Library FAQ
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.
What are the award criteria and scoring for Coordination and Support Actions?
Coordination and Support Actions are evaluated against three criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation. For full proposals each criterion is scored out of 5; the threshold for each individual criterion is 3 and the overall...
What are the data management requirements for EIC funded projects?
All EIC funded projects must develop and update a data management plan if they generate or reuse research data or other research outputs (except publications). All personal and non-personal data must be managed responsibly in line with the FAIR principles, the...
What could happen if an applicant breaches the EIC investment obligations?
A breach of these obligations may lead to the interruption of the equity investment process.
What financial capacity must applicants have for EIC actions?
Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to successfully implement the projects and contribute their share; organisations in several projects must have sufficient capacity to implement all projects.
What is the Fast Track scheme for the EIC Accelerator?
The Fast Track scheme applies to EIC Accelerator proposals resulting from existing Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 projects. A project review by the responsible funding body assesses innovation or market deployment potential using award criteria equivalent to t...
What is the Plug-in scheme for the EIC Accelerator?
The pilot Plug-in scheme is like the Fast Track but applies to proposals resulting from existing national or regional programmes. A certified national/regional programme conducts a project review using criteria and independent assessment equivalent to the shor...
What operational capacity is required for EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition applicants?
Applicants must have the know-how, qualifications and resources to implement their tasks and contribute their share, including where appropriate sufficient experience in EU/trans-national projects of comparable size. This is assessed under the award criterion...
What restrictions apply to EIC investments regarding jurisdictions and sanctions?
The EIC applies the Council list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes and will not enter into contracts or business relationships with institutions or individuals on sanction lists, nor make funds available to them. It also applies EU rules on mon...
When is the financial capacity check normally carried out and what are the exceptions?
The financial capacity check is normally done for the coordinator and if the requested grant amount is equal or greater than EUR 500 000. Exceptions include public bodies or international organisations, and cases where the individual requested grant amount is...
When will applicants be refused during the award procedure?
Applicants will be refused if they misrepresented information required as a condition for participating or failed to supply that information during the award procedure, or if they were previously involved in preparing the call in a way that causes an irremedia...
Which applicants are exempted from the operational capacity check?
Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempted from the operational capacity check for the actions described.
Which exclusion situations prevent participation in EIC actions?
Applicants subject to EU administrative sanctions or in exclusion situations cannot participate. These include bankruptcy or similar procedures; breach of social security or tax obligations; grave professional misconduct; fraud, corruption, links to criminal o...