How the EIC Coaching Programme Works and What It Actually Offers
- ›The European Innovation Council offers free business coaching to EIC beneficiaries and selected applicants to improve strategy, go-to-market and investor readiness.
- ›Eligible participants receive either up to 96 coaching hours or three days of coaching depending on status, with coaches drawn from a pool of several hundred independent experts.
- ›Coaches are contracted and paid by the EIC, are bound by confidentiality rules, and assignments must not be used as paid consultancy for proposal writing.
- ›Professionals can apply to join the coach pool via a Call for Expression of Interest and must register as experts on the EU Funding & Tenders portal.
- ›Key practical points include coach selection steps, coach remuneration of EUR 1,000 per day, and detailed exclusion and quality assurance rules.
How the EIC Coaching Programme Works and What It Actually Offers
The European Innovation Council, supported by the EIC and SMEs Executive Agency, runs a business coaching programme aimed at helping innovators turn technology into scalable companies. The service is promoted as free to EIC beneficiaries and designed to strengthen value propositions, business plans, go-to-market strategies, leadership and investor readiness. The material published by the EIC highlights strong reported impacts but also sets clear limits on scope and rules of engagement. This article explains who can use the service, how to get a coach, how coaches are selected and paid, and practical caveats applicants should consider.
What the programme offers
The EIC Coaching Programme provides access to independent business coaches with entrepreneurial, business development, or investment backgrounds. Coaches are contracted by the EIC and operate under a code of conduct that includes confidentiality and impartiality obligations. According to EIC materials, coaching can cover topics from refining a value proposition and investor pitch to market entry, partnership strategy, financial planning and leadership development. The service is pitched as complementary to technical support and is meant to focus on business development rather than technical or proposal writing work.
Who can get coaching and what they can expect
Eligibility depends on the applicant or beneficiary category. The EIC differentiates between awardees, applicants at second stage, Seal of Excellence holders, Pathfinder and Transition teams, Accelerator start-ups and scaleups, and participants in the Women Leadership Programme. Each group has coaching objectives tailored to its role in the innovation pipeline.
| Target group | Typical coaching objective | Offered support or timeframe |
| EIC Accelerator beneficiaries (start-ups and scaleups) | Strengthen business plan, implement strategy, accelerate market entry and investor search | Eligible for up to 96 coaching hours |
| EIC Accelerator applicants (2nd stage) and Seal-of-Excellence teams | Improve value proposition, business plan and investor pitch | Access coaching via application module, typically three coaching days |
| EIC Pathfinder researchers | Discover innovation opportunities and entrepreneurship potential | Tailored sessions, three coaching days for non-beneficiaries |
| EIC Transition teams | Analyse industry trends and craft a competitive value proposition | Tailored sessions, three coaching days for non-beneficiaries |
| EIC Women Leadership Programme participants | Address leadership barriers and career progression challenges | Additional coaching linked to WLP |
How to get a coach in practice
The process is designed to be user driven. Coachees search a coach platform, shortlist candidates, hold short chemistry calls, and select the coach who best matches their needs. The EIC handles contracting and payment. Where documentation differs across EIC pages the pool size is described as several hundred coaches, with public references to both about 400 and over 600 experts on different pages. This suggests a broad but dynamically managed roster rather than a fixed static list.
| Step | What happens | Typical timings or notes |
| Notification and eligibility | Beneficiaries are notified and can start using hours. Second stage applicants use the application module. Others receive an instruction email or contact EISMEA. | Immediate access for beneficiaries, email guidance otherwise |
| Coach search | Coachee selects coaches from the platform by market, industry and topics. | Platform lists several hundred coaches |
| Matching and availability check | Shortlist is contacted, coaches respond within three working days to indicate interest. | Coachee organises chemistry calls where needed |
| Selection and contracting | Coachee selects coach. EISMEA prepares and signs the contract and covers payment. | Coaching cannot be used for paid proposal-writing consultancy |
| Implementation | Coach and coachee follow an agreed coaching plan, report outcomes, and coachee provides feedback. | EIC collects evaluations to assure quality |
Rules, safeguards and practical limits
The programme has explicit rules intended to protect impartiality and quality. Coaches must sign a Code of Conduct covering confidentiality and impartiality. Coaching is explicitly not a substitute for paid consultancy to prepare proposals, and coaches who are registered as EIC proposal evaluators are excluded from being contracted. Coaches must declare no conflicts of interest. The EIC also reserves the right to remove coaches from the pool based on poor feedback or performance metrics.
Becoming a coach and selection criteria
Professionals with entrepreneurial, investment or business development experience can apply via a Call for Expression of Interest. Applicants must register as experts on the EU Funding & Tenders portal, provide an executive summary and CV in English, and indicate industry and market experience. Inclusion in the selectable coach list depends on demand, rotation policies, acceptance of qualifications, and feedback from coachees.
| Topic | Requirement or detail |
| Minimum experience | At least five years of relevant professional experience is expected, for example as entrepreneur, investor, board advisor or executive in early-stage companies |
| Skills and competences | Trust building, analytical and questioning approach, facilitation skills, practical experience with value proposition, go-to-market, finance and organisational development |
| Application materials | Executive summary, keywords, CV in PDF in English, registration on Funding & Tenders portal |
| Remuneration | Fixed price of EUR 1,000 per day worked. Travel and subsistence reimbursed where applicable |
| Validity of coach list | List is maintained for the Horizon Europe programme period and refreshed by rotation |
Remuneration and transparency
Coaches are paid a fixed daily fee of EUR 1,000. For remote coaching with second stage applicants and Seal of Excellence holders coaching is remote, and travel is generally not involved. Where in-person meetings are contractually agreed, travel and subsistence costs will be reimbursed under the contract terms. Contracts above certain thresholds are published as required by EU transparency rules.
Practical advice and cautions for applicants
The EIC coaching offer can be valuable, but applicants should approach it with clear objectives. Prepare a short coaching brief describing key issues and measurable goals. Use the chemistry call to check for practical experience in your sector and appetite for hands on follow up. Be cautious about overclaiming results. Impact claims cited by the EIC are based on participant feedback, not independent evaluation. Also check language compatibility and market fit if you select a foreign coach.
Contact details and further reading
For questions about starting coaching or technical issues, the EIC Community contact page is the entry point. For direct enquiries about coach selection or becoming a coach, contact EISMEA at EISMEA-COACHING@ec.europa.eu. Prospective coaches must follow the Call for Expression of Interest and register on the EU Funding & Tenders portal.
The EIC Coaching Programme is a practical resource within the EIC ecosystem. It can accelerate business development when used with realistic expectations, good preparation, and careful selection of the coach. Applicants and beneficiaries should also be aware of the administrative conditions, transparency rules and the programme limits that separate coaching from paid consultancy or evaluative roles.