Library FAQ
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.
What do full proposals include and what are the cut-off dates in 2025?
Full proposals include a full business plan, full company finances and structure, milestones, a pitch-deck (pdf) and a video pitch up to three minutes. 2025 cut-offs for full proposals are March 12 and October 1 (and applicable 2026 cut-offs will be in the 202...
What happens if I apply for blended finance?
A single award decision covers both grant and investment components. Relevant proposal information is transmitted to the EIC Fund and its advisor to structure the investment (compliance checks, due diligence, possible syndication, tranches, milestones). The in...
What is the total indicative budget for the 2025 call?
The total indicative budget is EUR 634 million: EUR 384 million for EIC Accelerator Open and EUR 250 million for EIC Accelerator Challenges. The indicative budget for investment components is EUR 348 million managed by the EIC Fund.
What must applicants finance themselves?
Beneficiaries must finance 30% co-funding of the work packages covered by the grant component through their own resources.
What support is available to prepare a full proposal?
If your short proposal succeeds, you are entitled to one coaching support session from a Business Acceleration Services coach to prepare the full proposal. This support is optional and can be received once per proposal.
What TRL and project duration expectations apply to grant funding?
Grant funding covers innovation activities generally at least TRL 6 up to TRL 8. Innovation activities should normally be completed within 24 months but may be longer in well-justified cases; proposed duration should reflect current TRL and technology nature.
What types of support does the EIC Accelerator provide?
It provides Grant Only (lump sum grant), Blended Finance (grant lump sum + investment component such as direct equity or quasi-equity), and Investment Component Only (Equity-Only in the form of direct equity or quasi-equity). All funded projects also receive B...
Who can apply to the EIC Accelerator?
Eligible applicants are: a single SME established in a Member State or Associated Country; a single small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established in a Member State or Associated Country (only for investment component only or, exceptionally, for blended finan...
Can procurers keep part of the action budget for co-creation?
The public procurer(s) receiving the financing support may keep a maximum of 10% of the action budget to run the co-creation process.
What are the consortium requirements for implementing the action?
A consortium must include a minimum of two partners from two Member States or Associated Countries, with at least one partner from a Member State.
What are the expected impacts of the procurement actions?
Concrete examples of public procurement of innovation; scaled-up EIC SMEs; attraction of European procurers into the EIC ecosystem; enhanced co-design between public/private partners and SMEs; stronger buyer engagement with SMEs; improved skills and capacity f...
What are the reporting and budget details for the EEN coordination action?
Reporting on indicators, supported companies' profiles and success stories must be ensured through an IT tool to enable aggregated regional statistics. Minimum data needed for SoE includes company age, size, sector, CEO gender, total public/private funding and...