EIC Accelerator

The EIC Accelerator, part of Horizon Europe, is a funding programme designed by the European Innovation Council to support deep-tech start-ups and SMEs that develop innovative, game-changing products, services, or business models with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and beyond. The programme helps applicants develop their business concept further into a market-ready product, service or process aligned with their company's growth strategy. Activities could include trials, prototyping, validation, demonstration and testing in real-world conditions, and market replication. The EIC Accelerator is focused on innovations that build on scientific discoveries or breakthrough technologies and supports innovators to attract the full investment amounts needed for scale up in a shorter timeframe. If the activity concerns a primarily technological innovation, a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5/6 or above is envisaged. Applicants can submit proposals through EIC Accelerator Open, which has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field of technology or application, or through EIC Accelerator Challenges in predefined areas of emerging and strategic technologies. The programme offers three types of funding: grant only (one-time contributions with a maximum of €2.5 million for projects with TRL 6-8 to be completed within 24 months), equity investment only (typically from €500,000 up to €15 million for high-risk innovation), and blended finance that combines grants and equity to reduce risk while enabling scale-up. The EIC Accelerator has a total budget of €634 million in 2026, with €414 million allocated to the Open call and €220 million to the Challenge calls.