EIC Accelerator

Grant component: up to EUR 2.5 million at 70% intensity, exclusively for SMEs. Investment component: from EUR 0.5 to 15 million of equity financing in exchange for company shares — maximum 25%. Combined blended finance can reach up to EUR 17.5 million.

The grant component finances R&D works at TRL 5–8, i.e. the stage of technology deployment into operational use — final validation and demonstration of readiness to enter the market. It is non-repayable and amounts to a maximum of EUR 2.5 million at 70% funding intensity.

Eligible costs in the grant component include: salaries of the R&D team, subcontracting of R&D works, fixed assets being elements of the prototype, materials and raw materials for research, research apparatus and intangible assets, rental of laboratory space, travel costs. The investment component covers all costs necessary for commercialization, scaling and market entry.

The application consists of two stages. Stage 1 — short application: video presentation (3 min), pitch deck and project description — evaluated within a few weeks. Stage 2 — full application and panel interview with the EIC jury, held in Brussels or remotely. Innology prepares clients for both stages, including conducting mock interview sessions before the panel.

No. EIC Accelerator is intended exclusively for SMEs and small mid-caps (below 499 employees). Large enterprises cannot apply either independently or as leaders. However, they can apply under EIC Pathfinder or EIC Transition as consortium partners.

Current schedules of EIC Accelerator calls are available on the website of the National Contact Point (kpk.gov.pl) in the Horizon Europe program calls section, as well as on the Innology blog and news section.

EIC Accelerator is a European grant program under Horizon Europe targeted at SMEs and small mid-caps developing breakthrough innovations. It offers blended finance: non-repayable grant up to EUR 2.5 million for R&D works (TRL 5–8) and an investment component from EUR 0.5 to 15 million in exchange for company shares (TRL 9).

SME enterprises (employment below 250 persons, balance sheet assets below EUR 43 million or revenues below EUR 50 million) and small mid-caps (an enterprise that is not an SME, employing below 499 persons — counted for the entire capital group) can apply for funding. Applications are submitted exclusively independently, without a consortium.

Projects qualifying for the program are from companies with breakthrough technology at TRL 5 or higher, which only need solution demonstration (TRL 5–8) consisting of deployment into operational use, followed by market scaling (TRL 9). The technology must have documented potential to disrupt current markets or create new ones.

The investment component finances activities at TRL 9 — the stage at which the final solution is produced in large quantities, with market scaling, marketing and promotion taking place. It takes the form of an EIC Fund equity investment in exchange for company shares (maximum 25%), from EUR 0.5 to 15 million.

Yes. Innology (through the UpSpark brand) has documented experience with the EIC Accelerator — one of the most competitive European programmes. Example: Proteine Resources, with Innology's support, completed the full EIC evaluation process (two application stages + panel interview in Brussels) and secured EUR 9.5 million in total financing (EUR 2.5 million grant + EUR 7 million EIC Fund equity investment). Innology has completed over 50 projects at European level (Horizon Europe / EIC).