EIC Summit 2024 and the Business Acceleration Services: an overview

The European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services or EIC BAS will be a visible presence at the EIC Summit taking place in Brussels as part of the Research and Innovation Week from 18 to 20 March 2024. The BAS team plans to staff a dedicated stand at the Tour and Taxis venue to provide information, guidance and networking opportunities to EIC beneficiaries. The offer is framed as support that goes beyond grant funding to help deepen market penetration, broker corporate and investor connections and connect innovators with accelerators, incubators and procurers.

Why the BAS presence matters and what it will actually offer

A staffed stand and a set of workshops are useful for outreach and initial matchmaking. BAS positions itself as a one stop shop for EIC beneficiaries to discover services that aim to accelerate commercialisation and scaling. These include introductions to corporates, access to investors, innovation procurement matchmaking, connections with accelerators and support for pitching at international trade fairs. That said, practical impact depends on uptake, the quality of follow through and the capacity of complementary ecosystem actors such as corporate partners and investor networks.

Event structure and headline activities

The EIC Summit is organised across three days with a dedicated beneficiaries day on 19 March. BAS activity is concentrated on that day but stretches across satellite events and training sessions. Below is a compact schedule of BAS related programming and associated initiatives that beneficiaries should consider attending.

Selected BAS day 2 programme highlights and practical notes

Day 2 on 19 March is largely dedicated to beneficiaries with a curated set of workshops. The BAS track runs in Workshop Room 4 and includes a one stop session introducing the BAS offer. Other BAS related sessions across rooms cover women leadership, scaling strategies, innovation procurement and matchmaking with global corporate buyers. A separate Skills track includes investor pitch training framed as preparation for a Dragon's Den style encounter. Several sessions are run in the plenary and streamed for remote audiences.

Training and capacity building beyond workshops

BAS also runs targeted training. The summit includes a short skills training on investor pitching. Additionally the EIC Community is offering a dedicated in-person training on financial modelling for startups on 20 March. That financial modelling course is targeted at EIC beneficiaries across Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator with different breakout tracks for early stage projects and scaling companies.

Practical note on deadlines. Early summit communications suggested an expression of interest by 23 February. Subsequent organisers updates indicate the registration deadline for the financial modelling training was extended to 1 March 2024. Prospective attendees should consult the EIC Community pages for the final deadline and selection criteria since posted deadlines were subject to change.

Satellite programmes and medium term service changes

Several programmes run satellite events at the summit. These include the EIC Tech to Market Programme, the EIC Women Leadership Programme and the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Programme. Some components of the EIC Tech to Market offer have been paused pending redesign. The EIC Tech to Market pages state that certain activities are currently paused and expected to resume in 2026. Similarly the Women Leadership Programme runs recurring cohorts but current application windows were closed with a new call anticipated in early spring 2026.

Policy and regulatory topics surfaced at the Summit

The Summit programme intersects with regulatory and market reforms that will affect deep tech companies. Sessions address regulatory sandboxes, sustainability analysis for product design and the implications of the EU Digital Markets Act for startups. These sessions reflect the reality that innovators must navigate an evolving policy environment as part of their commercialisation strategy.

Practical tips for beneficiaries and a caution about expectations

For EIC beneficiaries attending the Summit this is an opportunity to explore services, pitch to potential partners, and take part in skills sessions. Bring concise materials, be ready to follow up after matchmaking and treat the event as the start of a dialogue rather than a single transactional moment. Public programmes like BAS can lower transaction costs and create introductions but they rarely substitute for deep commercial diligence. Beneficiaries should evaluate promised offers against timelines, eligibility rules and available slots.

If you plan to attend in person register for the Research and Innovation Week and the EIC Summit in advance. Check the EIC Community and EIC BAS pages for the latest information on workshop times, selection criteria for trainings and updated deadlines. The EIC disclaimer notes that the information is provided for knowledge sharing and should not be construed as the official position of the European Commission.

Key contacts and next steps

Visit the EIC Community pages for the Business Acceleration Services, the EIC Summit programme and the satellite event listings to confirm precise times and registration links. If you are an EIC beneficiary consider expressing interest early for limited training spots and prepare a short briefing pack for matchmaking events. Where programmes are paused or application windows closed, monitor the EIC channels for announcements about re-openings in 2026.