The EIC Accelerator Challenges, including EIC Accelerator’s Green Deal, empowers startups as well as SMEs to scale impactful innovations, creating new markets in strategic sectors.
It prioritizes “deep tech” innovations, which require patient capital due to significant funding needs for scientific or tech breakthroughs.
Differing from the Accelerator Open – which finances innovations in every technological and application field (“Open Funding”) – the Accelerator Challenges, including EIC Accelerator’s Green Deal, aims to support strategic high-risk technologies and with great impact; in this case, the drive is environmental awareness.
To further the goals of sustainability and environmental consciousness, the EIC Accelerator’s Green Deal focuses on driving innovation within startups and SMEs, providing the necessary support to scale impactful solutions in strategic sectors.
The EIC Accelerator Challenges is open to innovations in the specific fields of technology or application described by the specific challenges in sections III.3.1 and III.3.2 of the EIC Work Programme 2021. However, the program won’t support innovations that harm the environment, society, or are designed mainly for military use.
EIC Accelerator Challenge – Green Deal Innovations for the Economic Recovery
A company/startup/SME should definitely apply if the project supports the EIC Accelerator’s Green Deal implementation by significantly contributing to at least one of the following sustainability goals:
Increasing the EU’s climate mitigation and/or adaptation ambition;
Supplying clean, affordable and secure energy;
Transitioning of industry to a clean and/or circular economy (including waste prevention and/or recycling);
Building as well as renovating in an energy and resource efficient way;
Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility;
Transition to a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system;
Preserving as well as restoring ecosystems and biodiversity (including nature-based solutions that provide co-benefits for climate adaptation and mitigation);
Realizing a zero pollution ambition and a toxic-free environment.
Furthermore, specific priority is given to projects relating to key innovations for the green economic transition as identified in the Recovery Plan for Europe – Commission Staff Working Document on Identifying Europe’s recovery needs, SWD (2020) 98 final, page 17 (HERE) as well as Guidance to Member States on their national Recovery and Resilience Plans, SWD (2020) 205 final, page 18-19 (HERE).
Accordingly, over 50% of selected companies for interviews should submit proposals in these areas:
Renewable energy, including renewable Hydrogen and energy storage
Deep Renovation of buildings
Low carbon industries
Batteries and other energy storage systems
For further information, take a look at the EIC Work Programme 2021
Conditions, documentation, and rules
First of all, there are the Admissibility conditions: in order to apply you must meet one of the following eligibility conditions:
A single company classified as a SME as well as established within a Member State or an Associated Country (see Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021);
A single company classified as a ‘Small mid-cap’ (up to 500 employees) established in a Member State or an Associated Country, but your application can only be for rapid scale up purposes (e.g. Technology Readiness Level 9) and only for the investment component;
One or more natural persons (including individual entrepreneurs) or legal entities, which are either:
Member State/Associated Country applicants can establish either SME/small mid-cap upon contract signing or investment agreement;
Investors in Member State/Associated Country SME/small mid-cap can propose on their behalf with prior company agreement. Moreover, the contract will be signed with the beneficiary company only;
Non-associated third countries can establish/relocate an SME to a Member State/Associated Country before submitting the application. Your company must prove its effective establishment in a Member State or an Associated Country. The Commission could establish contract conditions and milestones to ensure Union interests are fulfilled.
The standard admissibility and eligibility conditions are in Annex 2, with information on eligible Associated Countries in Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021.
However, there are limitations on the number of times you can submit an application described in the section II.3 (Table 5) of the EIC Work Programme 2021 on resubmission limits.
If you are currently a participant in an eligible project funded by Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 then you may be able to apply through your existing project under the Fast Track scheme (see Annex 4 of the EIC Work Programme 2021). The funding body oversees the scheme, applying in 2021 to EIC Pathfinder, Transition, and ERC Proof of Concept. Applicants with eligible projects under the Plug-in scheme might apply.The Plug-in scheme to apply to the EIC Accelerator is detailed in Annex 5 of the EIC Work Programme 2021.
Proposal page limits and layout: You must prepare your application (Short and Full application) on the EIC artificial intelligence-based IT platform via on-line forms, by answering a series of questions:
Short applications:
Online form requires proposal summary and responses to questions about innovation, market, and team;
A pitch-deck of up to 10 slides following a set format;
Include a video pitch (up to 3 minutes) with core team members (maximum three people) outlining application motivation.
Additionally, affiliation with Challenges/Accelerator Open is possible upon Full application submission for the third person.
Full applications:
Online form on EIC platform generates detailed business plan with company’s financial and structural information using embedded AI methodology;
A pitch-deck to be used if invited to the interviews
Secondly, participation eligibility varies by country, detailed in section II.3 and Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021.
UK applicants may apply for the EIC Accelerator but are eligible for “grant only” funding, pending positive association negotiation.
Third, there is the Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2021.
Fourth, the Evaluation and award:
Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: described in sections III.3 and II.3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021
Submission and evaluation processes: described in sections III.3 and II.3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in sections III.3 and II.3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021
Call document and annexes:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
MGA used for EIC actions under Horizon Europe (HE General MGA)
EIC Fund Investment Guidelines
Additional documents:
EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms & Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
To Apply:
https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en
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