The Accelerator is the European Innovation Council's instrument for single companies rather than consortia, and it is run in two steps. Step 1, a short application, is open on a rolling basis and can be submitted at any time. Step 2, the full business plan, has fixed cut-offs: 2 September and 4 November 2026 are the two in this cycle, and the next is expected in early 2027.
Applicants must be established in the EU or in a country associated with Horizon Europe, and the work must be deep tech.
An award can reach EUR 2.5M in grant and EUR 15M in equity taken by the EIC Fund. The equity leg is optional: a grant-only route exists for teams that do not want to take investment, so the ceiling for a company avoiding dilution is EUR 2.5M. Support is blended and continuous rather than delivered as a cohort with a fixed start date.
What it actually costs you
The European Innovation Council runs this instrument for single deep-tech companies based in the EU or a country associated with Horizon Europe. Successful applicants can receive up to EUR 2.5M as a grant and up to EUR 15M in equity through the EIC Fund, and a grant-only route exists for teams that do not want to take investment. Support is blended rather than cohort-based.