Library FAQ
What measurable company impacts have followed EIC support?
Within three years of receiving EIC support, companies experienced on average 44% employment growth, 109% increase in intangible assets, 67% increase in tangible assets, and 140% increase in liquidity.
What programmes make up the EIC?
Key EIC instruments are Pathfinder (deep-tech R&D), Transition (lab to business), Accelerator (startup development and scaling, grants and equity), the EIC Fund (early-stage investments), Seals of Excellence, and Business Acceleration Services.
Who governs and manages the EIC?
An independent EIC Board of innovators, venture capitalists, business executives and academics advises on EIC strategy, while an in-house team of EIC Programme Managers provides expert guidance across technology domains; investment decisions are managed by an...
Can you give an example of an EIC‑supported COVID‑19 solution?
ADVITOS GmbH (Germany) received €0.9 million grant funding and €14.4 million investment for a multi‑organ support device for severely ill COVID‑19 patients; the EIC Fund contributed 50% of the investment volume in that round.
Does the EIC operate across all EU Member States?
Yes; the EIC has supported start‑ups and SMEs from all 27 EU Member States as well as a number of third countries.
How does the EIC contribute to societal challenges like the green and digital transitions and COVID‑19?
The EIC supports deep tech innovations addressing the twin green and digital transitions, health challenges and SDGs; in 2020, 90.5% of EIC Accelerator portfolio companies developed innovations addressing at least one SDG, and many start‑ups worked on COVID‑19...
How does the EIC measure success in crowding in private investment?
EIC Accelerator companies have raised €9.6 billion in follow‑on investments, nearly three times the €3.8 billion of public funding invested, in line with the EIC Board target multiple of 3–5; the EIC Fund’s first 24 equity investments attracted €395.1 million...
How many start-ups, SMEs and research projects has the EIC supported?
The report states the EIC has supported over 5,000 start‑ups and innovative SMEs and over 400 cutting‑edge research projects; since 2014 it has funded around 5,500 start‑ups and SMEs and over 400 research and innovation projects.
How much has the EIC Fund invested so far?
The EIC Fund has approved investment decisions for over €600 million in 137 companies (figures reported for January–July and across 23 EU countries).
What are the EIC’s main funding schemes?
The three main schemes are EIC Pathfinder (advanced high‑risk research), EIC Transition (turning research results into high‑impact innovation) and EIC Accelerator (support for ambitious companies to develop and scale innovations).
What are the main impacts reported from the EIC Pathfinder?
Since 2014 the Pathfinder supported over 400 trans‑national research teams involving 3,000+ partners and reported 827 innovations, 58 patents, 475 collaborative research projects and 1,842 high‑impact scientific publications.
What budget and institutional changes accompanied the EIC launch in 2021?
The 2021 launch involved a budget of over €10 billion, creation of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), a ramping up of the EIC Fund, and appointment of an independent EIC Board and President.
What Business Acceleration Services does the EIC provide?
Services include the Corporate Partnership Programme (connecting innovators with large corporates), Buyers Partnership Programme (connecting innovators with buyers), overseas trade fairs (4,700 meetings generating over €26 million in deals), specialised coachi...
What evidence is there of EIC companies scaling up?
The EIC Accelerator portfolio includes 91 'centaurs' (valuations over €100 million) and 2 'unicorns' (valuations over €1 billion), with the total portfolio valuation around €50 billion.
What is the EIC Community and what does it offer partners?
The EIC Community is a platform giving corporates, procurers, investors and partners access to 5,500+ quality‑stamped companies and over 408 research teams, serving as a one‑stop shop for scouting, communicating and evaluating start‑ups and scale‑ups and enabl...
What is the EIC Fund and when was it incorporated?
The EIC Fund is a dedicated investment fund for EIC‑backed start‑ups, incorporated in July 2020 to crowd in private investors and support scaling of deep tech companies.
What is the European Innovation Council (EIC)?
The EIC is Europe’s flagship innovation programme launched as a fully‑fledged programme in March 2021 (building on a 2018 pilot) to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough deep tech technologies and game‑changing innovations.
What networking and event outcomes does the EIC report?
The EIC reports over 12,781 networking events per year, about 1,250 corporates/investors/procurer representatives at events, 40% of pitching start‑ups having follow‑up meetings or deals within 6 months, and an 89% satisfaction rate.
What progress has the EIC made on women‑led start‑ups?
The share of women‑led start‑ups supported rose to 22% in 2020 (up from 15% in 2019); the EIC Advisory Board has set an annual target of 35% women‑led start‑ups.
What role do EIC Programme Managers play?
EIC Programme Managers proactively support follow‑up of emerging technologies into potential innovations via spin‑outs, IPRs, collaborations and other pathways.
When was the EIC launched and what preceded it?
The EIC pilot was launched in 2018 (seeds planted from 2014) and the fully‑fledged EIC was launched in March 2021 as part of Horizon Europe.
Which technology and sector areas does the EIC support?
The EIC supports deep tech across Digital and Industry (AI, cloud, quantum, photonics, robotics, Industry 4.0), Green technologies (batteries, solar, recycling, transport, waste management, precision farming), and Health (oncology, drugs, cell biology, clinica...
How large is the Horizon Europe EIC portfolio (2021–end 2023)?
It comprises over 500 start-ups, 275 advanced research projects, and 140 projects commercialising research results funded since 2021 up to outcomes announced until the end of 2023.
How many co-investors has the EIC worked with and which investor types are most common?
There are 280 unique co-investors under Horizon Europe. Venture capitalists represent the largest grouping by number of deals, and corporates including corporate venture funds are also significant participants.