EIC Accelerator Budget Retrospectively Increased By €150m due to COVID-19 Posted on April 30, 2020October 9, 2020 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. It has today been announced that the budget for the March 20th cut-off for the EIC Accelerator has been increased retrospectively. This has been decided due to the record number of applications received (almost 4,000 instead of the usual ~1,900) and the EU’s push towards applicants to present COVID-19 related innovations, following the coronavirus pandemic. (europa.eu News). The budget has been increased by exactly €150m from the previous €819,04m for all of 2020 to the current €969,04m, out of which 32% are now dedicated to the March cut-off (€310,09m) and 31% to the Green Deal cut-off in May (€300,40m). The remaining October cut-off has remained unchanged with a budget of €164,74m. It has likewise been confirmed that the interview will be held remotely for a total of 10 days from May 11th to May 20th. Thus far, the EIC has decided to not postpone the May deadline which renders rejected interviewees unable to re-apply for the Green Deal cut-off. This article was last modified on Oct 9, 2020 @ 11:23 These tips are not only useful for European startups, professional writers, consultants and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) but are generally recommended when writing a business plan or investor documents. Deadlines: Post-Horizon 2020, the EIC Accelerator accepts Step 1 submissions now while the deadlines for the full applications (Step 2) under Horizon Europe are: Step 1 Open now: Apply as soon as possible to be eligible for the next Step 2 submission deadline Proposals are sent for evaluation on the first Tuesday of every month Step 2 (closing 17:00 Brussels Time) 1st cut-off 2025: - 2nd cut-off 2025: March 12th 2025 3rd cut-off 2025: - 4th cut-off 2025: October 1st 2025 Step 3 1st cut-off 2025: - 2nd cut-off 2025: TBD 3rd cut-off 2025: - 4th cut-off 2025: TBD The Step 1 applications must be submitted weeks in advance of Step 2. The next EIC Accelerator cut-off for Step 2 (full proposal) can be found here. After Brexit, UK companies can still apply to the EIC Accelerator under Horizon Europe albeit with non-dilutive grant applications only - thereby excluding equity-financing. Contact: You can reach out to us via this contact form to work with a professional consultant. AI Grant Writer: ChatEIC is a fully automated EIC Accelerator grant proposal writer: Get it here. EU, UK & US Startups: Alternative financing options for EU, UK and US innovation startups are the EIC Pathfinder (combining Future and Emerging Technologies - FET Open & FET Proactive) with €4M per project, Thematic Priorities, European Innovation Partnerships (EIP), Innovate UK with £3M (for UK-companies only) as well as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants with $1M (for US-companies only). Any more questions? View the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Want to see all articles? They can be found here. For Updates: Join this Newsletter! by Stephan Segler, PhDProfessional Grant Consultant at Segler Consulting General information on the EIC Accelerator template, professional grant writing and how to prepare a successful application can be found in the following articles: A Quick FTO Guide for EIC Accelerator Applicants in a Rush 2023 Budget Allocations for EIC Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator Developing the Unique Selling Points (USP) for the EIC Accelerator Explaining the Resubmission Process for the EIC Accelerator A Short but Comprehensive Explanation of the EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator Success Cases Deciding Between EIC Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator A Winning Candidate for the EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator Interview Preparation Process: Scripting the Pitch (Part 1) EIC Accelerator Horizon 2020 Phase 2 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator deadlineEIC accelerator green deal
EIC Accelerator Why it’s Important to Have a Diverse Grant Strategy (EIC Accelerator, SME Instrument) – Part 2 Posted on February 19, 2021February 15, 2021 This article is a continuation of Part 1 and describes a perspective as to how startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) should view grant applications. Since especially the EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity financing) is highly competitive and templates can be difficult… Read More
EIC Accelerator Choosing a Good Project for the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument Phase 2) Posted on May 29, 2020October 9, 2020 While any type of industry or product is eligible for an EIC Accelerator application, the EU specifically seeks out innovative businesses that are providing high-risk and high-reward products or services. The evaluation criteria directly mention new market creation, market disruption as well as the establishment of new value-chains and, while… Read More
EIC Accelerator Specific Buzzwords to be used in EIC Accelerator Applications (SME Instrument Phase 2) Posted on October 14, 2020October 9, 2020 The European Commission (EC) and the European Innovation Council (EIC) in particular have a variety of keywords (or buzzwords) that are often asked for in the official EIC Accelerator grant proposal template (SME Instrument Phase 2). Such keywords are not required to be part of a good business model but,… Read More