The European Innovation Council
The flagship programme of the European Union to support breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations
The objectives of the European Innovation Council are:
- To capitalise on EU science, innovative SMEs and start-ups to compete in global markets increasingly defined by new technologies
- To identify, develop and deploy high risk innovations of all kinds with particular on breakthrough, market-creating, deep-tech solutions
- To turn science into new business and accelerating the scale-up of ’game-changing’ innovators shaping the future
The total budget of the EIC under Horizon Europe’s Pillar III is €10.105 billion (2021-2027).
Funding from the European Innovation Council is:
- Open to all innovators, in any field, at any time
- Implemented mainly through open calls with no predefined priorities, completed by or challenge-based topics
- Completed by Business Acceleration Services, offering coaching & mentoring services, matchmaking support with corporate and investors, dedicated services for internationalization
- Steered by EIC Board of leading innovators from all stakeholders from the EU innovation ecosystem
- Led by pro-active management (roadmaps, reviews, reorientations, etc) with EIC Programme Managers
- A next step for EU support for projects from other parts of Horizon Europe (ERC, EIT, collaborative) & national programmes
EIC offers several funding schemes at all stages of development of an innovative solution:
EIC Pathfinder supports innovators willing to explore radically new ideas or technologies. It focuses on solutions beyond what is already known and foresees visionary thinking to develop technologies and solutions of the future.
EIC Pathfinder should be considered if:
- You are a scientist / entrepreneur / startup or SME / Industry player with a convincing long-term vision of a radically new technology that has the potential to have a transformative positive effect to our economy and society.
- Your solution develops concrete, novel and ambitious science-towards-technology breakthrough, providing advancement towards the envisioned technology.
- Your solution has High-risk/high-gain research approach and methodology, with concrete and plausible objectives.
EIC Pathfinder should NOT be considered if:
- Your innovation is incremental
- The path of the solution is known
- The solution does not set a long-term vision from a societal, environmental or economic perspective
- The solution is developed in a mono-disciplinary approach with no collaboration
Eligible applicants
- Consortia of at least three different independent legal entities (e.g. research organisations, universities, SMEs, industry) established in at least 3 different eligible countries.
- Single applicants or small consortia (two partners) may be able to apply for Pathfinder Challenges according to the call specifications.
Form of support
- Research and innovation action (RIA, funding 100% of eligible costs)
- Up to €3 or 4 million to support early stage development of future technologies (e.g. various activities at low Technology Readiness Levels 1-3), up to proof of concept
- Main outcome is proof of principle & validation of scientific basis of breakthrough technology
EIC Transition funds innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory to supports both:
EIC Transition should be considered if:
- You identified Pathfinder, FET or ERC Proof of Concept project results that could be the basis for groundbreaking innovations and new businesses
- Your novel technology is ready for the next steps towards its maturation and validation in some specific applications
- You aim at building a motivated and diverse entrepreneur-lead team to develop the idea and increase its market readiness
You should NOT consider EIC transition if:
- You want to perform additional R&D with no commercial perspective
- You seek fund for mainly in-lab activities
- Low entrepreneurship
Eligible applicants
You can apply either as:
- A single legal entity established in a Member State or an Associated Country (exception: companies which not qualify as SME are not eligible to apply as a single legal entity)
- A small consortium of minimum 2 to 5 independent legal entities (e.g. Universities, SMEs, startups, spinoffs, Industry, user/customer organisations or any potential user (e.g. hospitals, utilities, industry, regulatory & public authorities, etc.)
Any EIC Transition project must build on the results from the following eligible types of projects:
- EIC Pathfinder projects (including projects funded under EIC pilot Pathfinder, Horizon 2020 FET-Open, FET-Proactive) and FET Flagships calls (including ERANET calls under the FET work programme)
- European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept projects
Form of support
- Research and innovation action (RIA, funding 100% of eligible costs)
- Up to €2.5million and more are available to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment and develop market readiness.
- Activities should include, subject to the level of maturity of the technology, a suitable mix of research, technology development and validation activities to increase the maturity of the technology beyond proof of principle to viable demonstrators of the technology in the intended field of application (i.e. up to Technology Readiness Level 5 to 6)
The EIC Accelerator supports individual Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), with particular focus on startups and spinout companies to develop and scaleup game-changing innovations. In some cases small mid-caps (up to 500 employees) are supported. The EIC Accelerator is open to innovations in any field of technology or application with particular attention to innovations building on scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’).
It particularly welcomes applications from startups and SMEs with female CEOs.
EIC Accelerator should be considered if:
- You have a high-impact innovative product, service or business model that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even worldwide
- Your company can demonstrate ambition and commitment to scale up
- Funding needs are substantial but risks involved by developing your solution are too high for private investors alone to invest
You should NOT consider EIC accelerator if:
- You seek for regular R&D funding with no substantial need
- The solution exists without objective for disruption or potential to create or disrupt markets
- The solution is considered as bankable
Eligible applicants
Following applicants are eligible to apply:
- A single company considered as SME and established within an eligible country
- A single company considered as a ‘Small mid-cap’ (> 500 employees) for investment component only
- One or more natural persons (incl. individual entrepreneurs) or legal entities, either:
- from an eligible Country intending to establish an SME or small mid-cap (as defined above) in a Member State or Associated Country by the time of signing the Accelerator contract or, in the case blended finance is awarded, at the latest when agreeing on its investment component;
- intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap in a Member State or an Associated Country and who may submit a proposal on behalf of that SME or small mid-cap, provided that a prior agreement exist with the company. The contract will be signed with the beneficiary company only;
- From a non-associated third country intending to establish an SME (including start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or an Associated Country, by the time of submitting a full application. Your company must prove its effective establishment in a Member State or an Associated Country. The Commission may set specific conditions and milestones in the contract to ensure that the interest of the Union is met.
Form of support
The EIC Accelerator offers a combination of funding:
- € 0.5 to 2.5 million grant support for activities below TRL 8 (system complete and qualified)
- € 0.5 to 15 million investment component for activities at TRL9 (i.e. actual system proven in operational environment – solution is ready for commercial deployment)
Applicants can apply to several funding options:
- Blended finance is the main type of support offered to applicants, allowing them to combine grant support for activities below TRL 8, while investment component
- Grant-only support is also possible, but requires setting a milestone at mid-term or at the latest 6 months before the end of the project, for the EIC to assess deployment perspectives and capabilities.
- Grant-first support targets applicants having based the solution on scientific discovery or novel technology still requiring significant work to validate and demonstrate in relevant environments the solution. Grant can be followed by equity investment subject to achievement of a milestone agreed with the EC.
- Investment component-only option targets companies which do not require support for activities below TRL 8 and looking for patient capital to deploy activities rapidly into the market. Equity is main form of investment and will be completed by other forms of support such as loans and bank guarantees.
Investment component is provided by the EIC Fund, which is a unique entity owned by the European Commission and established to make direct equity investments in companies.
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