€1.4bn of new innovation grant funding for 2025 is launched for SMEs across Europe.
EIC Accelerator
Summary
The EIC Accelerator, part of Horizon Europe, supports start-ups and SMEs developing high-impact, market-creating innovations. It offers grant and equity funding, targeting projects that address significant market gaps with commercial potential in Europe and globally.
| Deadline | Maximum Grant | External Link |
| Rolling submission | Up to €2.5 million (grant); up to €10 million (equity) | EIC Accelerator |
Project Size
Grants up to €2.5 million for projects lasting up to 24 months; equity investment up to €10 million for additional funding needs.
Scope of the Fund
The fund is aimed at:
- Innovative projects with the potential to create or disrupt markets (TRL 6-8).
- Projects that require substantial funding, with high risk levels unattractive to private investors.
- Both EIC Accelerator Open (no specific theme) and EIC Accelerator Challenges (focused themes).
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be EU-based start-ups or SMEs, or small mid-caps for equity-only funding.
- Projects must have a civilian purpose, with high potential for scalability.
- Applicants can apply for grant-only, blended finance, or equity-only options.
EIC Funding in General
The European Innovation Council (EIC) 2025 Work Programme offers over €1.4 billion in funding to support strategic technologies and the scaling up of companies.
Funding Opportunities
| Programme | Deadline | Maximum Grant | External link |
| EIC Pathfinder | 21.05.25 (Open)29.10.25 (Challenges) | €4 million | EIC Pathfinder – European Commission |
| EIC Transition | To be announced | €2.5 million | EIC Transition – European Commission |
| EIC Accelerator | 12.03.25 (Open)01.10.25 (Open)October 2025 (Challenges) | €2.5 million | EIC Accelerator – European Commission |
| STEP Scale Up | To be announced | €30 million | STEP Scale Up – European Commission |
Project Size:
- EIC Pathfinder – Grants up to €4 million for visionary research projects.
- EIC Transition – Grants up to €2.5 million to transform research results into innovation opportunities.
- EIC Accelerator – Grants below €2.5 million and investments from €500K to €10 million for start-ups and SMEs.
- STEP Scale Up – Investments from €10 to €30 million to help companies scale up strategic technologies.
Scope of the Fund:
- EIC Pathfinder – Supports multi-disciplinary research teams to undertake visionary research with the potential to lead to technology breakthroughs.
- EIC Transition – Aims to turn research results into innovation opportunities, following up on results generated by EIC Pathfinder projects and other EU-funded projects.
- EIC Accelerator – Assists start-ups and SMEs in developing and scaling up innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones.
- STEP Scale Up – Provides additional equity funding to promising companies driving innovation in critical areas to help them secure larger private co-investment for further scaling their businesses.
Eligibility Criteria:
- EIC Pathfinder – Open to multi-disciplinary research teams from various sectors.
- EIC Transition – Targets projects building on results from eligible EU-funded projects.
- EIC Accelerator – Designed for start-ups and SMEs with high-risk, high-potential innovations.
- STEP Scale Up – Focuses on companies aiming to bring strategic technologies to the EU market and avoid strategic dependencies.
For more detailed information, please visit EIC 2025 work programme – European Commission
Alex Chalkley
I have over 20 years experience in founding and scaling businesses, mainly focused on the non-dilutive funding sector. Since 2008, I have built, trained and mentored teams to successfully draw down over €100m in non-dilutive funding from the UK and EU for clients spanning multiple sectors.
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