How To Identify a High Quality SME Instrument Project (EIC Accelerator)

October 12, 2019 • By Stephan Segler, PhD

EIC Accelerator Funding Horizon Europe SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator

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.

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:

EIC Accelerator Step 1 Deadline 2025

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

EIC Accelerator Step 2 Deadline 2025

March

October

EIC Accelerator Step 2 Deadlines: March 12^th 2025 and October 1^st 2025

EIC Accelerator Step 3 Deadline 2025

June

January

EIC Accelerator Step 3 Interview Dates: Week of June 2^nd 2025 and January 2026

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).

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