It has today been announced that the budget for the March 20^th cut-off for the EIC Accelerator has been increased retrospectively. This has been decided due to the record number of applications received (almost 4,000 instead of the usual ~1,900) and the EU’s push towards applicants to present COVID-19 related innovations, following the coronavirus pandemic. (europa.eu News).

The budget has been increased by exactly €150m from the previous €819,04m for all of 2020 to the current €969,04m, out of which 32% are now dedicated to the March cut-off (€310,09m) and 31% to the Green Deal cut-off in May (€300,40m). The remaining October cut-off has remained unchanged with a budget of €164,74m.

It has likewise been confirmed that the interview will be held remotely for a total of 10 days from May 11^th to May 20^th. Thus far, the EIC has decided to not postpone the May deadline which renders rejected interviewees unable to re-apply for the Green Deal cut-off.

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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:

• January 11^th 2023 (only EIC Accelerator Open)
• March 22^nd 2023
• June 7^th 2023
• October 4^th 2023

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!

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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:

• • • EIC Accelerator Interviews: Pitch Deck vs. Proposal Documents (SME Instrument)
    • Choosing a Good Project for the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument Phase 2)
    • The EIC Accelerator Budget: Grant vs. Blended Finance (SME Instrument Phase 2)
    • EIC Accelerator – Introduction and Blended Finance (SME Instrument Phase 2)
    • EIC-Accelerator Writing: Providing the Missing Link (SME Instrument Phase 2)
    • The Biggest Mistakes When Applying to the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument Phase 2)
    • Identifying a Broad Vision for an EIC Accelerator Project (SME Instrument Phase 2)