EIC Accelerator

The EIC Accelerator is the funding instrument for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) programme and consists of two variants: "Accelerator Open" (bottom-up) and "Accelerator Challenges" (top-down).

The EIC Accelerator Open funding programme is aimed exclusively at SMEs. It is open-topic (bottom-up) and supports SMEs with growth potential in developing concrete and high-risk innovations to market maturity. The funding rate is 70% and applicants have the option of using additional equity capital (blended finance).The funding varies between 0.5 and 2.5 million euros and the equity is up to 10 million euros. This capital ceiling has been adjusted compared to 2024 to allow a clear focus on the use of EIC STEP Scale-Up funding for higher investment amounts.

Just like the Accelerator, this instrument promotes open SMEs (especially start-ups, spin-outs and scaling-ups) with innovative ideas that can have a major impact on the EU's objectives. In 2024, these objectives include the EU green deal, the Net Zero Industry Act, overcoming the challenges of Industry 5.0, the 2030 Digital Compass, the EU Soil Mission, the Farm to Fork strategy, the Fit for 55 and REPowerEU measures, as well as the Critical raw materials Act and REPowerEU policy actions.

Just like the Accelerator, this instrument promotes open SMEs (especially start-ups, spin-outs and scaling-ups) with innovative ideas that can have a major impact on the EU's objectives. In 2025, the EIC Accelerator Challenges will focus on strategic innovations that support key EU objectives such as the AI Act, the Net Zero Industry Act and the Chips Act. The target groups are SMEs and start-ups with disruptive ideas and high scaling potential. 

The challenges for 2025 are:

EIC Accelerator Challenge: Acceleration of Advanced Materials Development and Upscaling Along the Value Chain

This challenge is aimed at SMEs involved in developing and scaling up advanced materials along the entire value chain. These materials should advance key sectors such as energy, mobility, electronics and construction. The aim is to promote solutions that have a low environmental footprint throughout the product life cycle and to establish sustainable materials manufacturing processes. The projects should also use digital tools for materials development to enable efficient scaling and rapid time-to-market. Solutions that aim to achieve environmental sustainability through life-cycle assessment and resource-efficient production methods will be particularly encouraged. 

The estimated budget for this challenge is 50 million euros.

EIC Accelerator Challenge: Biotechnology Driven Low Emission Food and Feed Production Systems

This challenge focuses on biotechnological innovations that lead to low-emission production of food and feed. The aim is to use resources more efficiently and reduce the environmental impact of production. The focus is on processes such as precision fermentation and sustainable cultivation techniques that can create alternative and low-emission food sources. This includes the use of micro-organisms, such as bacteria, yeasts and algae, which serve as protein-rich food sources and contribute to a closed production chain. Projects should promote methods that not only reduce emissions, but also reduce water consumption and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

The estimated budget for this challenge is 50 million euros.

EIC Accelerator Challenge: GenAI4EU – Creating European Champions in Generative AI

This challenge aims to foster European start-ups in the field of generative AI and enable them to become market leaders. The focus is on a human-centred approach to AI solutions that meet strict European requirements for transparency, traceability and data sovereignty. Projects should develop basic generative models that meet the needs of European industry, academia and public administrations, while delivering performance that is competitive with the current state of the art. Particular support will be given to developments that enable new technological advances in areas such as the creation of transparent and traceable content and ensuring the traceability of the origin of information.

The estimated budget for this challenge is 50 million euros.

EIC Accelerator Challenge: Innovative In-Space Servicing, Operations, Robotics, and Technologies for Resilient EU Space Infrastructure

This challenge promotes the development of innovative technologies for space technology and infrastructure in Europe. Given the growing importance of secure and robust space systems for communication, navigation and environmental monitoring, the aim of this challenge is to develop robust service technologies and autonomous robotic systems to enable maintenance and operations in space. This includes the development of distributed technologies and robotic systems for autonomous operation in extreme environments, as required for space exploration and communication. The aim is to strengthen the resilience of European infrastructure and ensure high operational efficiency.

The estimated budget for this challenge is 50 million euros.

EIC Accelerator Challenge: Breakthrough Innovations for Future Mobility

This challenge focuses on the development of new low-emission mobility solutions for urban and interregional transport systems. It focuses on autonomous and connected technologies that minimise environmental impact while meeting the mobility needs of the European population. It will support projects that develop innovative transport solutions that are more efficient and sustainable, including the electrification of transport, the introduction of hydrogen as an energy source, and autonomous transport systems for the cost-effective mobility of the future. These projects aim to revolutionise Europe's mobility landscape and lay the foundations for sustainable transport systems in line with the EU Green Deal and the objectives of the Net Zero Industry Act.

The estimated budget for this challenge is 50 million euros.

• No thematic requirements: Applies to the Accelerator Open only.
  - Individual funding: Mono-beneficiary funding scheme, for-profit SMEs and start-ups (as defined by the EU) are eligible.
  - Applicant profile:
• o Businesses with high growth and market potential;
  o Disruptive innovation with high risk in technology development and commercialisation;
  o Business activity with a European or international focus;
  o Multidisciplinary and experienced team.
• - Stage of development (Technology Readiness Level): Projects must have completed all aspects of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5, which requires validation in a relevant environment. The innovation should be at TRL 6, i.e. ready for deployment in an appropriate environment (EIC Work Programme 2025).

- Eligible activities: Support will cover innovation and final development activities biringing the technology from TRL6 to TRL8 such as 

o Demonstrations
o testing 
o prototyping
o pilot projects 
o Business Model definition to scale-up 
o miniaturisation, design and preparation for commercialisation.

- Objective: To develop a market-ready product, process or service and an optimised business plan.
- Funding rate: 70% of eligible costs plus 25% as indirect costs.
- Three funding models:

o 'Grant only': funding between 0.5 and 2.5 million euros. Applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to launch and commercialise their innovation.
o 'Blended finance': A combination of grant and equity up to €10 million (higher amounts are available in the STEP Scale-Up Call).
o 'Equity only': Available to SMEs that have already received grant-only funding and are entering the commercial growth phase.

- Project duration: 12 to 24 months, extendable with sufficient justification.
- Business Acceleration Services (BAS): Free support services only to beneficiaries, as for instance

o Coaching, mentoring and training: up to 12 days of business coaching;
o Access to global partners: International networking,
o Access to innovation ecosystems: Participation in events such as 'Corporate Days' to promote partnerships and investor networks.
o Investors’ Days

The total budget for the EIC Accelerator in 2025 is €384 million, of which

- EIC Accelerator Open: €384 million.
- EIC Accelerator Challenges: €250 million.

Investments for near-market activities: Funding from TRL 9 for rapid commercialisation and growth acceleration of SMEs.

Due Diligence: A comprehensive review and financial analysis by the EIC Fund takes an average of six months.

Crowding-in by the EIC Fund: The EIC Fund seeks co-investors to help the company raise capital, with an average investment of between €0.5 million and €5 million.

Stage 1: Short Application:

Submission via the Funding and Tenders Portal: 

• Questionnaire (max. 12 pages) in .pdf format (template from the EU Commission) Pitch deck (10 slides) with completing information to the questionnaire.
• Video (up to 3 minutes).

The cut off of the short applications takes place on the first Tuesday of each month and their evaluation usually takes at least 4 weeks. The short application must therefore be submitted at least two months before the full application deadline.

The evaluation is carried out by four experts; at least three experts must vote 'GO' (75% agreement required) for the application to be admitted to the full application phase.
 

Stage 2: Full Application:

Submission via the Funding and Tenders Portal: 

- Application (max. 50 pages in English)

- Annexes (max. 10 pages).
- Structure: The application consists of two parts:

- Part A (to be filled in directly on the portal): contains administrative information about the company, budget details and ethical and security questions. - Part B (to be uploaded as a PDF): application, financial sheets and annexes. - Video (up to 3 minutes);
- Pitch Deck (10 pages) .

- Evaluation criteria: Excellence, Impact, Implementation (one third weighting each). Results will be communicated after approximately 6 weeks. Three evaluators review the application and unanimous approval is required for an invitation to interview.

Stage 3: Interview (Pitch):

- Personal interview in Brussels in front of a panel of experts - The interview consists in a 10-minute pitch presentation by the candidate and a 35 minutes Q&A session. presentation by the applicants and a 20-30 minute Q&A session afterwards.

Short applications can be submitted at any time. For the full applications there are two fixed deadlines in 2025:

• 12 March 2025
  1 October 2025

Please note: The evaluation of short proposals will start on the first Tuesday of the month. To ensure that a short proposal is considered in time for evaluation and the corresponding full proposal deadline, it should be submitted no later than the first Tuesday two months before the deadline.

BayFOR Support

The Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) with its SME Advisory services department offers a completely for free support services to the Bavarian EIC Accelerator applicants: from eligibility assessment to pitch training for the interview in Brussels. Contact us!