How To Identify a High Quality SME Instrument Project (EIC Accelerator) Posted on October 12, 2019March 20, 2020 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. If you are considering to apply for the start-up grant by the EU, here is the most important information on how to identify a high-quality project: (1) Hardware products: More than 60% of all funded projects are related to hardware manufacturing, followed by subscription services at only 16%. This does not exclude pure software projects but shows that hardware innovations have a better way of showing a need for funding due to high production costs. They also have an easier time to patent the solution and show the innovative nature of the project. (2) High Value Industries: While the budget distribution in the newest installation of the SME Instrument has changed, the past data shows that the most frequently funded projects are related to healthcare, cleantech, energy, analytics and transportation. (3) Revenue Model: B2B is by far the most sought after project type with 76% of all funded projects, followed by B2C revenue models. It is usually difficult for B2C projects to show investors any customer interest if the technology is still in the pre-commercial stage but e.g. retailer & distribution agreements can help in this regard. EIC Accelerator Horizon 2020 Phase 1 Phase 2 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator grantEIC Accelerator helpHardwareIndustries & CompaniesInvestorsSME Instrument Phase 1SoftwareTimelinetip#16
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
Horizon 2020 Technical Writing Tips Posted on March 19, 2019March 18, 2020 When you write your proposal, you must make sure that your technology is well explained and that your explanation is not too superficial. This is difficult since the proposal has a page limit but the evaluator must see that you and your team have put a lot of development efforts… Read More
EIC Accelerator The Grant Proposal Evaluation Criteria (2023 EIC Accelerator Work Programme Part 6) Posted on November 5, 2022November 5, 2022 The EIC Accelerator funding (grant and equity, with blended financing option) awards up to €2.5 million in grant and €15 million in equity financing per project (€17.5 million total). It is a popular funding instrument specializing in DeepTech startups and small mid-caps which aim to finalize their product developments, enter… Read More