EIC Accelerator: New Proposal Template from March 20th (2020)

The new proposal template for the EIC Accelerators Green Deal deadline on May 19th has recently been released and this article summarises the major changes.

• • New Form Fields: The first change is found in the application forms under “Call Specific Questions” where it is now required to provide the gender of the CEO. This is in accordance with the new rule to have a 25% quota for female CEO’s which must be met by the EIC Accelerator. In addition, Green Deal goals must be selected via checkboxes to identify if the project is addressing any of the existing targets. Both of these changes will very likely remain part of all future EIC Accelerator deadlines.
  • New Impact Criterion: In the “Impact” section of the application template,  a new criterion named “Green Deal (May 2020 cut-off only)”  has been added which asks companies to detail the impact on the EU’s new Green Deal. This impact must be quantified and proven by providing suitable explanations and references.
  • The Equity Table is Now Mandatory: The third change can be found in the “Financing Needs” section and the “Equity Table” specifically. Since requesting equity-financing is optional, filling out the equity table has so far been optional as well. It used to state “Equity (if blended finance requested)” in the September 2019 version and now says “Equity (All applicants should fill in this section)” in the March 2020 template.

It is always useful to see if any changes have been made to the template even if an application is already completed or being re-submitted to subsequent deadlines. Each updated template contains a list of changes in the beginning which will make it easier to implement the new requirements.

This article was last modified on Oct 14, 2020 @ 12:38

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)
  • 1^st cut-off 2025: -
  • 2^nd cut-off 2025: March 12^th 2025
  • 3^rd cut-off 2025: -
  • 4^th cut-off 2025: October 1^st 2025
• Step 3
  • 1^st cut-off 2025: -
  • 2^nd cut-off 2025: TBD
  • 3^rd cut-off 2025: -
  • 4^th 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.

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by Stephan Segler, PhD
Professional 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)