Using the Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) to Improve Grant Proposal Writing (EIC Accelerator) Posted on March 20, 2020October 14, 2020 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. Every great grant application starts with a great project. It must be able to check all the necessary boxes from the innovation, the team, the commercialisation strategy over to the market impact but it is very common to forget how most of these factors are not directly evaluated by the reviewers. Each of the four reviewers has to grade the proposal according to a variety of pre-defined micro-criteria. The four individual gradings of these criteria will be averaged (while removing the highest and lowest scores) and the final score will be calculated based on how the proposal performed in these distinct sections. It is also very important to realise that the evaluation of the project is based on the proposal and not the project itself. The difference between a low score and a high score is often a week of extra writing work but entirely independent of how the project has changed during that same time. The official proposal template does not comment on the evaluation criteria so every writer must follow these criteria alongside the proposal template as to not miss critical information or angles which need to be addressed. This following PDF document lists all of the evaluation criteria as they are presented in the Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) which is obtained after proposal submission: ESR Analysis This article was last modified on Oct 14, 2020 @ 12:39 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) EIC Accelerator Horizon 2020 Phase 2 SME Instrument / EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator grantEIC Accelerator submissionEIC Accelerator templateEIC Accelerator writerSME Instrument Phase 1Timelinetip#21Writing Tips
EIC Accelerator EIC Accelerator Proposal Design: Helpful Resources and Graphics (SME Instrument) Posted on June 3, 2020October 9, 2020 1. Pictograms Pictograms can be very helpful in designing concept graphics and in increasing the general appeal of figures and images. Since a single project might have very specific needs regarding the type and look of the desired illustrations, a large database of pictograms is highly beneficial. The Noun Project… Read More
EIC Accelerator Gender Equality Targets in the Age of Gender Identification (EIC Accelerator) Posted on March 14, 2021March 14, 2021 The EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity) is a competitive funding program by the European Commission (EC) and has always been heavily affected by European Union (EU) policies. Examples for this are the requirements to meet sustainability targets, address societal challenges and other recent… Read More
EIC Accelerator How to Select an EU Grant Financing Program such as the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument) – Part 3 Posted on December 28, 2020December 20, 2020 This article is a continuation of Part 2 and describes a list of considerations to be made by startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) that seek to raise grant financing from the European Union (EU). One of these options is the EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase… Read More