EIC Accelerator (blended finance)

European Innovation Council·European Union

Grant component below EUR 2.5 million combined with EUR 1-10 million of direct equity or quasi-equity from the EIC Fund; not open to UK applicants.

What you get

€1,000,000–€10,000,000Equity investment

“Grant component below EUR 2.5 million plus an investment component of €1 - €10 million. Blended finance: a grant component & direct equity or quasi-equity such as convertible loans. Higher amounts available in STEP ScaleUP.”

Equity takennot published

Strings attachedDue diligence by the EIC Fund on the investment component. If the due diligence outcome concludes you are not mature for investment yet, you will start with the grant component and the case will be re-examined within defined milestones.

Can you apply

VC backingnot stated

Referral or partnerNot required

Registered companyRequired

IndividualsEligible

Open sourcenot stated

CountriesAustria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Before you applyA short proposal must receive a GO before a full proposal can be submitted to a batching date. Applicants from third countries may relocate their company to become eligible, and this must be done before submitting the full application (Step 2).

Applicants from EU Member States and countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme: Single start-up or SME (including spin-outs); Natural persons or legal entities willing to set up an SMEs or a mid-cap. Applicants from the United Kingdom can only apply for the "grant only" scheme. Applicants may submit only one application to the EIC Accelerator.

When

Not open yet. The next round is listed below.

Upcoming

2026 full proposal batch 4 Novembercloses 4 Nov 2026 · 97 days left
2026 full proposal batch 2 Septembercloses 2 Sept 2026 · 34 days left

Past rounds

2026 full proposal batch 8 Julyclosed 8 Jul 2026

What European Innovation Council funds

The European Innovation Council is Horizon Europe's deep tech arm, funding everything from early-stage research consortia (Pathfinder) through proof-of-concept maturation (Transition) to grant-plus-equity scale-up finance for single startups and SMEs (Accelerator). Open to any field of technology, including AI and software.

Everything European Innovation Council funds →

Details

Blended finance pairs the grant with an investment component to fill the gap for high-risk innovation to a stage where it can be fully financed by other investors. Higher amounts are available under STEP ScaleUp. After the jury stage, relevant project information is transmitted to the EIC Fund, the investment need is assessed, and the investment component is decided within 2-6 months; applicants can also negotiate a raise of maximum EUR 2 million. The equity stake taken is decided in due diligence and is not published on the programme page.

Apply on European Innovation Council