European Innovation Council Accelerator
EIC Accelerator
Status not published
Step 1 short proposals may be submitted at any time and are batched every first Tuesday of the month at 17:00 Brussels time. Step 2 full proposals are batched at 17:00 Brussels time on 07/01/2026, 04/03/2026, 06/05/2026, 08/07/2026, 02/09/2026 and 04/11/2026.
Grant component is a lump sum contribution 'below EUR 2.5 million' for innovation activities (TRL 6-8), to be completed within 24 months. A separate investment component of EUR 1-10 million in direct equity or quasi-equity is available via the EIC Fund (blended finance), or investment-only. Because the grant is a lump sum, there is no published percentage funding rate. 2026 budgets: EUR 414 million for Accelerator Open, EUR 220 million for Accelerator Challenges.
European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) / European Commission, under Horizon Europe
public · supranational
Deadline: cutoff — Step 1 short proposals may be submitted at any time and are batched every first Tuesday of the month at 17:00 Brussels time. Step 2 full proposals are batched at 17:00 Brussels time on 07/01/2026, 04/03/2026, 06/05/2026, 08/07/2026, 02/09/2026 and 04/11/2026.
Derived from official counts, 2024 October cut-off (results Feb 2025). This rate is measured post filter, so the odds from a standing start are lower.
Major bid — written case, budget, possibly partners.
Who can apply
- Up to 499 employees
- Sectors: deeptech, any
- Stage: seed, series_a, growth
- R&D activity required
- Locally registered entity required
Single start-up or SME (including spin-outs); small mid-caps up to 499 employees may apply for the investment component only; natural persons or legal entities willing to set up an SME or mid-cap may also apply. Applicants from third countries may relocate their company before Step 2 to become eligible. UK applicants can only apply for the 'grant only' scheme. Only one application at a time. Grant-only support may be provided only once during Horizon Europe 2021-2027. Horizon Europe grants are not de minimis aid; they are direct EU management funds, so the Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 ceiling does not apply.
How to apply
- Write your short proposal: a 12-page form, a pitch deck of up to ten slides in PDF, and a video pitch of up to three minutes. Evaluated remotely by 4 EIC expert evaluators; feedback normally in 4-6 weeks. — link
- If the short proposal receives a GO, prepare the full proposal on the Funding and Tenders portal: a 20-page form, pitch deck, implementation plan, financial information, Letters of Intent, freedom-to-operate analysis and a 3-minute video pitch. Results within 8-9 weeks. — link
- Pitch your innovation face-to-face to the EIC Jury (top-ranked proposals corresponding to 2.5 times the available grant budget are invited). Interview results within 2-3 weeks. — link
- Sign the Grant Agreement and receive first pre-financing. For blended finance, the case is transmitted to the EIC Fund and the investment need is assessed; investment decided within 2-6 months. — link
What you will need
- Short proposal form (12 pages)
- Pitch deck (up to 10 slides, PDF)
- Video pitch (up to 3 minutes, core team of up to 3 people)
- Full proposal form (20 pages)
- Implementation plan and financial information
- Letters of Intent
- Freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis
- PIC (Participant Identification Code) from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal
Source. https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en — checked 2026-08-14
"Grant component below EUR 2.5 million. Up to € 10 million of equity investments, coaching & mentoring, networking. ... Single start-up or SME (including spin-outs); Small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) in need of rapid scale up of the TRL 9 activity. Mid-caps can apply for investment only."