EIC ACCELERATOR
EIC Accelerator consultant:
win it with an evaluator on your side.
Up to 2.5 million euros in non-dilutive grant, plus equity. I'm a verified Expert Evaluator with 3,700+ companies and proposals assessed, and I write yours from inside the EIC scoring rubric. See every EIC Accelerator winner since 2021.
Quick eligibility check
Does your project fit the EIC Accelerator?
Four questions, thirty seconds. An honest first read before the full readiness check.
How mature is the technology?
What evidence of demand do you have?
Team and funding so far?
Is the impact European or global in scale?
Applying to the wrong instrument is the most expensive mistake in EU funding. See which of 17 programmes you qualify for.
Indicative only. It does not replace the official EIC eligibility assessment.
01 / Start here
The EIC Fit Assessment.
Know if you can win, before you write a word.
Fixed price · One week · Credited if you proceed
A verified evaluator's honest read on whether your project can compete for the EIC Accelerator. I score it the way the jury will, against who actually wins in your technology and country, and map it to the right 2026 cut-off. You get a clear go, not-yet or no, with the exact gaps that would cost you points. A verdict, not a pep talk.
Intake and materials
You send your deck, one-pager or draft. A structured call on the project, the team, the technology maturity and the timeline.
Evaluator scoring
I score it against the real EIC criteria, Excellence, Impact and Implementation, the way an expert evaluator does, and against the winners database of who gets funded.
The verdict
A written go, not-yet or no, the right cut-off and challenge to target, and a ranked list of the specific gaps to close before you apply.
Review call
We walk through the verdict and the gap list together, so you know exactly what to fix and whether this attempt is worth taking now.
You get a candid verdict, including an honest not-yet or no. I would rather cost you €650 now than let you burn a wasted application and one of your limited attempts. If you go ahead with full application support, the €650 is credited to that engagement.
Remote across Europe · In person in Barcelona
This is the paid entry point. The application work itself, the Step 1 short application, the Step 2 full proposal and the Step 3 jury interview prep, is a separate success-fee engagement: you pay the bulk only if you win. The assessment fee is credited toward it if you proceed.
The EIC Accelerator is the most ambitious non-dilutive instrument in Europe: up to 2.5 million euros in grant plus optional equity, with no obligation to give up control to a VC. It is also one of the hardest to win, with most full applications rejected and the majority of those rejections caused by the impact narrative, not the technology.
I have sat on the other side of that table. As a verified Expert Evaluator (Horizon Europe, EIT, InvestMED) I have assessed more than 3,700 companies and proposals for EU programmes and accelerators, applying the same scoring logic the EIC uses, so I know exactly how the rubric is applied, where points quietly disappear, and what makes a jury lean in. I bring that to your application from day one.
For most projects I work on a success-fee basis: a modest fixed fee, plus a fee that is only paid if you are awarded. Your incentive and mine are the same, getting your project funded.
Fit & Eligibility Assessment
An honest read on whether your project can compete, mapped to the right 2026 cut-off and challenge. No false hope, no wasted months. See the €650 fit assessment →
Full Proposal Writing
End-to-end writing of the 20-page Step 2 proposal, impact narrative, business case and budget, scored against the real rubric before you submit.
Jury Interview Prep
Mock interviews that simulate the EIC jury and the difficult questions they ask under pressure. Step 3 is where funding is won or lost.
02 / What you get
What hiring an EIC Accelerator consultant includes.
Bid writing, bid management and the interview.
Bid writing
The proposal, written for the rubric
Step 1: the 3-minute video, the 10-slide deck and the short proposal. Step 2: the full proposal of up to 20 pages, with work plan, budget and market case. Every section is scored against Excellence, Impact and Implementation before it goes in.
Bid management
Timeline and documents, under control
We pick the cut-off, plan backwards from it, prepare the list of annexes and coordinate your team so every number arrives on time. Before submission I do a full final review. Your company submits from its own Funding & Tenders Portal account.
Interview (Step 3)
Mock interviews like the real jury
A 10-minute pitch and about 35 minutes of questions in Brussels. We rehearse with the hard questions the jury actually asks. Only people from your company attend: no consultant can be in the room, so the team has to arrive ready.
What it costs
- Fit assessment: 650 euros, fixed price, credited if you continue.
- Application: a moderate fixed fee plus a success fee you pay only if you win. The exact terms, in writing before we start.
- The success fee is not an eligible cost: it cannot be paid from the grant.
- The total cost, with your internal hours and the 30% the grant does not cover, is in how much an EIC Accelerator application really costs.
What I do not do
- I do not guarantee the outcome. Nobody can, with about 6% of full proposals funded.
- I do not invent data: the technology, customer and financial figures are yours, I make them defensible.
- I take no rights over your IP and no right to resubmit your project.
- Comparing offers? Use the ten questions in how to choose an EIC Accelerator consultant, on me too.
WHAT EIC EVALUATORS ACTUALLY LOOK FOR
Every EIC Accelerator full proposal is scored by remote expert evaluators against three award criteria. A proposal has to clear a threshold on each one, so a single weak criterion sinks the whole application. This is the rubric from the evaluator's side of the table, and where points quietly disappear.
Excellence: is the innovation real?
Evaluators look for genuine novelty beyond the state of the art and evidence the technology works, typically at TRL 5 to 6. The most common way to lose points here is dressing an incremental improvement as a breakthrough. Name your closest alternatives and show, with data, why you are a step change rather than a nicer version of what already exists.
Impact: is there a defensible market?
This is where most fundable technologies still fail. Evaluators want a bottom-up market sizing with sources, a credible go-to-market, a commercialisation plan that scales, and impact that reaches beyond your company to Europe. A top-down "1 percent of a huge market" number reads as a red flag, not ambition.
Implementation: can this team deliver?
The workplan, budget and team are checked for coherence and for whether the risks are honestly identified and mitigated. Evaluators notice missing key hires, milestones with no evidence behind them, and budgets that do not match the plan. A named, credible team with a realistic path to its milestones beats an ambitious plan with obvious gaps.
In 2026 the full proposal is no longer decided by a Go/No-Go: it is scored 0 to 5 per criterion, with at least 4 on each and 13 out of 15 overall; a technical due-diligence expert now assesses your technology during the full-proposal phase and interviews the team, and the expert list is public, so you can ask to exclude up to three reviewers for conflicts of interest. Score your project against the rubric first with the free EIC readiness check.
DOES THE EIC FUND SOFTWARE AND AI STARTUPS?
Yes. The EIC Accelerator is usually described as deep tech, and founders assume that means hardware only. It does not. The digital domain is explicitly in scope, AI and machine learning are named priorities, and pure-software and SaaS companies have won the grant. What matters is not whether you build hardware, but whether your software is a genuine technological breakthrough.
The line an evaluator draws is simple. A novel algorithm, model or architecture that is hard to replicate and defensible as IP can qualify. A well-built application assembled from existing components, however useful, usually cannot, because the innovation lives in someone else's technology. If your edge is a real advance at TRL 5 to 8, the EIC is designed for you. If your edge is execution and go-to-market, a national grant or Eurostars is often the better fit.
Not sure which side of that line your product sits on? The free readiness check scores your project against the same excellence bar an evaluator uses, and if the EIC is not the right instrument I will point you to the one that is.
03 / Process
How we win it together
Fit assessment and cut-off planning
We start with a hard look at your project against the EIC criteria and the five 2026 challenges. If it is not ready, I tell you, and we map what would make it competitive. If it is, we pick the right cut-off from the six available in 2026.
Step 1: short application
The 3-minute video, the 10-slide deck and the short proposal. We build a narrative that convinces the four experts who read it (you need a GO from at least three) and sets up the full application that follows.
Step 2: the 20-page full proposal
Now just 20 pages, every word counts. I write the excellence, impact and implementation sections from inside the scorecard, then run a real scoring simulation so you see your weak points before an evaluator does.
Step 3: jury interview
A 10-minute pitch and 35 minutes of questions decide everything. We run mock interviews with the kind of sceptical, unscripted questions the jury actually asks. This is the phase most teams under-prepare, and the one that pays off most.
EIC ACCELERATOR 2026 CUT-OFF DATES
The Step 1 short application can be submitted at any time: it is batched and sent for evaluation on the first Tuesday of every month, at 17:00 Brussels time. Step 2 full proposals are evaluated in six batches a year. These are the 2026 Step 2 cut-offs, each at 17:00 Brussels time; as of 31 October only 4 November is left, and the 2027 dates will come with the 2027 Work Programme. Dates can shift, so always confirm on the official EIC portal before you plan around one.
| 2026 Step 2 cut-off | Jury interview round |
|---|---|
| 7 January 2026 | Round 1 |
| 4 March 2026 | Round 1 |
| 6 May 2026 | Round 2 |
| 8 July 2026 | Round 2 |
| 2 September 2026 | Round 3 |
| 4 November 2026 | Round 3 |
Jury interviews run in three rounds a year, each following two consecutive cut-offs. Eurostars, the parallel instrument for collaborative R&D, runs on its own calendar: Call 12 opens on 17 December 2026 and closes on 4 March 2027. See the next EIC cut-offs, checked against the official pages. Not sure which cut-off to target? Book a call and we will map it to your readiness.
The commercial model
Work with a success-fee EIC consultant whose incentives match yours.
Most founders looking for help want one thing: someone who only wins when they win. For the majority of EIC Accelerator engagements I work on a hybrid model, a modest fixed fee for the strategic and writing work, plus a success fee paid only if your project is awarded. It keeps your upfront cost low and puts my skin in the game. We agree the exact terms in writing before any work starts. Before choosing anyone, me included, read how to choose an EIC Accelerator consultant.
RELATED EU INSTRUMENTS I WORK WITH
The EIC Accelerator is rarely the only option. If it is not the right fit, I will point you to the instrument that is. See the full EU funding advisory.
04 / Fit
Who this is for
3,700+
companies and proposals assessed
as a verified evaluator
€12.5M
max package per project
2.5M grant + up to 10M equity
6
cut-offs in 2026
up from two a year
Free Tool
Score your project before
you spend three months writing it.
Get the EIC Accelerator Self-Scoring Checklist: 23 questions across Excellence, Impact and Implementation, the same logic a verified evaluator applies to your proposal, turned into a tool you can answer honestly today.
Go deeper
EIC Accelerator success fee: what consultants charge and how to align incentives
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EIC Accelerator Interview (Step 3): how the jury scores you
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EIC Accelerator 2026 challenges: how they work and which one fits
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EIC Accelerator 2026: what changed, and what it means for you
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EIC Accelerator: the complete guide (written by an evaluator)
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Alternatives to the EIC Accelerator: what to apply for if you are rejected or not ready
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EIC Accelerator vs Horizon Europe: which one is right for your startup?
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Why most EU funding applications fail (and how to fix yours)
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you work on a success-fee basis for the EIC Accelerator?
Yes. For most engagements I work on a hybrid model: a modest fixed fee that covers the strategic and writing work, plus a success fee that is only paid if your project is awarded funding. This aligns my incentives with yours and keeps the upfront cost low. The exact split depends on the stage you start from and how much of the proposal already exists. We agree it in writing before any work begins.
How much does it cost to hire an EIC Accelerator consultant?
With me there are two parts. The fit assessment is 650 euros, fixed price, credited if you continue. The application work has a moderate fixed fee plus a success fee you pay only if you win, both agreed in writing before we start. The success fee is not an eligible cost: it cannot be paid from the grant. On top of the consultant, count your internal hours and the 30 percent of costs the grant does not cover. The full breakdown, with three worked examples, is in how much an EIC Accelerator application really costs.
What is the EIC Accelerator and how much funding does it offer?
The EIC Accelerator is the European Innovation Council's flagship instrument for startups and SMEs with high-risk, high-impact innovation. It offers a non-dilutive grant of up to 2.5 million euros, plus optional equity investment from the EIC Fund of typically up to 10 million euros, for a combined package of up to 12.5 million per project. The grant covers 70% of the eligible costs of the innovation work; your company funds the other 30%, but you do not need a private investor on board to apply.
What changed in the EIC Accelerator for 2026?
Three things matter most. First, there are six full-proposal cut-off dates a year (the last in 2026 on 4 November), and the short application is evaluated in monthly batches. Second, the full proposal is capped at 20 pages, so every sentence carries weight. Third, five thematic EIC Challenges get about 220 million of the 634 million total 2026 budget; the rest, about 414 million, goes to the Open call.
What is the EIC Accelerator success rate?
About 6 percent of full proposals are funded, and about 3 percent if you count from the short application. The important nuance: most rejections are not about the quality of the technology. They are about a weak impact narrative, an indefensible market case, or a team that does not convince the jury. This is exactly where evaluator-side experience changes the outcome.
Why does working with a former evaluator make a difference?
As a verified Expert Evaluator (Horizon Europe, EIT, InvestMED) I have assessed more than 3,700 companies and proposals for EU programmes and accelerators, applying the same scoring logic the EIC uses. I know how the rubric is actually applied, which sections evaluators read first, where points are quietly lost, and what makes a jury lean in during the interview. I write your proposal from inside that scorecard, not from a template. That is a different starting point from an agency that has only ever submitted applications.
When should I start preparing my EIC Accelerator application?
A competitive full application needs 8 to 16 weeks of real work. With six cut-offs a year you have more entry points, but the worst mistake is starting six weeks before a deadline and submitting something rushed. Book a call as soon as you are considering the instrument, so we can map the right cut-off and whether your project is ready to compete for it.
What do EIC Accelerator evaluators look for?
EIC evaluators score every full proposal against three award criteria: Excellence (is the innovation genuinely beyond the state of the art and technically proven), Impact (is there a defensible, bottom-up market and a credible path to scale and to European-level impact) and Implementation (can this specific team deliver the workplan and budget, with risks honestly mitigated). A proposal must pass a threshold on each, so one weak criterion is enough to reject it. In 2026 a technical due-diligence expert also assesses the technology and interviews the team during the full-proposal phase.
What are the EIC Accelerator 2026 cut-off dates?
The Step 1 short application can be submitted at any time and is evaluated in monthly batches (first Tuesday of every month, 17:00 Brussels time). The 2026 Step 2 full-proposal cut-offs were 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November 2026, the last of the year, each at 17:00 Brussels time, with jury interviews in three rounds. The 2027 dates are published with the 2027 Work Programme. Always confirm the exact date on the official EIC portal before planning around it.
Does the EIC Accelerator fund software, SaaS and AI startups?
Yes. Although the EIC Accelerator is described as deep tech, the digital domain is explicitly in scope, AI and machine learning are named priorities, and pure-software and SaaS companies have been funded. The test is not hardware versus software but whether the innovation is a genuine technological breakthrough: a novel, defensible algorithm, model or architecture at TRL 5 to 8 can qualify, while an application assembled from existing technology usually cannot. If your edge is execution rather than a technical advance, a national grant or Eurostars is often a better fit.
Can I apply to the EIC Accelerator without previous EU funding?
Yes. The EIC Accelerator has no eligibility requirement of prior EU or national grant history. What matters is your Technology Readiness Level, TRL 5 to 8 at submission, and whether the innovation and its market case stand on their own merits. Many funded companies have no prior EU track record at all. What does help, without being mandatory, is some external validation such as early revenue, a pilot with a real customer, prior competitive grants, or filed IP, because it strengthens the Impact and Implementation criteria evaluators score.
Who evaluates EIC Accelerator applications?
Step 1 short applications and Step 2 full proposals are scored by independent expert evaluators appointed by the European Innovation Council, typically industry specialists, investors and former founders working remotely, not EIC staff. For Step 2, a technical due-diligence expert also reviews your technology directly. Step 3 is a live interview in front of a jury of experienced investors and entrepreneurs. The lists of technology experts, panel members and jury members are published on the EIC website, and you can name up to three reviewers you want excluded for conflict of interest. You receive the names of your jury panel before the interview, but you cannot choose who evaluates you.
What percentage of the grant does an EIC Accelerator consultant typically charge?
There is no fixed fee schedule across the industry, but a fair success fee, paid only if you are awarded funding, typically sits in the single-digit to low double-digit percentage of the grant, often combined with a smaller fixed fee for the strategic and writing work regardless of outcome. Be cautious of anyone charging a large fixed fee on top of a high success percentage, or anyone who guarantees an outcome: nobody can, when only about 6 percent of full proposals are funded. See the full breakdown in EIC Accelerator success fee: 3 pricing models.
Also available
Broader picture
All EU Funding
The EIC Accelerator is one instrument among many. Horizon Europe, Eurostars, ERDF and national programmes may fit your stage better. See the full advisory.
Explore EU funding →Often paired with this
Venture Building
A grant de-risks the build, but only if the business model is sound. Many founders build the fundable venture first, then win the EIC with it.
Explore Venture Building →Thinking about the EIC Accelerator?
Let's find out, in 30 minutes, whether your project can compete, and which 2026 cut-off to aim for.