Writing the Abstract for the EIC Accelerator Grant (SME Instrument Phase 2) Posted on June 16, 2020October 9, 2020 By Stephan Segler, Ph.D. The abstract for the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument Phase 2) project will be the only part of the proposal that, if successful, is made public through the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) website. In general, it should contain a complete summary of the project, condensed into 2,000 characters, and be devoid of any confidential information. You should also consider that the information in this section could be associated with your company indefinitely so you should take care that all the figures, metrics and facts you present here are well researched. You might also want to avoid giving concrete revenue projections or financial data (i.e. professional writers or consultants should be extra diligent here). First Part (66% of the space) The structure of the abstract follows the general recommendations for a good narrative (see here) by first outlining the problem (i.e. market pain points, financial losses, health concerns, EU policies, etc.), then moving on to the current insufficiencies in addressing the problem (i.e. downsides of current methods, the inability of competitors, a lack of solutions, etc.) and then presenting the innovation (i.e. operating principle and key features). The narrative should seamlessly flow from one sentence to another and there should be no unnecessary information while making every word count. See information on the narrative here: EIC-Accelerator Writing: Providing the Missing Link (SME Instrument Phase 2) Second Part (33% of the space) Afterwards, the team, company, pilot customers and expected market impact should be presented to highlight the team’s competence and ability to execute the project. If applicable, industry changes, job creation, gender equality and other social issues should be addressed. In terms of traction, some information should be given regarding the number of customers, customer inquiries, active users or the access to resources that are key to the business model (i.e. European focus recommended). Conclusion The abstract follows no particular template or structure but it is a good rule of thumb to keep the first paragraph at two-thirds of the length and leave one third for the second paragraph. Reading the abstract should give the evaluator a sense of a high-impact innovation which is urgently needed and the applicant should appear competent enough to fully exploit the business opportunity. Examples for successful abstracts of funded projects can be found on the results page of the CORDIS database. This article was last modified on Oct 9, 2020 @ 11:09 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 pilotEIC Accelerator resultsEIC Accelerator templateEIC Accelerator womenIndustries & CompaniesSME Instrument Phase 2Writing Tips
EIC Accelerator Who Should Not Apply To The EIC Accelerator And Why Posted on April 24, 2023April 17, 2023 The EIC Accelerator grant financing (with blended equity option) by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Commission (EC) funds Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) and startups with up to €2.5 million in grants and €15 million in equity financing per project (€17.5 million total). The EIC Accelerator sets out… Read More
EIC Accelerator Visual Representation of an EIC Accelerator Proposal Narrative (SME Instrument Phase 2) – Part 3 Posted on October 26, 2020October 18, 2020 Part 1 and Part 2 of this article can be found under the provided links. The following article as a continuation of the visual guide (i.e. Part 3) for the preparation of an EIC Accelerator blended financing proposal (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity financing) which can be… Read More
EIC Accelerator How to Select an EU Grant Financing Program such as the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument) – Part 1 Posted on December 26, 2020December 20, 2020 The EIC Accelerator blended financing (formerly SME Instrument Phase 2, grant and equity financing) program is an interesting opportunity for startups and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) but it might not be suitable for all applicants (read: Introduction). There are a variety of considerations to be made in advance which… Read More