What is the EIC Accelerator ?

Topics

• EIC Accelerator Challenges: €300 million

1. Human Centric Generative AI made in Europe

• • Indicative Budget: EUR 50 million

  • To foster a human-centric approach to AI and develop models that embody EU values.

    The aim of this Challenge is to foster a European, human-centric approach to AI, tackling prevalent issues like transparency deficit and trust inadequacy. European AI start-ups have the potential to develop the next generation of generative AI models that embody EU values and guarantee Europe’s sovereignty in this critical field.

2. Enabling virtual worlds and augmented interaction in high-impact applications to support the realisation of Industry 5.0

• • Indicative Budget: EUR 50 million

  • To enable the use of high fidelity virtual worlds in high-impact markets and applications promoting Industry 5.0 principles of sustainability, human-centric, and resilience by scaling up cutting-edge innovations for platforms, middleware, tools, and devices.

    The specific objective of the Challenge is to support the development and deployment of advanced virtual worlds technology solutions for industry which are human centric, sustainable, and resilient in their design and/or user contexts.

3. Enabling the smart edge and quantum technology components

• • Indicative Budget: EUR 50 million

  • To promote the development of novel semiconductor components and integrated smart systems for next-generation edge devices with significant impact.

    The objective of this Challenge is to promote the development of novel semiconductor components and integrated smart systems for next-generation edge devices with significant impact. The proposals should focus on development of smart integrated devices where the competitive advantage may lie in the system approach or in one of the key components or technologies.

4. Food from precision fermentation and algae

• • Indicative Budget: EUR 50 million

  • To support the production of food from precision fermentation and algae that decouples food production from the soil and environmental conditions.

    In support of the EU Soil Mission, the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork strategy, Fit for 55 and REPowerEU policy actions, the key goal of this Challenge is to support the production of sustainable and nutritious food from precision fermentation and algae. Innovations must go beyond incremental changes to the state of the art and deliver novel production processes that must deliver energy and resource efficient, low emission foods that are integral to a healthy diet.

5. Monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for new variants of emerging viruses

• • Indicative Budget: EUR 50 million

  • To support the development of strategic approaches leading to broad spectrum mAbs-based therapeutics against new variants of emerging pathogens of high concern.

    This Challenge aims to enhance the EU’s response to future pandemics. It will provide solutions that can complement efforts to deliver rapid detection and analysis of virus variants, in coordination with relevant international systems and networks (such as the HERA incubator) and will ensure that the development of new antiviral treatments target the variants of highest concern. It will also help develop a platform of approaches that can ensure efficacy of future treatment in the event that new variants of high concern exhibit decreased susceptibility to current mAbs.

6. Renewable energy sources and their whole value chain

• • Indicative Budget: EUR 50 million

  • To scale-up different RES and their supply chain to limit the EU’s significant dependency on imports of components including critical raw materials.

    This challenge aims at scaling-up different RES and their supply chain to limit the EU’s significant dependency on imports of components including CRM to ultimately increase the EU’s energy strategic autonomy in the energy sector. This challenge contributes to the objectives of both Net-zero industry and Critical raw materials acts and to the EU’s open strategic autonomy.

 

 

Who can apply?

Applicants from EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme:

• Single start-up or SME (including spin-outs)
• Small mid-caps (fewer than 499 employees)  in need of rapid scale up of the TRL 9 activity. Mid-caps can apply for investment only.
• Natural persons or legal entities willing to set up an SMEs or a mid-cap.

Applicants from third countries:

• Applicants from third countries may relocate their company in order to become eligible. This must be done before submitting the full application (Step 2).
• Applicants from the United Kingdom can apply for the "grant only" scheme

Concurrent applications:

• Applicants may submit only one application to the EIC Accelerator. Additional applications can be submitted after receiving the results of the original submission.

The EIC welcomes applications from innovators in all EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme. It particularly welcomes applications from startups and SMEs with female CEOs.

How to apply for the EIC Accelerator?

The application process consists of 3 steps:

Step 1

Write your short proposal

Short proposals may be submitted at any time and which will be evaluated remotely by EIC expert evaluators on a first come, first served basis;

• A 5-page form where you must summarise your proposal and respond to a set of questions on your innovation, your potential market and your team;
• A pitch-deck of up to ten slides in pdf format;
• A video pitch of up to three minutes where the core members of your team (up to three people) should provide the motivation for your proposal.

You will normally receive feedback within 4 weeks. If your application meets the basic criteria for EIC Accelerator funding, you will be invited to prepare a full proposal to submit to one of the periodic cut-off dates for Accelerator Open or Accelerator Challenge funding.

Step 2

Prepare your full proposal

If your short proposal received a GO, you have 12 months to prepare your full proposal and submit it to one of the cut-offs.  Prepare your full proposal on Funding and Tenders portal. You will need to follow the structure and provide the information detailed in the templates, define the type of funding, prepare a new pitch deck and some additional documents.

Step 3

Pitch your innovation

If your application meets all of the criteria, will be invited to the face to face interviews with an EIC jury as the final step in the selection process.

 

Submission Process and Deadlines

EIC Accelerator Programme foresees a two stage submission process: Short Applications (15 pages) can be submitted at any time. Applications that meet the evaluation criteria are invited to submit a full application towards one of the deadlines:

• 13 March 2024 - interviews: 10-14 June 2024
• 3 October 2024 - interviews: 13-17 January 202