Choosing an Acronym for the EIC Accelerator Grant (SME Instrument Phase 2) Posted on June 17, 2020October 9, 2020 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. The acronym of the EIC Accelerator grant (SME Instrument Phase 2 for European startups) can be viewed as an even more condensed version of the proposal which should give the reader a memorable indication of what the project is about. If the abstract (see: Abstract Guide) summarizes the proposal and the title (see: Title Guide) summarizes the abstract then, in turn, the acronym should summarize the title (i.e. acronym < title < abstract < proposal) with a restriction of 20 characters (i.e. see the official template). While it is called an acronym, there is no requirement for it to be an actual abbreviation of the title or correspond to keywords in any way. Likewise, a successful acronym must not even be using capital letters although it can be useful to capitalize it in the proposal to highlight it throughout the text (i.e. bold and capitalized formatting in the main proposal colour). The acronym is like a micro-abstract and, while it could be equivalent to an existing product name or a trademark, it is usually recommended for professional writers or consultants to create a new acronym which summarizes the project well. Since character space is very limited (i.e. 20 characters including spaces), it is important to choose the most innovative feature or central part of the technology as the acronym. The acronym chosen should directly refer to either the long-term vision or the innovation of the project. As an example, instead of choosing WOOD MANUFACTURING which describes the industry rather than the innovation or vision, you cold pick AI WOOD RECYCLING, SUSTAINABLE WOOD or SMART WOOD as well as any other acronym which better highlights unique parts of the technology. This article was last modified on Oct 9, 2020 @ 11:08 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 4th cut-off 2024: January 13th to 17th 2025 1st cut-off 2025: TBD 2nd cut-off 2025: TBD 3rd cut-off 2025: TBD 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) Examples of successful abstracts, titles and acronyms can be found in the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) database and on the EIC Accelerator call page. EIC Accelerator Horizon 2020 Phase 2 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator grantEIC Accelerator templateIndustries & CompaniesSME Instrument Phase 2Writing Tips
EIC Accelerator Business Models for EIC Accelerator Applications (SME Instrument) Posted on May 24, 2020October 9, 2020 There are a great number of different business models available to choose from (i.e. marketplaces, product sales, SaaS, B2B, B2C, B2B2C, etc.) and the EU even lists business model innovations as a viable project type which can receive innovation financing. Still, some business models are better than others but it… 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
Horizon 2020 SME Instrument 2018 Changes Posted on March 19, 2019March 18, 2020 Before 2018, there were pre-defined industries (13 in total) which could apply to the SME Instrument. Starting February 2018, the funding is available to projects of all industries with no topic restrictions. The budgets and competitiveness of the old topics were highly disproportionate so this new development might level… Read More