Library FAQ
How long will it take to receive the final decision on a Booster grant proposal?
The final decision will be motivated and communicated to the applicant within 6 weeks, and the Programme Committee will be informed.
How many EIC Booster grants can be awarded per EIC Pathfinder project?
A maximum of three EIC Booster grants can be awarded for each EIC Pathfinder project; more than three may be awarded only in exceptional and duly justified cases.
How many EIC Booster grants can be awarded per EIC Transition project?
A maximum of one EIC Booster grant can be awarded for each EIC Transition project.
How will implementation of Booster grants change once Financial support to third parties under a CSA is launched?
Once such Financial support to third parties under a CSA is launched, the implementation of Booster grants for Innovation activities will be performed by the CSA beneficiary.
What are EIC Awardees' obligations on exploitation and dissemination planning?
EIC Awardees must report on exploitation and dissemination activities and provide updated plans as agreed, within 30 days upon request from the EIC Programme Manager. The Agency may request updates at any time. Consortium Agreements must address all related IP...
What are EIC Awardees' obligations regarding exploitation of results?
EIC Awardees must use their best efforts to exploit results or have them exploited by third parties, prioritising those in Member States or Associated Countries, including transfer or licensing. The Agency may object to transfers or licensing under conditions...
What are the award criteria for Booster grants supporting activities to explore pathways to commercialisation?
Award criteria are: Excellence — timeliness and pertinence of the activities; Impact — potential of the deep-tech innovation to create new markets or solve pressing societal needs; Quality and efficiency of implementation — expertise, capabilities and motivati...
What are the award criteria for portfolio activities?
Award criteria are: Excellence — contribution of the activity to EIC Portfolio objectives; Impact — timeliness of the activity to maximise its impact; Quality and efficiency of implementation — engagement of EIC Portfolio projects and relevant external partner...
What are the non-disclosure obligations when EIC Awardees receive confidential information from other EIC actions?
They must keep it strictly confidential, not disclose it without prior written consent of the owner, use the same degree of care as for their own confidential information, act in good faith, and not use it for purposes other than assessing opportunities to pro...
What happens after a Booster grant proposal is successful?
Successful applicants are invited for grant agreement preparation, which may include adjustments proposed by the EIC Programme Manager. Following successful grant preparation, the Agency will award the EIC Booster grant as a Coordination and Support Action to...
What is the funding rate and form for EIC Booster grants?
The funding rate is 100% of eligible costs. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe.
What portfolio activities can EIC Booster grants support?
Portfolio activities may include defining common objectives and activities, building synergies within the EIC Portfolio and with outside partners, engaging strategic partners to overcome common challenges, (co)-organising events, maximising data sharing, and r...
What rules apply to exchange of information for EIC portfolio activities?
The EIC Programme Manager may request information on results (preliminary or final). If not already public or protected by IP, that information is earmarked confidential and disseminated only to specified EIC entities that have signed non-disclosure agreements...
What types of activities can EIC Booster grants support to explore pathways to commercialisation?
They can support definition of a commercialisation process, market and competitiveness analysis, technology assessment, verification of innovation potential, consolidation of IP rights, business case development, exploratory/preparatory work for creating start...
Who can be beneficiaries of EIC Booster grants?
Potential beneficiaries include EIC Awardees, Technology Transfer Offices, EIC Inventors and other third parties provided with the necessary access rights or entrusted with such tasks by the concerned awardee.
Who can invite potential beneficiaries to apply for an EIC Booster grant?
EIC Awardees or other potential beneficiaries can be invited to apply at any time following a positive recommendation from an EIC Programme Manager or a project review.
Who composes the evaluation committee for Booster grant proposals?
The committee is composed of an EIC Programme Manager, an external expert selected from a limited pool of trained experts covering broad technology areas, and either an EIC Project Officer or a second external expert.
Can applicants request an evaluation review and what can be reviewed?
Yes. For EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition, EIC Accelerator, EIC Prize winners and certain beneficiaries, the coordinator can submit a complaint if they believe the evaluation procedure was flawed. Only procedural aspects of an evaluation may be the subject of a...
Can the granting authority object to transfers of ownership or exclusive licensing of results?
Yes. For Horizon Europe EIC actions, the granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, under the conditions set in the Horizon Europe Regulation (art 40.4).
How are national or regional programmes certified for the Plug-in scheme?
Programmes are assessed by a group of experts and certified by the Commission based on whether their project review and evaluation procedures are equivalent to the EIC Accelerator requirements. Only programmes for which EIC Plug-in contact points provide all k...
How is financial capacity checked and what documents are used?
The Agency will check financial capacity based on documents uploaded in the Participant Register during grant preparation (e.g., profit and loss account, balance sheet, business plan, audit report certifying last closed financial year). The analysis uses neutr...
How is operational capacity assessed for EIC Accelerator applicants?
For the EIC Accelerator, operational capacity is assessed during evaluation of the award criterion 'Level of risk, implementation, and need for Union support'. Experts judge whether each participant has, or will have in due time thanks to EIC support, sufficie...
How must personal and non-personal data be treated under EIC projects?
Personal data must not be made public unless explicitly agreed by the data subjects. Non-personal data will be open in principle but exceptions apply following the principle 'as open as possible, as closed as necessary'.
Is there any derogation to the prohibition on operations with entities in non-cooperative jurisdictions?
Yes. There is a possibility to derogate from this requirement when the action is physically implemented in one of those jurisdictions, as contained in Article 155(2)(b) of the Financial Regulation.