What is the EIC Accelerator? The EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity) by the European Commission (EC) and European Innovation Council (EIC) is designed for startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME). It awards up to €2.5 million in grant and €15 million in equity financing per project (€17.5… Read more
Why did my EIC Accelerator project receive a Seal of Excellence (SOE) but no funding? A Seal of Excellence (SOE) is obtained if a company passes Step 1 and Step 2 of the EIC Accelerator but is rejected in Step 3. If the applicant has been rejected for the first time in Step 3, they are able to re-apply to Step 2 or Step 3… Read more
What is the Seal of Excellence (SOE)? The Seal of Excellence (SOE) is awarded to projects that are of high quality but were rejected in Step 3 of the EIC Accelerator’s evaluation process. Read more
What is the ESR? The Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) is the final evaluation document after an EIC Accelerator application which gives the score and feedback. Read more
What type of feedback do I receive after an EIC Accelerator application? The result of the EIC Accelerator application is an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) which details the scoring of the application, the evaluation of sub-criteria and comments from each remote evaluator. See: How to Craft an EIC Accelerator Rebuttal: Explaining Grant Proposal Resubmissions Read more
Can two companies apply for the same project? No, the same project can only be submitted by one company but this does not include similar projects in case competitors are applying for the same grant. Read more
Can I submit multiple projects to the EIC Accelerator? Yes, but the projects have to be different. Read more
Can I re-submit a rejected EIC Accelerator proposal? Yes, re-submissions are allowed in case EIC Accelerator applications were rejected prior. See: Explaining the Resubmission Process for the EIC Accelerator Read more
How long does it take until I receive the EIC Accelerator grant? The timeline depends on the number of resubmissions, deadlines per year and quality of the project since rejections are common. A fast EIC Accelerator submission process from Step 1 to the approval in Step 3 can occur in 6 months but can also take multiple years. Timelines are also prolonged… Read more
Should I apply to the EIC Accelerator grant by myself? It is possible to apply to the EIC Accelerator alone without prior experience if the applying company has the needed in-house skills. Read: Should a Company Hire a Professional Consultant or Write an EIC Accelerator Grant Application Internally? (SME Instrument Phase 2) Read more
What is a work package? A work package is a concrete set of tasks and development plans revolving around a specific deliverable. A large development project is separated into multiple work packages to make budgeting, tracking and accountability easier for the investing party, namely the European Commission (EC). Read more