Library FAQ
Are EIC funding calls thematic or open?
All funding is open, with no predefined thematic areas.
How are Pathfinder proposals evaluated and what are recent demand and success rates?
Proposals are assessed on excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation by independent experts (individual and panel), taking about five months from submission to final ranked list. In 2019, 952 proposals were evaluated and 151 received fund...
How large is the EIC Accelerator portfolio and where do companies come from?
The portfolio includes around 5,500 firms from 28 EU Member States and many Horizon 2020 associated countries, including Faroe Islands, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Switzerland.
How long does it take for applicants to be informed of EIC Accelerator results and to receive the first grant payment?
Applicants are informed about the result within one month and receive the first part of their grants within five months on average from the application date.
How much private follow-on funding have EIC Accelerator portfolio companies attracted?
Until May 2020, portfolio companies had attracted over €5.3 billion of private follow-on funding, of which €4 billion (74%) came from equity investments.
What additional steps are taken for the equity part of blended finance?
Additional due diligence is undertaken by the EIC Fund to structure the investment.
What are the maximum amounts available under EIC blended finance?
Equity or quasi-equity up to €15 million blended with a grant component up to €2.5 million.
What are the typical size and age characteristics of EIC portfolio SMEs?
Most SMEs are small; almost two-thirds are micro companies (fewer than 10 employees), though in 2020 this decreased to 48% while small companies (10–49 employees) increased. Start-ups (up to 5 years old) represent 60% of selected companies.
What exits have EIC-backed companies achieved?
Seventeen EIC-backed companies have done IPOs (95% on European exchanges) and 43 companies have been acquired (65% by European companies, 30% by US companies and 5% by Japanese companies).
What is the composition of the EIC Accelerator Pilot jury?
Gender balance 49% and 51%; members include business angels, serial entrepreneurs, innovation and industry specialists, venture capitalists, and others from 35 countries.
What is the EIC Pathfinder and what funding does it provide?
Pathfinder supports high-risk, long-term interdisciplinary research to develop visionary science-inspired technologies; it offers grants between €3–€4 million (in specific cases up to €10 million) to consortia of at least three entities from three different EU...
What is the purpose of the EIC Fund and when was it incorporated?
The EIC Fund, incorporated in June 2020, manages the equity part of blended finance: it runs due diligence, structures inclusive deals with private capital, manages ownership stakes, creates value through connections, and supports investee companies in subsequ...
What is the Seal of Excellence?
A quality label awarded to high-quality proposals that do not receive funding, to help other funding bodies use the EIC evaluation results; since October 2019, 2,537 companies from 40 countries have received certificates.
What non-financial support does the EIC provide?
Access to coaching and mentoring services and pitch opportunities with corporates, VCs, and others.
What proportion of applicants passed the EIC Accelerator's strict evaluation in 2019?
Around 2–3% of applying companies got through the strict evaluation in 2019.
What share of portfolio companies received SME Instrument Phase 1 grants versus Phase 2/EIC Accelerator funding?
Around 71% received €50,000 grants (SME Instrument Phase 1) and 29% competed successfully for funding above €0.5 million (Phase 2 and EIC Accelerator).
What types of customers do EIC-funded companies target?
A large majority (77%) target B2B users, while one fourth concentrate on B2C.
What types of support does the EIC offer to SMEs?
Grant-only support for any type of innovation and blended finance (grant plus equity/quasi-equity) for breakthrough and disruptive non-bankable innovation.
What was notable about applications in March 2020?
A record 3,883 eligible applications were submitted for a single cut-off, mainly driven by COVID-19 related applications; an extra €150 million was made available for COVID-19 projects.
Which industry sectors account for the largest shares of funded companies?
The top three industry sectors are health (1,262 companies), energy (922) and enterprise software (735).
How can AI accelerate advanced materials for energy?
AI can speed discovery and development of materials with improved thermal, electrochemical, or chemical properties (e.g., phase-change materials), enabling devices and systems with drastically improved performance.
How could high-temperature TES impact the next five to ten years?
It could help decarbonise industrial heat (a major source of emissions), reduce energy consumption, provide flexible power-system services as an alternative to batteries/hydro, and enable reversible heat-to-power systems (Carnot batteries) integrating renewabl...
How may enhanced energy density SAFs affect aviation in the next five to ten years?
They may increase EU aviation competitiveness, reduce aviation emissions, preserve industrial value chains like jet engine manufacturing, and prompt new regulatory frameworks and standards for safe, widespread adoption.
What are enhanced energy density sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs)?
They are SAFs engineered to have higher volumetric and gravimetric energy densities to match conventional jet fuels in performance and cost-per-energy unit, facilitating storage, handling, and use in aviation.