My Proposal Has a High Score But Was Rejected, What Now? Posted on August 27, 2017March 20, 2019 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. The Score All proposals above a threshold of 13 receive the “Seal of Excellence” and are eligible for funding. Unfortunately, the budget of the SME Topics is limited and the higher the number of applicants, the lower the chances to receive funding. Usually, proposals will get funded starting at a score of 13.5 – 14. Once your proposal has been evaluated (1-2 months after the submission deadline), you will receive: The Evaluation Report An evaluation report: This contained the mean evaluations of 4 different evaluators regarding all aspects of the proposal and grading “Impact”, “Excellence” and “Quality” as Very Good to Excellent (4.5 – 5) Good to Very Good (3.5 – 4.49) Fair to Good (2.5 – 3.49) Insufficient to Fair (1.5 – 2.49) Insufficient (0-1.49) The maximum score would be 3 x 5 = 15. The Good News You can resubmit the proposal indefinitely and improve it with every submission. Depending on the country you live in, you can use your “Seal of Excellence” and directly receive national funding (please read the conditions and deadlines carefully – calls might be closed or getting reinstated soon). This is currently possible in Sweden (VINNOVA), Cyprus (Research Promotion Foundation), Czech Republic (Technology agency), France (French Association of Innovative Clusters), Norway and Slovenia. Horizon 2020 Phase 1 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator deadlineEIC Accelerator submissionIndustries & CompaniesInvestorsSME Instrument Phase 1TimelineWriting Tips
EIC Accelerator How to Script an EIC Accelerator Pitch Video (SME Instrument) – Part 1 Posted on January 1, 2021December 30, 2020 In 2021, the EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity financing) requires the upload of a pitch video which can present new challenges to prospect applicants (read: Proposed 2021 Template). While startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) can find information on the creation of… Read More
EIC Accelerator How to Prepare a Good EIC Accelerator Application: General Project Advice Posted on April 10, 2023March 27, 2023 The EIC Accelerator funding (grant and equity, with blended financing option) by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Commission (EC) is a selective program designed for startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME). The funding per project can reach €17.5 million in total (€2.5 million in grant and €15… Read More
Horizon 2020 Directly Applying for Phase 2 Posted on March 19, 2019March 18, 2020 I am talking to a lot of startups regarding EU funding and I frequently get asked if it is possible to apply to Phase 2 of the SME Instrument directly. The answer is: Yes. Technically you can but in reality, most startups do not have enough data (market, business… Read More