfaction figures. For example one page notes a 96 percent positive impact claim while the handbook uses 95 percent in a related context. These figures point to broadly favourable feedback but should be read as self reported outcomes rather than independent impact evaluation results.

Who the coaching is for and what it targets

Target group	Primary coaching objectives	Typical entitlements or days mentioned
EIC Accelerator applicants (second stage) and Seal of Excellence teams	Improve value proposition, strengthen business plan and investor pitch	Three coaching days during full proposal preparation
EIC Pathfinder researchers	Explore entrepreneurship potential and discover innovation opportunities	Three days for applicant category, additional days may be possible per project officer
EIC Transition teams	Industry analysis and value proposition development	Three days for applicants, possibly more for active beneficiaries
EIC Accelerator start-ups and scale-ups	Strategy implementation, market entry acceleration and investor search	EIC beneficiaries may access up to 12 coaching days depending on status
EIC Women Leadership Programme	Additional coaching to address leadership barriers and glass ceiling issues	Supplementary coaching offered under WLP

How the matching and delivery process works

The process is designed to be simple and centrally managed. Coachees search an online database of approved coaches and indicate their market, industry and most urgent business needs. The system shortlists candidates based on matching profiles. Coaches notified of a potential assignment are expected to respond within three working days. Coachees commonly arrange a chemistry call with shortlisted coaches and then select the preferred coach. EISMEA prepares and signs the coaching contract, handles payment and in many cases reimburses travel and subsistence costs if in person meetings are agreed in the contract. EIC communications encourage choosing a coach from a different EU country to broaden perspective.

Coach pool size and availability:Different EIC pages refer to more than 400 coaches and to a pool of over 600 coaches. The exact size of the selectable pool will vary over time as new coaches join, others rotate out and demand shifts across sectors. Inclusion in the pool does not guarantee assignments and depends on coachee demand and selection criteria.

What coaching is and what it is not

Coaching versus consulting:EIC materials make a point of distinguishing coaching from consultancy. Coaches are expected to challenge assumptions, pose questions and help teams learn to solve strategic problems. Coaches should not be writing proposals, conducting paid market research, preparing IPR filings or performing operational tasks on behalf of the team. Applicant coaching is specifically not intended to write the application text for you and the applicant remains fully responsible for the content of any submission.

Typical coaching topics:EIC lists a set of business development themes that coaches commonly cover. These include value proposition development, offer validation, go-to-market planning, people management, partnerships strategy, finance and investor readiness, organisational development and supply chain and distribution considerations. Tools such as the Osterwalder Business Model Canvas are recommended as structuring frameworks.

Becoming an EIC coach

The EIC recruits coaches through an open Call for Expression of Interest. Candidates must register on the EU Funding & Tenders portal as experts and submit an executive summary, keywords and an English CV. Essential criteria include at least five years of relevant professional experience in start-ups, SMEs or investment roles and demonstrable hands-on experience with fast growth, fundraising or business development. Coaches must be able to build trust and demonstrate facilitation, curiosity and the ability to challenge founders constructively.

Selection and rotation:Inclusion in the EIC coach list depends on demand for specific profiles, rotation to refresh the pool, evaluation of qualifications against set criteria and feedback from coachees. Being on the list creates no guarantee of contracts. Coaches who perform poorly may be excluded following quality assurance processes.

Contracts, fees, exclusions and safeguards

EISMEA manages coach contracting. Coaching engagements begin only after a signed contract that includes the Code of Conduct and confidentiality clauses. Remuneration is set at a fixed price of EUR 1 000 per coaching day worked. Remote coaching is typical for applicant support while travel and subsistence can be reimbursed for in person work if contractually agreed.

Exclusion and conflict rules:Applicants to the coach pool must declare that they do not fall into exclusion situations such as bankruptcy, fraud, corruption, money laundering or serious professional misconduct. Coaches cannot be registered EIC evaluators for proposals. EISMEA will also refuse or withdraw contracts where conflicts of interest arise that could compromise impartiality.

Monitoring, reporting and feedback

Coaches must upload a lean report and a timesheet into the Casetracker monitoring system after an assignment. Coachees receive a short evaluation questionnaire to rate coach selection, strategic improvement and expected acceleration of business development. These ratings feed into quality assurance and may affect a coach's future inclusion in the pool. Contracts above certain thresholds are published with limited data in line with EU transparency rules and personal data protections.

Useful resources and practical steps

EIC publishes a Handbook on EIC Business Coaching and an information PDF titled EIC Business Coaching How it works. There are testimonial videos such as a Qmenta case that illustrate how past coachees describe the experience. If you are eligible and want to begin, expect an email from EIC with login and next steps or access the platform directly through the EIC Community site.

A critical look at the claims and limits

The EIC Coaching Programme is a low friction way to give teams access to experienced practitioners and to signal institutional support. That said the programme has practical limits. The coaching daily rate of EUR 1 000 transfers risk to public budgets and concentrates supply on higher priced experts. Reported impact figures are impressive but come from internal surveys and self assessments. Those metrics do not substitute for systematic, independently verified impact evaluations that track commercial outcomes over time. The insistence that coaches not perform consultancy tasks is appropriate for conflict management but creates grey areas in practice. Finally, demand driven matching means some niche sectors may struggle to access suitable coaches quickly.

Practical advice for applicants:If you plan to use the service, prepare concise objectives before searching coaches. Indicate the most urgent business problem and provide access to application materials where relevant. Arrange the chemistry call and be explicit about what you expect from each coaching day. Keep in mind coaches are meant to coach and challenge rather than produce deliverables on your behalf.

Contact and next steps

Questions about the programme are routed through the EIC Community contact page with the subject 'EIC Coaching Programme'. Prospective coaches must apply through the Call for Expression of Interest and register as experts on the Funding & Tenders portal. Read the Handbook on EIC Business Coaching for operational details before committing to a coach or an assignment.