The EIC Accelerator funds single startups and SMEs with deep tech innovations to scale up: a grant below €2.5 million, an equity investment of €1 million to €10 million, or both. Your technology must already be validated in a lab or relevant environment (TRL 5 completed), and you apply alone, not in a consortium.
The facts
- Who can apply
- A single startup or SME, including spin outs. Small mid caps (up to 499 employees) only in exceptional cases for rapid scale up.
- Grant
- A lump sum below €2.5 million
- Investment
- €1 million to €10 million in equity, through the EIC Fund. Larger amounts run through STEP Scale Up.
- Technology
- TRL 5 completed; the funded work runs at TRL 6 to 8
- UK applicants
- Can apply, but can receive the grant only, not the investment
- Rejections
- After three unsuccessful submissions, at any stage, you cannot apply to the EIC Accelerator again under Horizon Europe
- Next full proposal cut-offs
- 4 Nov 2026
The four steps
- Short proposal. Can be submitted at any time; proposals are batched for evaluation on the first Tuesday of each month, and the result comes in about 4 to 6 weeks. A pass invites you to write the full proposal.
- Full proposal. Submitted for one of the cut-off dates.
- Interview. You pitch to an EIC jury. The result follows about three weeks after the interview week.
- Grant signature, and due diligence for the investment if one is offered.
Who should not apply
If the technology is still unproven in a relevant environment, if you need partners to deliver the project, or if you want grant money without the scale up plan that comes with it. Horizon Europe and national schemes also fund earlier stages.
Grant Compass is independent of the European Innovation Council. The EIC Work Programme 2026 is the authority on every rule above.
Questions
Is there a deadline for the EIC Accelerator?
Yes. The short proposal can go in at any time, but full proposals are batched at fixed cut-off dates, six in 2026. Missing one moves you to the next.
Can a company that has already won the EIC Accelerator apply again?
Yes, once the earlier project has reached the point the EIC sets for its type of funding. A company whose blended finance project has a finalised grant component, for example, may apply for blended finance, grant only or equity only. The EIC Accelerator FAQ lists each case.
Sources, checked 23 Sep 2026
- EIC Accelerator, European Innovation Council
- EIC Accelerator FAQs, European Innovation Council
- Call HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01 on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (eligibility and UK conditions)