European Horizon EIC Accelerator 2026

The European Innovation Council business accelerator EIC Accelerator supports the market-ready development and international scaling of high-impact, high-risk, and technology- or knowledge-intensive innovations. The measure is primarily aimed at deep-tech startups and SMEs whose solutions may create new markets or significantly transform existing ones but whose capital requirements and risk levels are too high for conventional private investors. Funding can be applied for as a grant, a combination of grant and equity investment, or solely as an investment.

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Agency	EIS
Region	EUUKother
Country	ATBEBGHRCYCZDKEEFIFRDEGRHUIEITLVLTLUMTNLPLPTROSKSIESSEALAMBAFOGEISILMDMEMKNORSTNTRUAGBAWBQCWPFTFGLNCBLSXPMWF
Legal form	Company, Private person
End date	4 Nov 2026
Max funding	Grant component: up to 2,499,999 euros. In exceptional and well-justified cases, for blended finance, the grant component may be higher., Investment component: 1,000,000–10,000,000 euros, usually in the form of direct equity or quasi-equity, such as a convertible loan., Possible funding types: grant only, blended finance (grant combined with investment), or investment only.
Budget	The indicative total budget for the 2026 EIC Accelerator is 634,000,000 euros. The EIC Accelerator Open budget is 414,000,000 euros. The EIC Accelerator Challenges budget is 220,000,000 euros.
Coverage	The grant covers up to 70% of eligible project costs related to the grant component. At least 30% of the costs of work packages related to the grant component must be financed by the grantee from their own resources. The terms of the investment component, size of participation, and investment stages are agreed case-by-case after due diligence.

Grant application conditions

Applicant size and type	The applicant can be a single SME, including a startup or spin-off company. A small mid-cap company with up to 499 employees may generally apply only for the investment component or exceptionally for blended finance for rapid scaling. A natural person or other legal entity may submit an application if they intend to establish an eligible SME or small mid-cap company or invest in such an enterprise before signing the contract.
Applicant's country of establishment	The company must be established in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe. UK companies can only apply for the grant component and are not eligible for the investment component from the EIC Fund. Applicants established in Kosovo may also be eligible, but Kosovo is missing from the country field because it lacks an official ISO 3166-1 country code. The eligibility for the investment component for associated countries depends on the terms of the relevant country's Horizon Europe association agreement.
Nature of the innovation	The solution must be high-impact, breakthrough, and capable of creating a new market or significantly transforming an existing one. Preferred are deep-tech solutions based on scientific discoveries or technological breakthroughs. The project must involve high technological, market, or financial risk, which is why the private sector is not ready to provide all the necessary funding on its own. The solution must have strong potential for international growth and scaling.
Technology readiness level	At the time of application, the technology must have passed all parts of TRL 5 and be validated in a relevant environment. The grant component generally funds innovation activities at TRL 6–8. The investment component is primarily intended for commercialization and scaling at TRL 9 and beyond and may also co-finance innovation activities.
Project duration	Innovation activities funded by the grant component should typically be completed within 24 months. A longer period is possible in well-justified cases.
Conditions for applying for grant only	The same legal entity can generally receive grant funding from the EIC Accelerator only once during the Horizon Europe program period 2021–2027. The grant recipient must be a startup or SME. The applicant must prove they have sufficient financial resources for later market launch and scaling of the company. The application must describe the company's capacity and readiness for rapid growth.
Blended finance	Blended finance consists of a lump-sum grant and an EIC Fund equity or quasi-equity investment. Work packages covered by the grant and investment must be clearly separated; a single work package cannot be partly funded by the grant and partly by the investment simultaneously. Technical, financial, legal, and compliance due diligence will be carried out for the investment.
Application rounds	Short proposals can be submitted on a rolling basis and are evaluated on the first Tuesday of each month at 17:00 Brussels time. The 2026 full application deadlines are January 7, March 4, May 6, July 8, September 2, and November 4 at 17:00 Brussels time. A full application can only be submitted after receiving a positive decision for the short proposal. The full application must be submitted at the latest within 12 months after the positive pre-assessment of the short proposal.
Open and thematic calls	EIC Accelerator Open is open to projects in all technology and application fields and has no predefined thematic priorities. EIC Accelerator Challenges supports projects in strategic areas defined in the work programme. From July 9, 2026, the Open and Challenges calls may include potentially dual-use innovation, but the project must promote civil use.
Application submission restriction	After three unsuccessful submissions of the same or revised application by the same legal entity, the company can no longer submit the same project to the EIC Accelerator during the Horizon Europe program period.
Own funding and financial capacity	The applicant must be able to cover at least 30% of the costs of work packages related to the grant component from their own resources. Applicants for grant only must prove they have access to the resources needed for commercialization and scaling. Applicants for investment must have a credible funding need, and EIC investment must help attract additional private or public sector investors.
Documentation	https://eis.ee/teenused/euroopa-horisont/

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Application process

Application requirements