EIC Accelerator

You are developing an innovative technology, product, service or business model with European or international market potential, and you are looking for financing for the next growth phase. The EIC Accelerator supports start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises with high scaling potential in developing and bringing groundbreaking innovation to market.

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Facts up front

Budget

€634m

Deadline

Ongoing

Location

EIC Accelerator at a glance

The programme can combine a non-repayable grant with an optional equity investment. Depending on your financing needs, a grant only or equity only is also possible. The EIC Accelerator is aimed in particular at companies whose innovation has the potential to create new markets or fundamentally change existing ones. For many companies the EIC Accelerator is the financing that comes before conventional investors step in. It provides capital at a stage where a valuation is still hard to establish, which strengthens your position in later negotiations.

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Funding

Grant: up to EUR 2.5 million at a funding rate of 70%
Equity (optional): EUR 0.5 to 10 million through the EIC Fund
Targeted stake: 10 to 20%, capped at 25% of company shares
Financing forms: Blended finance, grant only, or equity only

Programme budget 2026

EUR 634 million, of which EUR 414 million for the Open and EUR 220 million for the Challenges

Target audience

Start-ups and SMEs as single applicants. Small mid-caps with up to 499 employees can apply for equity financing only, not for the grant

Development stage

Funded activities generally at TRL 6 to 8. At application, TRL 5 must be completed

Project term

up to 24 months for the funded innovation activities

Application and deadlines

Application format: Single applicant, no consortia
Short proposal deadline: Open all year
Full proposal deadlines 2026: 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September, 4 November, each at 17:00 Brussels time

Details on the EIC Accelerator

The EIC Accelerator is a European Union funding instrument within Horizon Europe. It supports start-ups and SMEs in developing and scaling technology-based innovation with the potential to create new markets or fundamentally change existing ones.

The programme is aimed at individual companies rather than research consortia. For 2026 a total of EUR 634 million is available, split into EUR 414 million for the topic-agnostic EIC Accelerator Open and EUR 220 million for the thematic Challenges.

The EIC Accelerator can combine a grant of up to EUR 2.5 million with an optional equity investment of EUR 0.5 to 10 million. Depending on need, a grant only or equity only is also possible.

Applications are open to individual start-ups and SMEs based in an EU member state or an associated country. The programme is deliberately not built for consortia. Other organisations can be involved through subcontracting where appropriate but do not appear as applicants.

Small mid-caps with up to 499 employees can also be eligible. One restriction applies that is frequently overlooked: they can apply for equity financing only, not for the grant.

Beyond company size, the decisive factor is the development stage of the innovation. At the point of application, at least TRL 5 must be completed. Funded innovation activities generally sit at TRL 6 to 8. For small mid-caps, equity financing can also relate to the rapid scaling of TRL 9 activities.

Associated countries

Alongside EU member states, companies from associated countries are eligible. Which countries these are changes over time. The authoritative source is the European Commission overview of association to Horizon Europe.

The programme funds high-risk, high-impact innovation. That means projects capable of fundamentally changing existing markets or creating new ones. Long development times, heavy capital requirements and technical or regulatory uncertainty are typical.

Those same characteristics often make conventional financing hard to obtain. The EIC Accelerator addresses that financing gap and supports companies in developing, launching and scaling their innovation.

Example technology fields

Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Quantum technologies and advanced computing
Biotechnology and personalised medicine
Space and satellite technologies
Renewable energy and energy storage
Robotics and automation

The list is not exhaustive. The EIC Accelerator Open is available to innovation from any technology field. Alongside it, the thematic EIC Accelerator Challenges target predefined technology areas and strategic themes. What matters is that the project shows high innovation and market potential and meets the other programme requirements.

The grant is up to EUR 2.5 million and covers 70% of eligible project costs. In principle it does not have to be repaid, provided the funding conditions are met and the funded activities are carried out properly. Duration is up to 24 months for the funded innovation activities.

An equity investment of EUR 0.5 to 10 million can be requested in addition through the EIC Fund. The EIC Fund acquires shares in your company. The targeted stake is 10 to 20%, capped at 25%. This part is optional and is aimed at projects whose capital needs go beyond the grant.

Which combination makes sense depends on how much capital you need and whether you are willing to give up shares.

The procedure runs in three stages, and each is a separate hurdle where applications drop out.

Short proposal. A condensed project description with a pitch video. Submission is open all year.
Full proposal. If the assessment is positive, the detailed application follows. For 2026 the dates are 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November, each at 17:00 Brussels time. Remote evaluation results are communicated within around eight to nine weeks.
Pitch in Brussels. The strongest proposals are invited to present to an evaluation panel. The decision is usually communicated two to three weeks after the pitch.

How often can an application be submitted?

Since 1 January 2024, up to three unsuccessful applications are permitted. An application can therefore be rejected a maximum of three times, at any stage of the process and for any form of support. After the third rejection, resubmission under Horizon Europe is no longer possible.

A successful short proposal does not count towards that limit. If a full proposal passes remote evaluation but is rejected at the interview stage, that counts as one unsuccessful application. Applications submitted before 2024 are not counted.

The EIC Accelerator is among the most competitive European Union programmes. Building a viable application takes substantial effort, and it usually lands with the people who also run the day-to-day business. That is where we come in.

Eligibility check. We assess whether your project realistically meets the criteria before the effort starts, and we say so when it does not.
Funding strategy. We position the EIC Accelerator within your wider funding landscape and check which programmes complement each other.
Application writing. We prepare the short and full proposals and shape the content of the pitch video.
Pitch preparation. We prepare you for the presentation in front of the evaluation panel.
Project support. After approval we handle reporting obligations, disbursement and documentation.

Note on the success rate

This figure covers all funding programmes we support and is not the acceptance rate of the EIC Accelerator. The EIC itself approves only a small share of the applications it receives, which is why careful preparation matters so much.

What does a funding advisor do?

A funding advisor is an expert who guides companies through the complex process of applying for public funding and secures the best funding for their projects – from selecting the right programmes through the application to the final report.

At Ignite we work success-driven: we only make you an offer when we are convinced your project is eligible. You are supported comprehensively throughout the process while you concentrate on your core business – we take on the time-consuming part.

Our services as funding advisors

Analysis and identification

Assess company & project
Find the right programmes
Aimed at maximum grants

Strategy development

Tailor-made strategy
Aligned with your goals
Combine programmes

Application and documentation

Complete application drafting
Documents complete & correct
Higher approval chances

Communication with funding bodies

Contact with authorities
Coordination with funding bodies
Representing your interests

Project support and aftercare

Support across the project term
Meeting funding conditions
Disbursement & final report

The advantages of our funding advisory

Time saved

Focus on your core business
The workload sits with us
A faster application

Access to hidden funding opportunities

Lesser-known programmes
Clever combinations
Full funding potential

A higher success rate

Expertise from many applications
Better approval chances
Fewer rejections

Maximising the funding amount

The highest possible funding
Every lever used
More from every project

Legal certainty

All requirements met
Audit-proof evidence
No clawback risk

Your funding – our daily business

5,000⁺

Funding applications per year

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A team of specialists at your service

EdwinSlaghekke

Senior Consultant

Frequently asked questions about EIC Accelerator

A grant of up to EUR 2.5 million at a funding rate of 70%, plus an optional equity investment of EUR 0.5 to 10 million through the EIC Fund. A grant only or equity only is also possible.

The EIC Fund acquires shares in your company. The targeted stake is 10 to 20%, capped at 25%. Unlike the grant, you give up part of the company. This part is optional; you can also apply for the grant alone.

No. The EIC Accelerator is a single-applicant scheme. Partners can be involved through subcontracting where appropriate but do not appear as applicants.

The short proposal is open all year. Fixed dates apply to the full proposal: in 2026, 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November, each at 17:00 Brussels time.

Since 1 January 2024, up to three unsuccessful applications are permitted. After the third rejection, resubmission under Horizon Europe is no longer possible. A successful short proposal does not count towards the limit.

At application, at least TRL 5 must be completed. Funded innovation activities generally sit at TRL 6 to 8, so a working prototype or pilot application should already exist.

As a small mid-cap with up to 499 employees, yes, but with one restriction: you can apply for equity financing only, not for the grant.

The same project cannot be funded twice. What works instead is a funding roadmap across your whole portfolio: projects already completed, currently running and planned are each matched to the right instrument.

That depends on the project and the scale of funding, not on the form of collaboration.