Inside the EIC Business Acceleration Services: what they offer, who benefits, and how to access support

Brussels, September 25th 2024

Summary

›The European Innovation Council offers Business Acceleration Services that complement grant funding with coaching, matchmaking, procurement support, investor readiness and market expansion programmes.
›Services are organised around three pillars: Contracts, Contacts and Skills, with targeted programmes such as corporate partnerships, innovation procurement support and global expansion.
›Eligibility covers EIC awardees from Accelerator, Pathfinder and Transition schemes, Women TechEU awardees, STEP Seal holders and members of the EIC Scaling Club, with some services open to Seal of Excellence holders and others by specific agreements.
›EIC ACCESS+ provides cofunded grants up to EUR 60,000 to help innovators buy specialised services from vetted partners until 31 May 2026.
›Reported impact metrics since 2021 are substantial but are published by the EIC and should be read as programme outputs rather than independent assessments of long term market success.

What the EIC Business Acceleration Services are and why they matter

Under Horizon Europe the European Innovation Council positions financial awards as only the start of a company or researcher scaling journey. The EIC Business Acceleration Services, often referred to as BAS, are a package of tailored nonfinancial supports designed to help EIC-backed innovators reach markets, attract partners and investors, and navigate procurement opportunities. The services are presented as complementary to grants and equity investments and are delivered through a mix of EIC-managed programmes and a network of external partners listed in the EIC Service Catalogue.

How the BAS framework is organised

The EIC groups its business acceleration offer under three pillars. These are described as Contracts, Contacts and Skills. Contracts focus on concrete revenue and procurement opportunities. Contacts expand the innovator network across corporates, investors and ecosystem partners. Skills provide coaching, mentoring and specialist training adapted to the innovation stage. Together these pillars aim to address common bottlenecks faced by deep technology ventures trying to move from lab to market.

Contracts pillar explained:This pillar covers programmes that link innovators with customers, buyers and marketplaces. Examples include the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme, the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme and international trade fair support. The procurement strand runs dedicated initiatives such as SPIN4EIC, InnoBuyer and InnoMatch to match innovators with public and private buyers.

Contacts pillar explained:Contacts is about building networks. The EIC Community Platform, the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme and the EIC Scaling Club are the main channels. Through these channels awardees can access partner services, peer learning and curated matchmaking with corporates and investors.

Skills pillar explained:This pillar focuses on capacity building. Programmes include the EIC Coaching Programme, EIC Tech to Market, the EIC Women Leadership Programme and investor readiness support. Training ranges from proposal preparation and entrepreneurship skills to procurement offer preparation and pitch readiness.

Who can use the services

Primary eligible beneficiaries are EIC awardees from the EIC Accelerator, EIC Transition and EIC Pathfinder programmes. The list also explicitly includes Women TechEU awardees, STEP Seal holders and members of the EIC Scaling Club. In addition some services are available to Seal of Excellence holders or innovators and organisations that have formal agreements with the EIC. Importantly the BAS offer is described as not time limited, so eligibility can continue after a funded project ends.

EIC Accelerator, Pathfinder and Transition:These are the main EIC funding instruments. The Accelerator supports scaling and commercialisation, Pathfinder targets early stage research and radical innovation and Transition helps move research results towards innovation projects. Each instrument addresses a different point in the innovation lifecycle and BAS services are tailored accordingly.

Seal of Excellence and STEP Seal:A Seal of Excellence is an EU quality label for proposals that scored highly but were not funded due to budget constraints. STEP Seal is a separate recognition used by some EIC initiatives. Holders can be eligible for a subset of BAS services, depending on the agreement terms.

What specific programmes the EIC runs

The EIC runs a mix of ongoing programmes and time limited initiatives. Core offerings include corporate engagement days and matchmaking, global expansion support, targeted procurement schemes, trade fair participation, investor readiness and mentor networks. Below are the main named programmes and what they do.

Programme	Purpose	Notes
EIC Corporate Partnership Programme	Facilitates collaborations between EIC awardees and large corporates	Aims to scale business through corporate pilots and partnerships
EIC Innovation Procurement Programme	Helps innovators access public and private procurement markets	Includes SPIN4EIC, InnoBuyer and InnoMatch for different procurement pathways
EIC Global Business Expansion Programme	Supports market entry in hubs such as the US and Singapore	Previously called Soft-landing or Immersive programmes
EIC International Trade Fairs Programme	Supports exhibiting at major trade fairs	Reported turnover from fairs is tracked by EIC
EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme	Prepares awardees to attract investors	Includes training, pitch events and introductions
EIC Scaling Club	Community of high-growth deep-tech companies	Around 120 members and select partners
EIC Tech to Market Programme	Helps researchers move technology out of labs	Uses Design Thinking and entrepreneurship training
EIC Women Leadership Programme	Leadership and mentoring for female entrepreneurs	Reported high self-reported skill improvements among alumnae

Impact metrics reported by the EIC

Since 2021 the EIC publishes a set of output metrics for its BAS activities. These numbers give a sense of scale but should be read as programme reporting rather than independent evaluation of long term firm success. Some outcomes such as deal counts and funds raised are direct metrics. Others such as capability increases or number of coaching participants are self reported or derived from programme monitoring.

Metric	Reported number	Context or caveat
One-on-one meetings facilitated	20,000 plus	Matches between awardees and corporates, procurers and investors since 2021
Deals reported	595	Deals reported following BAS matchmaking activities
Investor outreach funds raised	EUR 350 million	Amount attributed to investor outreach activities
EIC Scaling Club members funds raised since joining	EUR 1.2 billion	Aggregate figure for club members
Turnover from trade fairs	EUR 42 million	Tracked since 2024 only
Procurement tenders submitted total value	EUR 28.4 million	EUR 7.7 million reported as raised through innovation procurement support since March 2024
Pilots following buyer-innovator matches	22 ongoing, 16 completed	Supported with EUR 1.93 million
Awardees and applicants coached	2,400 plus	Coaching and mentoring participants since 2021
EIC Women Leadership Programme reported capability increase	90 percent plus	Self reported improvements among programme alumnae
Start-ups created after venture building training	21	Reported as a training outcome
CEOs onboarded after entrepreneurship training	16	Reported placement or leadership outcomes

These numbers show activity and some early results. Independent validation, follow up on long term survival and scaling, and broader market impact are not provided in the published summaries. Innovators and policy watchers should treat the figures as indicative and seek further details during programme engagement.

EIC ACCESS+ grants and the Service Catalogue

To reduce affordability barriers the EIC runs ACCESS+ a cofunding mechanism to help awardees buy specialised services from vetted ecosystem partners. ACCESS+ offers grants of up to EUR 60,000 covering up to 50 percent of eligible service costs. The open call launched in November 2024 and is available until 31 May 2026. The services that can be cofunded are listed in the EIC Service Catalogue which is curated through the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme.

Who can apply for ACCESS+ grants:EIC awardees from Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator and Seal of Excellence holders under Horizon Europe. Preference is given to applicants from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Applicants must check eligibility criteria and follow the application guidance on the ACCESS+ web pages.

Access routes, platform and practical steps

All open calls and most service opportunities are published on the EIC Community Platform. Prospective users must register with EU Login credentials to apply for services, sign up to calls and access partner offers. The EIC also offers targeted remote coaching during EIC Accelerator evaluation. For example applicants who pass Step 1 and are invited to prepare a full proposal can get three days of remote coaching to support their Step 2 application.

No expiration for BAS access:The EIC states that BAS eligibility does not expire. This means past awardees can request services after the end of their funded project, subject to programme rules and availability.

Calendar highlights and events for 2026

The EIC publishes a rolling calendar of events, corporate days and trade fair participations. Many events include matchmaking, pitching and investor sessions. Below are selected entries for 2026 that the EIC lists as part of its BAS outreach.

Month	Event	Location or format
January	EIC Pavilion at CES 2026	Las Vegas, US, 6-9 January
January	EIC at JP Morgan Healthcare Week, Silicon Valley	7-15 January
January	EIC Corporate Day with Merck	Darmstadt, Germany, 19-20 January
January	ACCESS+ Educational Session on UK Market Access	Online, 22 January 2026
March	EIC Pavilion at Mobile World Congress	Barcelona, Spain, 2-5 March
June	European Innovation Council Summit 2026	Brussels, Belgium, 3-4 June
June	EIC Pavilion at BIO	San Diego, US, 22-25 June
June	EIC Pavilion at GITEX Europe	Berlin, 30 June - 1 July

Event schedules can change and some entries noted for 2026 were flagged as subject to final confirmation. Participants should confirm dates and registration windows on the EIC Community Platform.

Open calls and opportunities to work with the EIC

The EIC solicits partners and service providers through specific open calls. These are useful entry points for accelerators, incubators, corporates, buyers, investors and training organisations that want to join the EIC network. Typical calls include partner calls for the Corporate Partnership Programme, calls for buyers to join procurement initiatives, calls for ecosystem partners offering sector services, and calls for experts to support Tech to Market activities.

Target group	Call	Purpose
Corporates	EIC Corporate Partnership Programme Call	Join corporate collaboration activities with awardees
Public or private buyers	EIC Innovation Procurement Programme Call	Participate in procurement driven innovation matches
Accelerators, incubators and research organisations	EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme Call for partners	Offer specialised sector services in the Service Catalogue
Experts, mentors, analysts	EIC Tech 2 Market Call for experts	Support entrepreneurship training and market transition
Investors	Calls to co-invest with the EIC Fund	Engage with the EIC Fund portfolio and co-investment opportunities

Example: ACCESS+ Educational Session on UK Market Access

As part of ACCESS+ the EIC ran an educational session titled 'UK Market Access: How to land, expand and raise capital in the U.K.' for EIC innovators. The session was scheduled online on Thursday 22 January 2026 at 10:00 CET. The agenda covered UK market clusters by region, practical steps for exporting and establishing a presence, raising capital in the UK, introductions to Tech Nordic Advocates and UK Tech Advocates networks and partnerships with investor groups including TNA Invest and the London Stock Exchange.

Why this session matters:After Brexit many innovators question the UK market. The session provided practical pathways for market entry and investor introduction. It also offered case studies and detailed how advocates and hub networks can support introductions and business development.

Note that some event descriptions in EIC materials contained a typographical error which listed the year as 2025 in one instance. The EIC's public sign up and calendar entries use 22 January 2026 for this particular session. Attendees should verify dates on the EIC Community Platform.

Practical advice and a cautious reading of impact claims

The BAS portfolio is large and is designed to address common scaleup barriers. For innovators the practical decision is whether a given service provides marginal value relative to cost and time. ACCESS+ reduces direct cost barriers but requires a cofunding commitment. When assessing offers check the scope of deliverables, timelines, and metrics used by the provider.

From a policy perspective the headline metrics published by the EIC are useful to track outputs. They do not substitute for long term, independent impact evaluation of firm survival, net job creation and systemic market effects. Users and observers should combine EIC reporting with case studies and third party evaluations where possible.

How to sign up and where to get help

Register on the EIC Community Platform with EU Login credentials to apply for BAS services, browse the EIC Service Catalogue and monitor open calls. For queries related to the Ecosystem Partnership Programme contact the EIC helpdesk at eicpartnerships-helpdesk@eic-bas.eu. Subscribe to the EIC BAS Newsletter for open call digests, success stories and programme updates.

The EIC also publishes FAQs and a service catalogue page that explains modalities and eligibility. Remember to review eligibility rules carefully for ACCESS+ and other cofunded calls.

Disclaimer

The information in this article is drawn from EIC public materials and event announcements. The EIC provides its programme descriptions and impact metrics on its own webpages. This article adds contextual explanation and a cautious interpretation of published outputs and should not be taken as an official view of the European Commission or the EIC. Users should consult official EIC documents and the EIC Community Platform for authoritative guidance and up to date application windows.