EIC Accelerator 2026

About This Opportunity

Commercialisation and scale-up of breakthrough innovations; grants and equity investment for start-ups and SMEs

Eligibility Criteria

Start-ups and SMEs; EIC Accelerator Open is technology-field open, while Challenge applications must fit defined topics; EU Member State or eligible Associated Country requirements apply

Application Process

How to apply for the EIC Accelerator? The application process consists of 4 steps: Step 1 Write your short proposal Short proposals may be submitted at any time and will be batched for evaluation every first Tuesday of the month at 5pm Brussels time. The proposal will be evaluated remotely by 4 EIC expert evaluators ; A short 12-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 approximately 4-6 weeks. If your application meets the basic criteria for EIC Accelerator fundin

Prepare to apply

Existing tools on this platform. They are not scored against this call, and the grant writer is not auto-filled from this page.

1. Step 1

   Funding requirements

   Work out how much you need to raise and how long it lasts.

2. Step 2

   Cash-flow forecast

   Show how the award would sit against income and costs.

3. Step 3

   Market size

   Estimate TAM, SAM, and SOM if the call asks for market evidence.

4. Step 4

   Business readiness

   Check gaps before you spend time on a full application.

5. Step 5

   Carbon and impact

   Capture environmental figures where the programme requires them.

6. Step 6

   Find partners

   Browse the company directory if the call needs collaborators.

7. Step 7

   AI grant writer

   Draft against your own project notes. Premium tool; not auto-filled from this call yet.