Library FAQ
How is a 'Qualified Investor' defined in the Work Programme?
A Qualified Investor is a public or private investor with demonstrable know‑how and experience in the relevant market, technology and jurisdiction, who has been subject to KYC/AML screening and not considered high‑risk; in exceptional cases a high‑risk investo...
What access do BAS contractors implementing BAS services receive?
BAS contractors implementing BAS services will receive access to EIC data and business workflow infrastructure and to EIC and EIC Fund relevant data (e.g., equity amount, co‑investment information) on a needs‑to‑know basis.
What application materials are required for the Women Innovators prize and how are applications assessed?
Applicants must support their written application with an inspiring video of no more than 90 seconds. The jury assesses Parts A and B of the application form and the video; shortlisted applicants are invited to a hearing (which may be remote). The award criter...
What are Strategic Projects under the CRMA?
Strategic Projects under the CRMA are selected projects identified by the Commission; a list of selected projects is available under the Strategic Projects section of the CRMA.
What are the categories, eligibility and prizes for the European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital)?
There are two categories: European Capital of Innovation (cities with minimum 250,000 inhabitants; in eligible countries the closest city with at least 50,000 may apply) awarding the winner EUR 1,000,000 and two runners‑up EUR 100,000 each; and European Rising...
What are the main eligibility criteria for the European Prize for Women Innovators?
Applicants must be women legally residing in an EU Member State (including OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon Europe; must be the founder or co‑founder; the company/organisation must be established in an EU Member State/OCT/associated country and registe...
What are the objectives and prize categories of the European Prize for Women Innovators?
The Prize celebrates women entrepreneurs who have transformed ideas into disruptive innovations and inspires others. There are two EIC prize categories funded under this Work Programme: Women Innovators (three prizes: EUR 100,000; EUR 70,000; EUR 50,000) and R...
What is a pre-commitment and is it legally binding?
The pre-commitment is non-legally binding in nature and will be assessed at the time of proposal evaluation.
What is meant by 'emerging environmental market-based mechanisms' in this Work Programme?
The term refers to mechanisms such as payments for ecosystem services and nature credits, as noted in the Commission's communication on nature markets.
What is the EIC STEP Scale Up call and how is it governed?
The EIC STEP Scale Up call is a specific call within the EIC Accelerator defined under Article 48 of Horizon Europe, following amendment by Article 17(2) of the STEP Regulation; the same provisions on indirect management and on parent and holding companies tha...
What is the STEP Regulation and where can I find guidance on it?
The STEP Regulation is Regulation (EU) 2024/795 establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP); guidance notes concerning certain provisions of the STEP Regulation have been published (including C(2025)3148 of 8 May 2024).
What option do applicants have if they seek lower investment amounts than in a specific call?
Applicants wishing to apply for lower investment amounts may apply to the EIC Accelerator call.
When are proposals batched for processing?
Proposals will be batched at 17h00 Brussels time.
Where is the list of strategic and critical raw materials published?
A list of strategic and critical raw materials is provided in Annexes I and II of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).
Can an entity receive Grant Only support more than once?
No. Grant Only shall be provided only once to any legal entity for the duration of the Horizon Europe programme (2021-27), and only if the beneficiary is a start-up or SME and the project demonstrates capacity and willingness to scale up, up to a maximum of EU...
Can the EIC Fund reject the investment component after selection?
Yes. The EIC Fund may decide not to invest following due diligence or compliance checks (e.g., lack of maturity for investment, irregularities, misrepresentation). In such cases the EIC Fund may recommend starting with the grant component first and the Agency...
How are full proposals evaluated and what are the timelines?
Full proposals are assessed remotely by three EIC expert evaluators and you will be informed of the remote evaluation result in approximately eight to nine weeks. If all three evaluators give a GO for all elements, you are invited to an interview; if two of th...
How are short proposals evaluated and how long does it take?
Short proposals are batched the first Tuesday of every month and evaluated by four EIC expert evaluators. From batching, you are informed in approximately 4–6 weeks. A short proposal succeeds if at least three of the four evaluators give a GO; if at least two...
How does the EIC Jury influence funding decisions?
The EIC Jury interviews applicants who passed remote evaluation and recommends GO or NO GO. If GO, the Jury may recommend a lower grant amount than requested (but will not recommend a different investment amount). If NO GO, the proposal may receive a Seal of E...
How is confidentiality and data sharing handled during the process?
All personal data and information in proposals are kept strictly confidential. However, before submitting a full proposal you may be offered to share basic data with National Contact Points for support, and if applying for investment you must give consent to s...
What are the grant component funding limits and rates?
Eligible costs for the grant component are reimbursed up to a maximum of 70% within the ceiling of EUR 2,499,999. For blended finance the grant component may be higher in exceptional, well-justified cases. The grant takes the form of a lump sum.
What are the limits for the investment component amounts?
The minimum investment component is EUR 0.5 million and the maximum is EUR 10 million. Higher amounts are available under the EIC STEP Scale-up call.
What are the main steps of the application process?
Steps: submit a short proposal anytime; if successful, prepare a full proposal with optional business coaching; full proposals are remotely assessed and successful ones invited to an interview with an EIC Jury; if selected, negotiate the grant agreement and st...
What does a short proposal consist of and how is it submitted?
Short proposals are submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal and include a short form summarising the proposal, a pitch-deck up to ten slides (pdf), and a video pitch up to three minutes with up to three core team members.