The EIC Accelerator Budget: Grant vs. Blended Finance (Equity, SME Instrument) Posted on May 26, 2020October 9, 2020 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. The grant and the equity contribution for the EIC Accelerator are sourced from different funds (i.e. the EC and the EIC, respectively) which means that the budget is also separated into two components. The grant will need to be defined in a budget table in Part A of the administrative forms which include the individual personnel, indirect, direct and subcontracting costs while the grant amount is defined as a maximum of 70% of the given project costs. For example, if the total project costs for the grant-side are given as €1m then the grant contribution cannot exceed €700k. The proposal itself (i.e. Document 1) will detail the grant with respect to subcontracting, workpackage budgets and resources through a list of items including justifications. The equity financing will be requested separately as a flat sum (i.e. €2m) in the administrative forms but without any other segmentation. It will also be briefly defined in the respective equity section and in the workpackages. In total, the overall project costs will be the sum of the grant (i.e. 70% or €700k – by the EC), the grant co-financing (i.e. 30% or €300k – by the applicant) and the equity financing (i.e. €2m – by the EIC) while the total financing requested (i.e. €2.7m) will be the sum of the grant (i.e. €700k) and the equity financing (i.e. €2m). The sourcing of the remaining 30% (€300k in this example) must be addressed in the proposal and it should be presented, in a believable way, that the expensed can be covered by revenues, investors or by other means. This article was last modified on Oct 9, 2020 @ 11:18 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 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. 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 equityEIC Accelerator financingEIC Accelerator grantGrant AmountInvestorsWriting Tips
EIC Accelerator The EIC’s One-Stop Shop Funding Framework (Pathfinder, Transition, Accelerator) Posted on January 23, 2023February 19, 2023 The European Innovation Council (EIC) has matured into a full innovation ecosystem for startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME), often supported by professional writers, freelancers or consultants. Today, the EIC has three flagship, non-dilutive funding programs for companies at all stages of development. These are the EIC Pathfinder, EIC… Read More
EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator Interview Preparation Process: Scripting the Pitch (Part 1) Posted on October 28, 2021December 23, 2024 The EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity) has introduced mandatory, in-person interviews in 2018 which marked the first multi-step installation of this financing instrument. For the first time, it was necessary to present and justify the innovation project in front of a jury that… Read More
EIC Accelerator The EIC Accelerator: Grant vs. Blended Financing (Equity) Posted on March 20, 2020October 14, 2020 Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding the equity financing option of the EU’s start-up grant (SME Instrument, EIC Accelerator). The EIC Accelerator offers the application for either a pure grant or blended finance (a mix between a grant and equity-based financing). While the application and reviewing… Read More