EU Programme · 2021–2027

European Innovation Council (EIC) funding

European Innovation Council (EIC)

Supports high-risk, high-impact startups and SMEs through the EIC Accelerator (grants + equity), EIC Pathfinder (early research), and EIC Transition (lab to market).

Budget: €10.1 billionPeriod: 2021–2027
Browse 1+ open European Innovation Council (EIC) callsOfficial European Innovation Council page ↗

Part of our complete EU funding guide.

Open European Innovation Council (EIC) calls

Live from our database. Updated daily from official sources.

See all 1 open calls →

Who European Innovation Council (EIC) is for

Typical eligible applicant profiles. Each guide links through to open calls and eligibility notes.

How to apply

The standard EU funding process. Each European Innovation Council (EIC) call publishes its own detailed requirements.

  1. 1

    Find open calls that match your profile

    Search by country, sector, applicant type, and deadline. EU funding is published across dozens of portals, so consolidation saves significant time.

  2. 2

    Check eligibility before investing effort

    Review applicant mode (single vs consortium), entity type requirements, geographic restrictions, and co-financing obligations. Disqualify early to protect team bandwidth.

  3. 3

    Build your consortium if required

    Many Horizon Europe calls require partners from multiple EU countries. Identify complementary organisations early — consortium formation often takes longer than proposal writing.

  4. 4

    Write and submit your proposal

    Follow the call documentation precisely. Most EU proposals require a work plan, budget breakdown, impact statement, and consortium description. Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

  5. 5

    Evaluation and grant agreement

    Proposals are evaluated by independent experts against published criteria. Successful applicants negotiate a grant agreement that defines deliverables, reporting, and payment schedule.

Common questions

What is the EIC Accelerator and how much can I receive?

The EIC Accelerator funds single-applicant SMEs and startups developing breakthrough innovations. It combines a grant of up to €2.5M for innovation activities with an equity investment of up to €15M from the EIC Fund. Companies can apply for grant-only, blended (grant + equity), or equity-only support.

Who can apply for EIC funding?

EIC Accelerator is open to for-profit SMEs and small mid-caps (under 500 employees) established in an EU member state or Horizon Europe associated country. EIC Pathfinder is open to research consortia. EIC Transition supports teams moving Pathfinder or ERC results toward commercialisation.

What is the EIC Accelerator success rate?

Success rates have ranged from 4% to 8% depending on cut-off. The two-stage evaluation (short application then full proposal then jury interview) filters most applicants at the short stage. Typically 50–70 companies receive blended finance per cut-off.

How does the EIC Accelerator equity component work?

The EIC Fund (managed by the European Investment Fund) takes a minority equity stake — typically 10–25% — at the same valuation as a co-investing private lead. Investment decisions are made by an independent investment committee after the grant agreement is signed.

What is the difference between EIC Pathfinder and Transition?

Pathfinder funds early-stage, high-risk research (TRL 1–4) toward radical new technologies, awarding up to €3–4M per consortium project. Transition funds the maturation of validated results (TRL 4–6) toward market readiness, awarding up to €2.5M for a single applicant or small consortium.

When does the EIC Accelerator open?

EIC Accelerator runs continuous short application submissions year-round, with full proposal cut-offs roughly two to four times per year. The exact dates are published on the EIC website and updated each annual work programme.

Other EU programmes

Start tracking European Innovation Council (EIC) calls today

One workflow for monitoring, qualifying, and shortlisting European Innovation Council (EIC) opportunities.

Browse open callsSee pricing