My Proposal Has a High Score But Was Rejected, What Now? Posted on August 27, 2017March 20, 2019 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. The Score All proposals above a threshold of 13 receive the “Seal of Excellence” and are eligible for funding. Unfortunately, the budget of the SME Topics is limited and the higher the number of applicants, the lower the chances to receive funding. Usually, proposals will get funded starting at a score of 13.5 – 14. Once your proposal has been evaluated (1-2 months after the submission deadline), you will receive: The Evaluation Report An evaluation report: This contained the mean evaluations of 4 different evaluators regarding all aspects of the proposal and grading “Impact”, “Excellence” and “Quality” as Very Good to Excellent (4.5 – 5) Good to Very Good (3.5 – 4.49) Fair to Good (2.5 – 3.49) Insufficient to Fair (1.5 – 2.49) Insufficient (0-1.49) The maximum score would be 3 x 5 = 15. The Good News You can resubmit the proposal indefinitely and improve it with every submission. Depending on the country you live in, you can use your “Seal of Excellence” and directly receive national funding (please read the conditions and deadlines carefully – calls might be closed or getting reinstated soon). This is currently possible in Sweden (VINNOVA), Cyprus (Research Promotion Foundation), Czech Republic (Technology agency), France (French Association of Innovative Clusters), Norway and Slovenia. Horizon 2020 Phase 1 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator deadlineEIC Accelerator submissionIndustries & CompaniesInvestorsSME Instrument Phase 1TimelineWriting Tips
EIC Accelerator SME Instrument Grant Writing Tips (EIC Accelerator) Posted on October 12, 2019October 9, 2020 I frequently get asked about the application process for the SME Instrument Funding by the EU, so here is a brief overview for every startup that wants to apply: Proposal writing is the most important part but I am covering this in another post Choosing an Acronym and Tagline: Each… Read More
EIC Accelerator How to Interpret the Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) of an EIC Accelerator Application (SME Instrument) – Part 1 Posted on October 27, 2020March 7, 2021 The Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) provides the EIC Accelerator blended financing applicant (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity financing) with feedback regarding the proposal quality. While separating and grading the central sections of Impact, Excellence and Implementation, it gives additional scores on selected subcriteria (read: Using the ESR). A… Read More
EIC Accelerator Identifying a Broad Vision for an EIC Accelerator Project (SME Instrument Phase 2) Posted on July 29, 2020October 9, 2020 The introduction is an important aspect of an EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument Phase 2) application and, even though it is not specifically mentioned in the template, it sets up much of the perceived project impact (see EIC Accelerator Writing: Providing the Missing Link). In general, the introduction should be as… Read More