1
European Commission Decision C(2022) 701 of 7 February 2022
European Innovation
Council (EIC)
Work Programme 2022
European Innovation Council (EIC) established by the European
Commission, under the Horizon Europe programme (2021-27)
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Who should read this document
This document is the annual European Innovation Council (EIC) Work Programme
funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research
and Innovation. It is the legal document which sets out how the EIC will allocate its
funding for the corresponding year. It is prepared following the advice of the EIC pilot
Advisory Board and adopted by the European Commission.
The EIC aims at identifying and supporting breakthrough technologies and gamechanging
innovations with the potential to scale up internationally and become
market leaders. It supports all stages of innovation from research and development on
the scientific underpinnings of breakthrough technologies, to validation and
demonstration of breakthrough technologies and innovations to meet real world
needs, to the development and scaling up of start-ups and small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).
Financial support is provided through three main funding schemes: the ‘EIC Pathfinder’
for advanced research on breakthrough / game-changing technologies; ‘EIC Transition’
for transforming research results into innovation opportunities; and the ‘EIC
Accelerator’ for individual companies to develop and scale up breakthrough
innovations with high risk and high impact. All EIC awardees, as well as selected
applicants, have access to a range of EIC Business Acceleration Services providing
access to leading expertise, corporates, investors and ecosystem actors. The EIC also
provides additional activities such as prizes.
Potential applicants, and those interested in the EIC in general, can find more
information, including the background to the EIC mission, organisation and practical
guidance, on the EIC website: https://eic.ec.europa.eu
Potential applicants who wish to apply for EIC funding will need to apply through the
EU Funding & Tender Opportunities portal (https://ec.europa.eu/info/fundingtenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home),
which can also be accessed to via the EIC
website (https://eic.ec.europa.eu). This contains all the information necessary as well as
details of the relevant National Contact Point who can provide information and
personalised support in native language.
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Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................5
KEY FEATURES OF THE EIC......................................................................................................................................... 5
MAIN CHANGES WITH RESPECT TO THE EIC WORK PROGRAMME 2021........................................................................... 12
OUTLOOK FOR 2023 AND FUTURE YEARS ................................................................................................................... 13
TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF MAIN CALLS IN 2022 ............................................................................................................. 14
GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................................................... 15
II. EIC PATHFINDER.................................................................................................................................... 20
II.1 EIC PATHFINDER OPEN ....................................................................................................................... 20
II.2 EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES.............................................................................................................. 26
II.2.1 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Carbon dioxide and nitrogen management and valorisation .............. 31
II.2.2 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Mid to long term and systems integrated energy storage .................. 33
II.2.3 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Cardiogenomics ................................................................................... 35
II.2.4 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Towards the Healthcare Continuum: technologies to support a radical
shift from episodic to continuous healthcare.............................................................................. 37
II.2.5 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: DNA-based digital data storage........................................................... 40
II.2.6 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Alternative approaches to Quantum Information Processing,
Communication, and Sensing ...................................................................................................... 42
III. EIC TRANSITION .................................................................................................................................... 44
III.1 EIC TRANSITION OPEN........................................................................................................................ 53
III.2 EIC TRANSITION CHALLENGES............................................................................................................... 54
III.2.1 EIC Transition Challenge: Green digital devices for the future ..................................................... 54
III.2.2 EIC Transition Challenge: Process and system integration of clean energy technologies ............ 56
III.2.3 EIC Transition Challenge: RNA-based therapies and diagnostics for complex or rare genetic
diseases........................................................................................................................................ 58
IV. EIC ACCELERATOR ................................................................................................................................. 61
IV.1 EIC ACCELERATOR OPEN ..................................................................................................................... 78
IV.2 EIC ACCELERATOR CHALLENGES............................................................................................................ 79
IV.2.1 EIC Accelerator Challenge: Technologies for Open Strategic Autonomy ...................................... 79
IV.2.2 EIC Accelerator Challenge: Technologies for ‘Fit for 55’ ............................................................... 81
V. EIC COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS ACCELERATION SERVICES .................................................................. 84
VI. EIC PRIZES ............................................................................................................................................. 91
VI.1 EU PRIZE FOR WOMEN INNOVATORS..................................................................................................... 91
VI.2 THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF INNOVATION AWARDS (ICAPITAL).................................................................... 94
VI.3 THE EUROPEAN INNOVATION PROCUREMENT AWARDS ............................................................................. 97
VI.4 THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL INNOVATION COMPETITION................................................................................ 100
VII. OTHER ACTIONS.................................................................................................................................. 106
VII.1 HONORARIA AND EXPENSES OF THE EIC BOARD ..................................................................................... 106
VII.2 EIC DATA AND IT SYSTEMS INTEGRATION.............................................................................................. 107
VII.3 AI-BASED TECHNOLOGY RATING TOOL FOR APPLICATIONS TO THE EIC......................................................... 109
VII.4 TRAINING AND ONBOARDING ON THE EIC AI-BASED PLATFORM ................................................................ 111
VII.5 EXTERNAL EXPERTISE FOR MONITORING, ETHICS AND POLICY ADVICE........................................................... 113
VII.6 EXPERT GROUP ON THE DESIGN OF THE EIC MARKETPLACE AND TECH TO MARKET ACTIVITIES ......................... 113
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VII.7 PILOT EUROPEAN INNOVATION GENDER AND DIVERSITY INDEX................................................................... 115
VII.8 EXPERT GROUP ON LATE-STAGE SCALE-UP FINANCING ............................................................................. 116
VII.9 EIC SCALE UP 100........................................................................................................................... 117
VII.10 COMMUNICATION, OUTREACH, EVENTS ................................................................................................ 120
VII.11 CREATING COMMUNITIES, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT FROM EIC PORTFOLIOS.......................... 121
VII.12 UPSKILLING FOR OUTREACH AND EIC PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT................................................................ 122
VII.13 ENHANCING SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE EIC AND STARTUP EUROPE ............................................................. 123
ANNEXES...................................................................................................................................................... 126
ANNEX 1 ESTIMATED INDICATIVE BUDGET ......................................................................................................... 126
ANNEX 2 GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR PROPOSALS................................................................................................. 129
ANNEX 3 ENTITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING.......................................................................................................... 142
ANNEX 4 FAST TRACK SCHEME TO APPLY FOR THE EIC ACCELERATOR ...................................................................... 144
ANNEX 5 PILOT PLUG-IN SCHEME TO APPLY FOR THE EIC ACCELERATOR................................................................... 146
ANNEX 6 EIC BOOSTER GRANTS FOR EIC PATHFINDER AND EIC TRANSITION AWARDEES............................................. 149
ANNEX 7 ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FOR EIC PATHFINDER AND EIC TRANSITION.... 151
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I. Introduction
Key features of the EIC
This is the Work Programme for the implementation of European Innovation Council
(EIC) activities in 2022. In accordance with the Horizon Europe legislation, this Work
Programme implements the following key features:
Integrated, agile support across the full innovation spectrum from early stage
edge research to the scale-up of genuinely innovative SMEs
The funding and support is organised into three main funding schemes: the EIC
Pathfinder for advanced research to develop the scientific basis to underpin
breakthrough technologies (Section II); the EIC Transition to validate technologies and
develop business plans for specific applications (Section III);1
and the EIC Accelerator
to support companies (SMEs, start-ups, spin-outs and in exceptional cases small midcaps)
to bring their innovations to market and scale up (Section IV). In each case, the
direct financial support to innovators is augmented with access to a range of Business
Acceleration Services (Section V).
Linkages between these funding schemes will be maximised through proactive
management (see below) and new approaches, such as additional ‘Booster‘ grants to
ongoing EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition projects (Annex 6), a Marketplace to connect
preliminary and final research results with entrepreneurs and investors (Section V and
Section VII), and the Fast Track scheme from EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition
successful projects to enter the EIC Accelerator (Annex 4).
This Work Programme has been prepared in coordination with the Horizon Europe
strategic plan and the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022,2
and in particular
its part on European Innovation Ecosystems, with the aim of integrating the direct
support to innovators through the EIC with improvements to the overall European
ecosystem. The EIC will also link with other components of Horizon Europe, including
the European Research Council (ERC), the European Institute of Innovation and
Technology (EIT) and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), and with other
Union funding programmes, such as InvestEU.
A number of support actions included in this Work Programme will allow the
integration and development of current EIC services such as the AI evaluation tool and
1
EIC Transition applies the Fast Track to Research and Innovation Procedure (FTRI) as defined in Horizon
Europe.
2
https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe_en.
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the EIC Marketplace into a wider virtual, and ultimately physical, space allowing
interactions and collaborations among European innovators. This space will be open to
all interested stakeholders and parties, to stimulate the European innovation ecosystem
by fostering the circulation of ideas, bringing actors together to further develop
innovations and bridge them with funding opportunities, public or private. The aim is
to develop further synergies with national and regional programmes, as well interested
innovation agencies to overall enhance support to innovation across the Union.
A balance between open funding and challenge driven funding.
The majority of funding will be awarded through open calls with no predefined
thematic priorities (‘EIC Open’).3
The EIC Open funding is designed to enable support
for any technologies and innovations that cut across different scientific, technological,
sectoral and application fields or represent novel combinations.
The challenge driven approach (‘EIC Challenges’) provides funding to address specific
technological and innovation breakthroughs. These challenges take into account EU
priorities for transitioning to a green, digital and healthy society, as well as the overall
strategic planning for Horizon Europe, and the inputs of stakeholders, experts and the
EIC Board.
Tailored approach to proposal evaluation
The EIC approach to the evaluation of proposals is tailored to the objectives of each of
the EIC funding schemes. For the most mature technologies, when business and market
readiness levels are close to market funding, greater emphasis is put on face to face
interviews with applicants and a simplified binary scoring (GO/ NO GO).
For the EIC Pathfinder, which supports science-towards-technology breakthrough
research, the evaluation follows a peer review method where proposals are evaluated,
scored and ranked by experts based on weighted criteria and thresholds (see Section
II).
For the EIC Transition, which funds innovation activities that go beyond the
experimental proof of principle, proposals will first be evaluated remotely, scored and
ranked based on criteria and thresholds. For the top ranked applicants which are invited
to the face to face interview, the jury will decide based on a binary scoring (GO/NO GO,
see Section III).
3
As far as MFF budget is concerned (i.e. not taking into account NGEU budget).
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For the EIC Accelerator, which supports high risk/high gain innovations to go to the
market and scale up, proposals will be evaluated remotely and at face to face interviews
based on a binary scoring (GO/NO GO)4 (see Section IV).
Proactive project and portfolio management by EIC Programme Managers
Support awarded by the EIC, and in particular by the EIC Pathfinder, is more than a
one-off funding of a research project. By covering the full innovation cycle, whenever
possible EIC intends to push results to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Whilst
EIC Pathfinder awardees will bear no obligation regarding the development of
innovation as part of their project, the EIC will encourage and stimulate further
maturation of preliminary findings and results by providing guidance but also
additional and continuous support, including financial.
Moreover, the EIC takes a proactive approach of project and programme management
to develop business and technology-based visions. This is performed by EIC
Programme Managers,5 whose task is to identify, develop and implement such visions
and to nurture potential market-creating innovations out of EIC funded projects and
activities. Proactive management applies to EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition and EIC
Accelerator projects and consists of the following:
 Proposals for funding will need to define a number of milestones that will be used
to periodically review progress. Reviews will assess whether the activities foreseen
to reach the milestone have been completed and will consider the results and
outputs against the overall objectives. The reviews will be undertaken with the
support of independent experts and overseen by EIC Programme Managers for
projects within their portfolios.
 Following the reviews against milestones, the EIC support may be continued on the
same basis, amendments may be requested or, in case the project has lost
economic or technological relevance or not met agreed milestones, it may be
suspended or even terminated. Reviews may also result in requests for
amendments to ongoing or planned milestones, and deployment of some
necessary EIC Business Acceleration Services (or other relevant ones, like those
from EIC-KICs), including additional coaching days and access to crucial expertise.
For EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition projects, reviews may also involve an
assessment to submit a proposal directly to the EIC Accelerator under the Fast
Track scheme (see Annex 4) or to submit a proposal for additional EIC Booster
4
In line with Article 25(3) and Article 26(2) of the Horizon Europe Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/695).
5
Programme Managers are temporary staff employed by the Agency to manage one or more EIC
Portfolios.
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grants (see Annex 6). In addition to the reviews, the EIC awardees will be expected
to keep the EIC regularly informed of progress and pre-alerted in case of
difficulties.
 EIC funded projects may be included in one or more thematic or challenge-based
portfolios of projects (‘EIC Portfolios’), providing the projects with a productive
setting in which to advance their ideas. For EIC Challenges, the portfolio will reflect
the scope of the challenge (‘Challenge Portfolio’). Projects to be funded through
EIC Open topics may be requested to join one or more Thematic Portfolios. The
EIC Portfolios will be overseen by EIC Programme Managers and the relevant EIC
awardees may be requested to participate in portfolio activities together with other
projects or initiatives (examples of portfolio activities can be found in Annex 6.
 The objectives and roadmap of the EIC Challenge Portfolios are defined and
proposed by the EIC Programme Manager, following close consultation with EIC
Awardees of the projects of the portfolio, consultation with relevant Commission
services to ensure strong complementarities with other parts of Horizon Europe
and, where appropriate, with other interested members of the EIC Community and
other third parties. In order to take into account relevant changes in science and
innovation or the portfolio’s achievements or consistency, the objectives and
roadmap of an EIC Challenge Portfolio may be revised. Based on any such revision,
the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) (hereafter
‘the Agency’) may request to amend the project activities, milestones and
deliverables in accordance with the grant agreement. If the project has been
selected under an EIC Challenge topic, and where no amendment can be agreed
upon to ensure coherence with the updated objectives of the related Challenge
Portfolio, the Agency may suspend or terminate the project in accordance with the
grant agreement.
 EIC portfolio activities are identified and developed by EIC Programme Managers
in consultation with the EIC Awardees of the projects in the EIC Portfolio, with
relevant Commission services and where appropriate with other interested EIC
Community members and third parties. They aim at developing cooperation within
an EIC Portfolio in order to achieve its objectives or those of its actions, enhance
research, prepare transition to innovation and stimulate business opportunities,
and strengthen the EIC Community. Such activities may cover participation to
conferences, workshops or meetings, experience and data sharing, and
participation to any relevant EIC Business Acceleration Services events.
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Policy of open access and Intellectual Property rights6
For the EIC Pathfinder, provisions will be applied to ensure open access to scientific
publications and promote the uptake of research results (see Annex 2 on open science).
Moreover, the EIC aims to stimulate the cross-fertilisation and exploitation of results
from EIC supported projects. Therefore, EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition projects may
be requested by EIC Programme Managers to actively share information about results
(including preliminary findings), within their EIC Portfolio and with other relevant EIC
projects and parties, as detailed in Annex 7. The goal is to stimulate and nurture
potential innovation out of EIC Pathfinder or EIC Transition results and explore
pathways to further development. This exchange of information between EIC Awardees
will be without prejudice to their own legitimate interests to exploit the results or
findings. To ensure full confidentiality, such sharing will be subject to non-disclosure
obligations regarding confidential results, with EIC Awardees retaining the right on a
case by case basis to fully disclose or not their intellectual property.
Without prejudice to ownership of results (including preliminary findings) by EIC
Pathfinder and EIC Transition result owners, their inventors will be entrusted with
appropriate access for the purpose of further development and exploitation be eligible
to additional financial support and services offered by EIC, as further detailed in Annex
7.
Medium term Key Performance Indicators
The overall objective of the EIC is to identify, develop and deploy high risk innovations
of all kind with a particular focus on breakthrough, market-creating and deep-tech
innovations. It aims to support the rapid scale up of innovative technologies and
companies (mainly start-ups and SMEs) at EU and international level along the pathway
from ideas to market. In this context the EIC is also an initiative contributing to the EU
open strategic autonomy.
Following the recommendations of the EIC pilot Advisory Board, the EIC aims to achieve
ambitious targets on a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPI targets
are medium-term objectives for the EIC and not specific targets for the 2022 Work
Programme., which will contribute to the following EIC KPIs:
6
For the EIC Accelerator, the Intellectual Property rules are included in the contract and/or investment
agreement.
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 Supporting impact-oriented companies of which over 90% address Sustainable
Development Goals. This KPI will be addressed in particular through the EIC
Accelerator and EIC Transition calls;7
 Crowding in of co-investments and follow-up investments in EIC funded
companies of 3-5 times the level of EIC funding. This KPI will be addressed in
particular through the EIC Accelerator blended finance / equity (-like) support
and the role of the EIC Investment Partners, as well as through the Business
Acceleration Services for other projects;
 Effectively promoting the bridging of research to deployment across EIC
activities. This KPI will be addressed through all EIC funding schemes (EIC
Pathfinder, EIC Transition, and EIC Accelerator) and supported through proactive
management, the EIC Marketplace and the Business Acceleration Services.
 Achieving a balanced portfolio across geographical regions and with at least
35% of EIC portfolio companies led by women.
To progress towards the last of these KPIs, a number of specific actions are
implemented through this Work Programme.
The EIC is committed to support all innovation talent including within
underrepresented categories. Several measures will be undertaken in 2022 to continue
ongoing efforts to increase support to women innovators within the EIC programmes,
while fully respecting the principle of excellence:
 At least 40% of the EIC juries and EIC expert evaluators will be women, with the
objective to reach 50%;
 The companies and projects invited to the face to face interviews with the EIC
Accelerator and Transition juries will be selected on the basis of excellence,8
while aiming at having a strong representation of women-led SMEs and, where
relevant, work package leaders;
 The Business Accelerator Services include specific services for female founders;
7
To progress towards this KPI, the EIC Accelerator and Transition applicants and beneficiaries are
encouraged to make use of EIC Greenhouse Gas (EIC GHG) programme including by using the EIC
Greenhouse Gas Tool
8
For any applicant to be considered for interview, they must meet all the evaluation criteria at all of the
previous steps of the selection process.
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 Encouragement of gender balance among Work Package leaders in EIC
Pathfinder and EIC Transition by using women representation as a criterion in
case of equal score;
 Increased budget for the WomenTech.EU scheme from €2 million to €10
million;9
 A pilot innovation gender and diversity index to collect data, provide
benchmarking/ KPIs, and track progress across the European ecosystem. The EIC
will collaborate with the EIT and its KICs to exchange good practices on
supporting women-led SMEs and start-ups.
These measures are complemented by actions in the European Innovation Ecosystems
Work Programme to promote women across the innovation ecosystem.
For improving balance across geographical regions and in particular the ‘widening’
countries defined in Horizon Europe:10
 National Contact Points and members of the Enterprise Europe Network provide
additional target support services for applicants from ‘widening’ countries;
 All applicants to the EIC Accelerator that receive a GO on their short proposals
will receive three days of coaching to prepare their full proposals. This is
expected to be particularly beneficial to those applicants from regions with less
support available. The EIC will closely cooperate with relevant EIT KICs in this
respect.
Applicants receiving the ‘Seal of Excellence’ will have access to EIC Business Accelerator
Services and support to access other sources of funding, including from the Cohesion
Policy Funds , provided that the Seal of Excellence project is in line with the Common
Provision Regulation (Art. 73(4)), and potentially from EIT KICs.
These measures are complemented by actions in the European Innovation Ecosystems
and the Widening parts of the Horizon Europe Work Programme.
9
The WomenTech.EU scheme is implemented under the Horizon Europe work programme part on
‘Innovative European Ecosytems’.
10
According to Article 2(17) of Regulation 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe-the Framework
Programme for Research and Innovation, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and
repealing Regulations (EU) No 1290/2013 and (EU) No 1291/2013t, ‘widening countries’/ ‘low R&I
performing countries’ are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, for the whole duration of the
Programme. For Associated Countries, the list of eligible countries will be defined based on an indicator
and published in the Work Programme. On the basis of Article 349 TFEU, legal entities from Outermost
Regions will be also fully eligible.
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EIC-EIT Collaboration
The EIC is progressively increasing collaboration and synergies with the EIT and its
Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) with the overall aim of strengthening
the European Innovation Ecosystem. In this context, the EIC and the EIT agreed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 8 January 2021 identifying a range of areas
to strengthen collaboration. A number of these areas are already supported through
this Work Programme, such as the implementation of the FastTrack process by EIT KICs.
Further measures, considered in the future, such as coordination with the wide range
of existing EIT KICs business acceleration services, will be considered in the future.
Main changes with respect to the EIC Work Programme 2021
The EIC Work Programme 2022 includes a number of new elements to take into
account the lessons learnt from the implementation of the EIC Work Programme 2021,
and to support new emerging innovation policies, including those following the
recommendations of key stakeholders reports.11
These new elements include:
EIC Pathfinder:
 Clarifications of timelines for the rebuttal procedure.
EIC Transition:
 Introduction of regular cut-off dates for applications;
 Provisions to increase the number of women-led projects to be invited to the
jury interview stage, if all evaluation criteria thresholds are met.
EIC Accelerator:
 More frequent cut-off dates for full applications;
 Allowing applicants to apply for investment component amounts of above 15
million under certain conditions;
 Broadening the definition of women-led companies to recognise the role of
women in executive Board positions beyond the Chief Executive Officer.
11
https://sifted.eu/intelligence/reports/scale-up-europe;
https://unicornsgroup.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Next-Innovation-EU-FINAL-REPORT.pdf;
https://theventure.city/invest-in-women-now/
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Outlook for 2023 and future years
The EIC has been set up as an agile organisation and the activities are expected to
evolve and develop in each annual Work Programme based on advice from the EIC
Board, experience from implementation and the dynamics of the world of innovation.
The main provisions of the EIC Open calls are expected to remain relatively stable to
provide a significant level of predictability for applicants, while incorporating necessary
improvements.
In order to provide a multi-annual perspective for the identification of EIC Challenges,
the first yearly EIC Emerging Technologies report is being published to provide an
overall assessment of opportunities stemming from the latest scientific, technological
and innovative advancements as well as relevant policy, industrial, societal and market
drivers.12
This report provides important considerations for the process of identifying
EIC Challenges for future Work Programmes. It is however important that the EIC can
react quickly to new developments and hence the selection of EIC Challenges will not
be restricted to the areas identified by the report.
This Work Programme will pilot a number of actions in support of potential scale-ups,
including a support action with targeted support for scale-ups, the flexibility for the EIC
to make investments above €15 million and an expert group to advise on further
support measures for scale-ups, the outputs of which will be considered where relevant
for the EIC 2023 Work Programme and beyond.
Following the work on the pilot European gender and diversity index, further actions
may be considered from 2023 to address the underrepresentation of women and other
diversity categories within the EIC portfolio of projects and companies.
12
The process of identification has involved the EIC Programme Managers, external experts and
Commission services as well as an analysis of the existing evidence base and third party reports.
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Table 1. Summary of main calls in 202213
13
This table provides a simplified overview. All applicants need to read the relevant sections for the full information on eligibility and conditions for funding. The Director-General responsible for the
call may decide to open the call up to one month prior to or after the envisaged date(s) of opening. The Director-General responsible may delay the deadline(s) by up to two months.
14
e.g. research organisations, universities, SMEs, industry.
15
In duly justified cases the investment component can be higher than EUR 15 million.
EIC Open EIC Challenges
Call Who can apply What for Deadlines Indicative
Budget
(EUR
million)
EIC Challenge Deadlines Indicative
Budget
(EUR
million)
EIC
Pathfinder
Consortia of at least three different
independent legal entities14
established in at least three different
eligible countries.
Additionally, single applicants or small
consortia (two partners) for EIC
Pathfinder Challenges only.
Grants of up to EUR 3 million (open) or
EUR 4 million (challenge driven) (or more
if properly justified) to achieve the proof
of principle and validate the scientific basis
of breakthrough technology (TRL 1-4)
3 May 2022 183  Carbon dioxide & Nitrogen management and
valorisation
 Mid-long term, systems-integrated energy
storage
 Cardiogenomics
 Healthcare Continuum technologies
 DNA-based digital data storage
 Alternative Quantum Information Processing,
Communication, and Sensing
19 October 2022 167
EIC
Transition
Single applicants (SMEs, spin-offs,
start-ups, research organisations,
universities) or small consortia (two
partners) or consortia of three to five
different independent legal entities
established in at least three different
eligible countries.
Proposals must build on results from
eligible EIC Pathfinder,
FET or ERC Proof of Concept projects
Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million (or more if
properly justified) to validate and
demonstrate technology in applicationrelevant
environment (TRL 4 to 5/6) and
develop market readiness
4 May 2022
28 September
2022
70.9  Green digital devices for the future
 Process and system integration of clean energy
technologies
 RNA-based therapies and diagnostics for
complex or rare genetic diseases
4 May 2022
28 September
2022
60.5
EIC
Accelerator
Single start-ups and SMEs (including
spin-outs), individuals (intending to
launch a start-up/ SME) and in
exceptional cases small mid-caps
(fewer than 499 employees)
Up to EUR 2.5 million grant component for
technology development (TRL 5/6 to 9);
EUR 0.5 up to 15 million15
investment
component for scaling up and other
activities. Grant only/grant first under
certain conditions. Investment component
only for small mid-caps or as follow up to
grant only.
Short
applications:
continuous
Full applications :
 23 March 2022
 15 June 2022
 5 October 2022
630.9  Technologies for Open Strategic Autonomy
 Technologies for ‘Fit for 55’
Short
applications:
continuous
Full applications:
 23 March 2022
 15 June 2022
 5 October 2022
536.9
Glossary16
The EIC Board oversees the strategy and implementation of EIC activities and provides
advice on EIC Work Programmes. It comprises 15-20 leading innovators and innovative
researchers, including a President, and is appointed by the European Commission
following an open call for expressions of interest.17
The EIC Board members are subject
to strict rules concerning conflicts of interest and confidentiality.
The Agency entrusted by the European Commission with the implementation of all
Horizon Europe EIC activities and funding is the European Innovation Council and Small
and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA).
The EIC works with various EIC Investment Partners for management of the
investment component of EIC Accelerator blended finance. During a transition phase
in 2022 the EIC Investment Partner will be the EIC Fund which is a dedicated fund for
investing in companies selected by the EIC Accelerator with the support of the
European Investment Bank. Following the transition phase, it is anticipated that such
partners would also include the European Investment Bank Group, private venture
capital funds and national promotional banks and institutions, as well as the EIC fund.
Within the mandate given by the Commission following the evaluation process,
investment decisions18
(and their related conditions and management) are taken by
the EIC Fund (and in future other EIC Investment Partners). These decisions will follow
the agreements between the Commission and the Investment Partners as well as the
EIC Fund’s Investment Guidelines19
which include objectives to crowd in other investors
as investments are de-risked.
The EIC Forum is a platform bringing different innovation drivers and levels of
governance closer together to discuss openly and informally relevant policy issues.20
The policy recommendations and activities of the EIC Forum will aim at supporting and
complementing initiatives undertaken in Horizon Europe.
16
These definitions are complemented by specific definitions regarding provisions concerning
management of EIC Portfolios and Intellectual Property for EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition actions
detailed in Annex 7.
17
The 2021 and 2022 EIC work programme followed advice provided by the EIC pilot Advisory Board
which completed its mandate on 31 May 2021.
18
In the context of the investment component of a blended finance project or of an investment only
project. Investment decisions range from pre-seed up to IPO (exit) stages (i.e. covering also Seed, Series
A, B, C+, etc.) as well as listed companies.
19
The EIC Fund investment Guidelines will be available on the EIC website and cover in full detail the
investment conditions of the EIC Fund.
20
The EIC Forum is supported under the ‘European Innovation Ecosystems’ part of the Horizon Europe
work programme.
16
The EIC Awardees are the consortia, institutions and/or companies named in an EIC
grant agreement (for EIC Pathfinder, Transition) or EIC contract or investment
agreement for EIC Accelerator, as well as winners of EIC Prizes. In the agreements and
contracts, the legal entities receiving support (including but not limited to companies,
research and technology organisations) are called ‘beneficiaries’. The Horizon Europe
model grant agreements and contracts are available on the EIC website.
EIC Programme Managers are high-level experts employed by the Agency to manage
one or more EIC Portfolios. They work in close relation with EIC Project Officers. They
are high level experts in their field and in the EU innovation landscape (e.g. ERC, EIT
and EIT KICs). They are appointed to work in the EIC for a limited duration, to develop
visions for breakthrough technologies and innovations, and to proactively manage
portfolios of projects to achieve these breakthroughs. They are supported by EIC
Project Officers as well as by EIC Tech to Market advisers. The EIC Programme Managers
are subject to strict rules concerning conflicts of interest and confidentiality.
EIC Tech to Market Advisers are agents employed by the Agency to assist primarily
the EIC Transition projects, in agreement with EIC Programme Managers and in
conjunction with Project Officers, with the design and the execution of the transition
plan and to facilitate access to, and follow-up of, the relevant Business Acceleration
Service offerings.
EIC Project Officers are officials and other agents appointed by the Agency to manage
an action.
EIC Juries are panels of independent investors, entrepreneurs and other external
experts, carefully selected by the EIC, who conduct face to face interviews with
applicants to the EIC Transition and EIC Accelerator calls as a critical part of the
selection process. Face to face interviews may take place in either a physical or virtual
setting. In cases specified in the call texts (EIC Transition Challenges), EIC Programme
Managers and representatives of the EIC Investment Partners may participate in some
juries.
EIC expert evaluators are external independent experts in their field who assess
proposals for funding against the criteria defined in the Work Programme. The EIC
expert evaluators are selected from the Funding & Tender Opportunities portal Expert
Database.
EIC expert monitors are external independent experts in their field who assist the EIC
in the monitoring of projects.
17
EIC evaluation committees are panels of EIC expert evaluators who evaluate
proposals and rank those that have passed the applicable thresholds. In cases specified
in the call texts, EIC Programme Managers may participate in some evaluation
committees as specified in the call texts.
EIC Business Acceleration Services are services for the EIC Community members to
support the commercialisation of EIC innovations and scaling up of EIC companies,
namely access to coaches, mentors, expertise and training, access to global partners
(leading corporates, investors, procurers, distributors, clients) and access to innovation
ecosystem and peers, as described more in detail in Section V.
EIC business coaches are independent external experts with entrepreneurial and
fundraising background who provide business development insights and improvement
guidance to EIC awardees, and applicants. They are part of the Business Acceleration
Services.
EIC Community designates EIC awardees and third parties interested to partake or
contribute to EIC activities.
EIC Community platform is a platform available to all EIC awardees, facilitating links
to Business Acceleration Services as well as enabling discussions and exchanges.
The EIC Marketplace is a trusted IT interface (platform) between the EIC Community
and the Agency for exchange of information and data on the action, in relation notably
to portfolio activities, in order to cross-fertilise activities and stimulate and nurture
potential innovation out of these findings. It will also provide for co-creating new ideas
and activities, including but not exclusively for the purpose of applying for additional
EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition or EIC Accelerator support. It may also be used by the
Agency to interact with stakeholders at large on such issues as raising awareness and
consultation on EIC Portfolio objectives, in support of the implementation of EIC
Business Acceleration Services, and to contribute to the dissemination of EIC actions
results.
EIC Portfolio is a set of actions presenting thematic similarities (Thematic Portfolio)
or contributing to the same EIC Challenge (Challenge Portfolio).
National Contact Points (NCPs) are appointed by Member States and Associated
Countries to provide guidance, practical information and assistance to applicants on
all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe.
The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is a network of business intermediary
organisations (chambers of commerce, technology poles, innovation support
organisations, universities and research institutes, regional development organisations)
18
that help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) innovate and grow
internationally.
Deep tech is technology that is based on cutting-edge scientific advances and
discoveries and is characterised by the need to stay at the technological forefront by
constant interaction with new ideas and results from the lab. Deep tech is distinct from
‘high tech’ which tends to refer only to R&D intensity.
Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) provide a guide to the stage of development.
TRLs are used in the Work Programme for guidance, but do not preclude support for
non-technological innovations. A strong degree of importance will also be given to
market readiness and business readiness,21
as described in the award criteria of the call
texts. The following definitions of TRLs apply, recognising that there are important
differences between technological fields:
TRL1 - basic principles observed
TRL2 - technology concept formulated
TRL3 - experimental proof of concept
TRL4 - technology validated in lab
TRL5 - technology validated in relevant environment
TRL6 - technology demonstrated in relevant environment
TRL7 - system prototype demonstration in operational environment
TRL8 - system complete and qualified
TRL9 - actual system proven in operational environment
Seal of Excellence: is a certification awarded to individual SMEs that apply for EIC
Transition or EIC Accelerator funding and are assessed to meet the relevant evaluation
criteria as defined in the call text, but which are not directly funded by the EIC. The Seal
of Excellence provides access to Business Acceleration Services and facilitates funding
from other sources.22
It is only awarded to those applicants who agree to share the
data about their proposal (basic information on the proposal, the call and the proposer)
with other alternative funding bodies, which may decide to fund the project. The grant
component of projects awarded a Seal of Excellence is exempted under the General
Block Exemption Regulation from State Aid notification requirements under the same
21
Further information on market readiness and business readiness will be provided in the guidance
documents.
22
Information on funding bodies that recognise and support Seal of Excellence projects is available at
https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/seal-excellence.
19
funding rates as those applicable to the EIC. The investment component of projects
awarded a Seal of Excellence may be supported by other funders, including public
funders as long as this does not constitute a State Aid.
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a category of micro, small and
medium-sized enterprises. It consists of enterprises that employ fewer than 250
persons and have either an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, or an annual
balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million. A full definition is provided in in
Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC. Under the EIC, this definition includes
start-ups.
Small mid-cap means an enterprise employing up to 499 employees.23
Women-led SMEs (including start-ups) means companies where the position of either
the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer or Chief Scientific Officer is held
by a woman at the time of application, interview and award of the EU financial support.
Women-led consortia means consortia where at least 50% of Work Package leaders
including the consortium coordinator are women.
23
Where the staff headcount is calculated in accordance with Articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Title I of the Annex
of Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC.
20
II. EIC Pathfinder
The overall objective of the EIC Pathfinder for advanced research is to develop the
scientific basis to underpin breakthrough technologies. It provides support for the
earliest stages of scientific, technological or deep-tech research and development.
Pathfinder projects aim to build on new, cutting-edge directions in science and
technology to disrupt a field and a market or create new opportunities by realising
innovative technological solutions through:
 ‘EIC Pathfinder Open’, open to proposals in any field of science, technology or
application without predefined thematic priorities;24
 ‘EIC Pathfinder Challenges’ to support proposals within a predefined thematic
area and addressing specific objectives.
II.1 EIC Pathfinder Open
 Do you have a vision for a future technology that could make a real difference
to our lives?
 Do you see a plausible way of achieving the scientific breakthrough that will
make this technology possible?
 Can you imagine collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and
innovators to realise the proof of principle and validate the scientific basis of the
future technology?
If the answer to each one of these questions is ‘yes’, then EIC Pathfinder Open may be
the right call for you.
Why should you apply?
You should apply if you are looking for support from EIC Pathfinder Open to realise an
ambitious vision for radically new technology, with potential to create new markets
and/or to address global challenges. EIC Pathfinder Open supports early stage
development of such future technologies (e.g. various activities at low Technology
Readiness Levels 1-4), based on high-risk/high-gain science-towards-technology
24
Innovations that significantly harm the environment (and therefore contravene the ‘do not significant
harm’ principle of the EU Taxonomy Regulation), social welfare or that are primarily designed for military
applications, or in other fields which are generally excluded from EU funding pursuant to Article 18
Horizon Europe Regulation, will not be funded (see Annex 2). Research proposals within the scope of
Annex I to the Euratom Treaty, namely those directed towards nuclear energy applications, must be
submitted to relevant calls under the Euratom Framework Programme.
21
breakthrough research (including ‘deep-tech’). This research must provide the
foundations of the technology you are envisioning.
EIC Pathfinder Open may support your work, especially if it is highly risky: you may set
out to try things that will not work; you may be faced with questions that nobody knows
the answer to yet; you may realise that there are many aspects of the problem that you
do not master. On the contrary, if the approach you want to follow is incremental by
nature or known, EIC Pathfinder Open will not support you.
Before applying to this call you should verify that your proposal meets all the following
essential characteristics (‘Gatekeepers’):
 Convincing long-term vision of a radically new technology that has the potential
to have a transformative positive effect to our economy and society.
 Concrete, novel and ambitious science-towards-technology breakthrough,
providing advancement towards the envisioned technology.
 High-risk/high-gain research approach and methodology, with concrete and
plausible objectives.
EIC Pathfinder Open involves interdisciplinary research and development. By bringing
diverse areas of research together, often with different perspectives, terminologies and
methodologies, within individual projects and within a portfolio of projects, really new
things can be generated and entirely new areas of research can be opened up. It is up
to you to compose the team that you need, that you can learn from, and that you can
move forward with.
The expected outcome of your project is the proof of principle that the main ideas of
the envisioned future technology are feasible, thus validating its scientific and
technological basis. Project results should include top-level scientific publications in
open access. While your vision is expected to be worthwhile because of its potential
for future impact, for instance to create new markets, improve our lives, or address
global challenges, these are not expected to be addressed or achieved in the course of
your EIC Pathfinder Open project. However, you are expected to take the necessary
measures to allow future uptake to take place, for instance through an adequate formal
protection of the generated Intellectual Property (IP). 25
In addition, you are encouraged to involve and empower in your team key actors that
have the potential to become future leaders in their field such as excellent early-career
25
IP includes industrial property (patents, trademarks, designs and geographic indications of source) and
copyright. See also Section I and Annex 7 for more information on the EIC policy of Open Access and IP
rights.
22
researchers or promising high-tech SMEs, including start-ups. Your project should
reinforce their mind-set for targeted research and development aimed at high-impact
applied results. This will strengthen Europe’s capacity for exploiting the scientific
discoveries made in Europe throughout the steps to market success or for solving
global challenges. You are particularly encouraged to empower female researchers in
your project and to achieve gender balance among your work package leaders.
Can you apply?
This call is open for collaborative research. Your proposal must be submitted by the
coordinator, on behalf of a consortium that includes at least three independent legal
entities, each one established in a different Member State or Associated Country and
with at least one of them established in a Member State. The legal entities may for
example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, industrial partners or
natural persons. The eligibility of associated countries and third countries is detailed in
Annex 3.
Your proposal will only be evaluated if it is admissible and eligible. The standard
admissibility and eligibility conditions are detailed in Annex 2.
What support will you receive if your proposal is funded?
The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 183 million.
You will receive a grant for a Research and Innovation Action to cover the eligible costs,
necessary for the implementation of your project. For this call, the EIC considers
proposals with a requested EU contribution of up to EUR 3 million as appropriate.
Nonetheless, this does not preclude you to request larger amounts, if properly justified.
The funding rate of this grant will be 100% of the eligible costs.
Projects funded through EIC Pathfinder (including grants resulting from certain EIC
pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open and oactive calls)26
are eligible:
 to receive EIC Booster grants with fixed amounts of up to EUR 50 000 to
undertake complementary activities to explore potential pathways to
commercialisation or for portfolio activities (see Annex 6);
 to submit an EIC Accelerator proposal via the Fast Track scheme (see Annex 4).
26
The eligible calls are: FETOPEN-RIA-2014-2015; FETOPEN-01-2016-2017; FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-
2020; H2020-FETPROACT-2014; FETPROACT-01-2016; FETPROACT-01-2018; FETPROACT-EIC-05-2019;
FETPROACT-EIC-07-2020; FETPROACT-EIC-08-2020.
23
In addition to funding, successful applicants will receive tailor-made access to a wide
range of Business Acceleration Services (see Section V).
How do you apply; how long does it take?
The deadline for submitting your proposal is 3 May 2022 at 17h00 Brussels local time.27
You must submit your proposal via the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal
before the given deadline.
Sections 1 to 3 of the part B of your proposal, corresponding respectively to the award
criteria Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation, must
consist of a maximum of 17, A4 pages. The standard admissibility and eligibility
conditions are detailed in Annex 2, and the eligibility of applicants from third countries
in Annex 3.
You will be informed about the outcome of the evaluation within 5 months from the
call deadline (indicative), and, if your proposal is accepted for funding, your grant
agreement will be signed by 8 months after call deadline (indicative).
How does the EIC decide if your proposal will be funded?
Your proposal will be first evaluated and scored remotely by EIC expert evaluators with
respect to the award criteria. The remote score for each award criterion will be the
median of the evaluators’ scores. The overall remote score will be the weighted sum of
the three median scores from the three award criteria.
A rebuttal procedure after the remote phase will provide you with the opportunity to
reply with a strict page limit (maximum two A4 pages) to the evaluators’ comments,
which you will receive about 1.5-2.5 months after the call deadline via the EU Funding
& Tender Opportunities Portal. The deadline for sending your replies will be eight
calendar days (at 17h00 Brussels local time) after you have received the evaluators’
comments. Your replies cannot be used to alter or add to the content of the proposals,
but must strictly focus on responding to potential misunderstandings or errors by the
evaluators. Your replies will be made available to the evaluation committee.
The evaluation committee, which will be composed of external independent experts
different than those who evaluated the proposals remotely, will decide on the final
score on the basis of the remote score and the outcome of its consensus discussions,
taking into consideration the comments from the rebuttal procedure, if any. These
27
The call will open on 1 March 2022. The Director-General responsible for the call may decide to open
the call up to one month prior to or after the envisaged date(s) of opening. The Director-General
responsible may delay the deadline(s) by up to two months.
24
discussions will focus on proposals with diverging evaluators’ opinions that have a
realistic chance of getting funded (i.e. proposals from an appropriately chosen range
above and below the funding threshold). The evaluation committee may invite expert
evaluators who evaluated and scored the proposals remotely to the consensus
discussions, in particular for proposals with diverging evaluators’ opinions.
The Evaluation Summary Report will comprise the final score, a collation of the
comments from individual reports, or extracts from them, a comment that summarises
the assessment by the evaluation committee (potentially taking into account the
applicants’ reply received via the rebuttal) as well as any additional comments, possibly
including advice not to resubmit the proposal.
Proposals will be assessed according to the following award criteria (Table 2):
Table 2. Award criteria for EIC Pathfinder Open
Excellence (Threshold: 4/5, weight 60%)
Long-term vision: How convincing is the vision of a radically new technology towards which
the project would contribute in the long term?
Science-towards-technology breakthrough: How concrete, novel and ambitious is the
proposed science-towards-technology breakthrough with respect to the state-of-the-art?
What advancement does it provide towards realising the envisioned technology?
Objectives: How concrete and plausible are the proposed objectives? To what extent is the
high-risk/high-gain research approach appropriate for achieving them? How sound is the
proposed methodology, including the underlying concepts, models, assumptions,
appropriate consideration of the gender dimension in research content, and the quality of
open science practices?
Interdisciplinarity: How relevant is the interdisciplinary approach from traditionally distant
disciplines for achieving the proposed breakthrough?
Impact (Threshold: 3.5/5, weight 20%)
Long-term impact: How significant are the potential transformative positive effects that the
envisioned new technology would have to our economy, environment and society?
Innovation potential: How adequate are the proposed measures for protection of results and
any other exploitation measures to facilitate future translation of research results into
innovations? How suitable are the proposed measures for involving and empowering key
actors that have the potential to take the lead in translating research into innovations in the
future?
25
Communication and Dissemination: How suitable are the measures to maximise expected
outcomes and impacts, including communication activities, for raising awareness about the
project results’ potential to establish new markets and/or address global challenges?
Quality and efficiency of the implementation (Threshold 3/5, weight 20%)
Quality of the consortium: To what extent do the consortium members have all the necessary
high quality expertise for performing the project tasks?
Work plan: How coherent and effective are the work plan (work packages, tasks, deliverables,
milestones, timeline, etc.) and risk mitigation measures in order to achieve the project
objectives?
Allocation of resources: How appropriate and effective is the allocation of resources (personmonths
and equipment) to tasks and consortium members?
For proposals with the same final score, priority will be based on the following factors,
in order: higher score under the criterion Excellence; higher score under the criterion
Impact; gender balance among the work package leaders as identified in the proposal;
number of applicants that are SMEs; number of Member States and Associated
Countries represented in the consortium; other factors related to the objectives of the
call to be determined by the evaluation committee.
26
II.2 EIC Pathfinder Challenges
EIC Pathfinder Challenges aim to build on new, cutting-edge directions in science and
technology to disrupt a field and a market or create new opportunities by realising
innovative technological solutions grounded in high-risk/high-gain research and
development.
With each specific Challenge, the EIC will establish a portfolio of projects that explore
different perspectives, competing approaches or complementary aspects of the
Challenge. The complexity and high-risk nature of this research will require multidisciplinary
collaborations.
A dedicated Programme Manager, who establishes a need-driven plan and proactively
steers the portfolio towards the goals of each Challenge, oversees a specific EIC
Pathfinder Challenge. Projects in a Challenge portfolio are expected to interact and
exchange, remaining flexible and reactive in the light of developments within the
portfolio or in the relevant global scientific or industrial community. They will progress
together towards common goals and create new opportunities for radical innovation.
This section refers to common criteria for all EIC Pathfinder Challenges. Please refer to
the description below of each Challenge for specific information, particular
requirements and budget.
Why should you apply?
You should apply if you have a potential project that would contribute to the specific
objectives of the respective Challenge. Specifically, your project must aim to deliver by
its end the expected outcomes defined in the respective challenge. Project results
should also include top-level scientific publications as well as an adequate formal
protection of the generated intellectual property (IP).
In addition, you are encouraged to involve and empower in your team key actors that
have the potential to become future leaders in their field such as excellent early-career
researchers or promising high-tech SMEs, including start-ups. Your project should
reinforce their mind-set for targeted research and development aimed at high-impact
applied results. This will strengthen Europe’s capacity for exploiting the scientific
discoveries made in Europe throughout the steps to market success or for solving
global challenges. You are particularly encouraged to empower female researchers in
your project and to achieve gender balance among your work package leaders.
Before you decide to apply, you are strongly encouraged to read the respective EIC
Pathfinder Challenge guide that will be published when the call opens on the EIC
27
website and the European Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. This Challenge
Guide will provide you with more information about the specific objectives of the
challenge, e.g. a detailed assessment of the state of the art and related (existing)
projects in the field, technical information to underpin the objectives, potential societal,
economic, environmental impacts if the objectives are achieved; as well as relevant
references.
Can you apply?
In order to apply, your proposal must meet the general eligibility requirements (see
Annex 2) as well as possible specific eligibility requirements for a specific Challenge.
Please check for particular elements (e.g. specific application focus or technology) in
the respective Challenge chapter below.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative research and innovation from
consortia or proposals from single legal entities established in a Member State or an
Associated Country (unless stated otherwise in the specific challenge chapter). In case
of a consortium your proposal must be submitted by the coordinator on behalf of the
consortium that includes at least two independent legal entities.28
The legal entities
may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, natural
persons. In the case of single beneficiary projects, mid-caps and larger companies will
not be permitted.
Your proposal will only be evaluated if it is admissible and eligible. The standard
admissibility and eligibility conditions are detailed in Annex 2 and the eligibility of
applicants from third countries in Annex 3.
What support will you receive if your proposal is funded?
The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 167 million which is expected to be
allocated in approximately equal shares across the challenges.
You will receive a grant for a Research and Innovation Action to cover the eligible costs,
necessary for the implementation of your project, including the portfolio activities. For
this call, the EIC considers proposals with an EU contribution of up to EUR 4 million as
appropriate. Nonetheless, this does not preclude you to request larger amounts, if
properly justified or stated otherwise in the specific Challenge. The funding rate of this
grant will be 100% of the eligible costs.
28
Consortia of two entities must be comprised of independent legal entities from two different Member
States or Associated Countries. Consortia of three or above entities follow standard rules i.e. they must
include at least one legal entity established in a Member State and at least two other independent legal
entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries (see Annex 3).
28
The projects funded through EIC Pathfinder Challenges are eligible:
1. to receive EIC Booster grants of up to EUR 50 000 to undertake complementary
activities to explore potential pathways to commercialisation or for portfolio
activities (see Annex 6).
2. to submit an EIC Accelerator proposal via its Fast Track scheme (see Annex 4).
In addition to funding, projects will receive tailor-made access to a wide range of
Business Acceleration Services (see Section V).
How do you apply; how long does it take?
The call deadline for submitting your proposal is 19 October 2022 at 17h00 Brussels
local time. 29
You must submit your proposal via the European Funding & Tender Opportunities
Portal.
Sections 1 to 3 of the part B of your proposal, corresponding respectively to the award
criteria Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation, must
consist of a maximum of 25 A4 pages. The standard admissibility and eligibility
conditions are detailed in Annex 2, and the eligibility of applicants from third countries
in Annex 3.
You will be informed about the outcome of the evaluation 5 months after call deadline
(indicative), and your grant agreement will be signed by 8 months after call deadline
(indicative).
How does the EIC decide if your proposal will be funded?
After the submission of your proposal it will be evaluated in two steps:
1. a remote evaluation by EIC expert evaluators will assess each proposal
separately against the defined award criteria;
2. an EIC evaluation committee will consider all proposals passing the first step
together in order to assess the best portfolio of projects to achieve the specific
objectives of the Challenge. The evaluation committee will be composed of EIC
expert evaluators and EIC Programme Managers.
For the first step, your proposal will be evaluated by EIC expert evaluators on each of
the award criteria (Table 3).
29
The call will open on 15 June 2022. The Director-General responsible for the call may decide to open
the call up to one month prior to or after the envisaged date(s) of opening. The Director-General
responsible may delay the deadline(s) by up to two months.
29
Table 3. Award criteria for EIC Pathfinder Challenges
Excellence (Threshold: 4/5; weight 60%)
Objectives and relevance to the Challenge: How clear are the project’s objectives? How
relevant are they in contributing to the overall goal and the specific objectives of the
Challenge?
Novelty: To what extent is the proposed work ambitious and goes beyond the state-of-the-
art?
Plausibility of the methodology: How sound is the proposed methodology, including the
underlying concepts, models, assumptions, appropriate consideration of the gender
dimension in research content, and the quality of open science practices?
Impact (Threshold: 3.5/5; weight 20%)
Potential Impact: How credible are the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and
impacts of the Challenge? To what extent would the successful completion of the project
contribute to this?
Innovation potential: How adequate are the proposed measures for protection of results and
any other exploitation measures to facilitate future translation of research results into
innovations with positive societal, economic or environmental impact? How suitable are the
proposed measures for involving and empowering key actors that have the potential to take
the lead in translating research into innovations in the future?
Communication and Dissemination: How suitable are the proposed measures, including
communication activities, to maximise expected outcomes and impacts for raising awareness
about the project results’ potential to establish new markets and/or address global
challenges?
Quality and efficiency of the implementation (Threshold 3/5; weight 20%)
Quality of the applicant/consortium (depends if mono or multi-beneficiaries): To what extent
do(es) the applicant/consortium members have all the necessary high quality expertise for
performing the project tasks?
Work plan: How coherent and effective are the work plan (work packages, tasks, deliverables,
milestones, timeline, etc.) and risk mitigation measures in order to achieve the project
objectives?
Allocation of resources: How appropriate and effective is the allocation of resources (personmonths
and equipment) to tasks and consortium members?
30
The remote score for each award criterion will be the median of the evaluators’ scores.
The overall remote score will be the weighted sum of the three median scores from the
three award criteria.
All proposals that meet the thresholds defined in the award criteria will be considered
in the second step.
As a second step, the evaluation committee will establish a list of proposals to be
funded, based on the evaluation scores from the first step, as decided by the
committee, and on each proposal’s contribution to the setting up of a consistent
Challenge Portfolio of projects. Your proposal should therefore specify which
objectives, or aspects of objectives, it addresses taking into account the technical
specifications in the Challenge Guide (e.g. potential applications, range and expected
outcomes of the projects, and the associated risks for achieving them, TRLs of the
different tools and technologies proposed).
Portfolio considerations will be detailed in the EIC Pathfinder Challenge Guide, as it is
topic and domain specific. As a general principle, in order to balance out the Challenge
Portfolio, a categorisation of the proposals will be used and the proposals will be
allocated to different components or categories. Example of possible categories are:
building blocks or subsystems, technical areas and/or competing technologies, risk
level, size, budget. A suitable portfolio of proposals to be funded will be selected by
the evaluation committee from the highest scoring ones for each category or
component and proposed for funding.
The evaluation committee may also propose adjustments to the proposals as far as
needed for the consistency of the portfolio approach. These adjustments will be in
conformity with the conditions for participation and comply with the principle of equal
treatment.
As a feedback, all applicants will receive a collation of the comments from the individual
reports or excerpts from them. Applicants of proposals above threshold assessed
further by the evaluation committee will also receive summary comments of the
committee’s assessment.
What happens after a project is evaluated and retained for funding?
The coordinator of the proposal will receive a letter announcing the proposal has been
retained for funding and the next steps regarding grant agreement signature. Grant
agreement preparation and signature is expected to be finished within three months
but shorter timelines may be specified.
31
The Project Officer and eventually the EIC Programme Manager will contact you and
support during the grant signature process. You will be expected to collaborate with
the other projects in the Challenge Portfolio and sign a grant agreement in principle
before the project start.
During the execution of the project you will interact continuously with the Project
Officer assigned to your project and the EIC Programme Manager, assigned to the
Challenge Portfolio of your project, who will oversee all the portfolio projects.
II.2.1 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Carbon dioxide and nitrogen
management and valorisation
Introduction and scope
Climate change, global warming and water/soil pollution are unprecedented
challenges for the planet. To overcome them, it is necessary to develop breakthrough
and integrated solutions to disrupt the current production processes and introduce
more sustainable consumption habits.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N) flows strongly affect climate change and belong
to the cycle of make, use and dispose. To implement CO2/N sustainable cycles there is
the need to develop technologies, sustained by renewable energy, able to increase
their cycle efficiency introducing novel management and valorisation practices and
approaches.
This EIC Pathfinder Challenge aims at developing novel processes and technologies to
enable CO2 and N management/valorisation and in turn to reduce:
 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,
 nitrogen losses (mainly due to agricultural practices), so minimizing impact on
soil and water,
 carbon losses from the energy, industrial, agricultural, and livestock sectors.
These technologies could also increase cross sector coupling of energy systems, when
renewable energy is required to capture, convert and use carbon and nitrogen streams
into added value products.
This Challenge focuses on new biological, chemical, physical routes that integrate the
capture and/or recovery of CO2 and N species, storage and their conversion into valueadded
products, and/or net zero commodities, chemicals, fuels and energy vectors. The
processes should focus on the use of renewable energy as input to develop carbon
negative or net zero systems. Reaching these objectives requires multidisciplinary
32
competencies and cross-sectorial approaches, with a strong focus on circularity and
whole life analysis. The research could address in an integrated manner environmental,
industrial, agricultural, socio-economic and logistic issues.
Specific objectives
The proposals, through non-critical raw materials (CRM)-based30
, systems integrated,
life cycle and circular thinking driven approaches, should develop a proof of concept
(PoC) or lab-scale validated innovative technology that, will manage and valorise CO2,
N, or both at the same time into value-added net zero commodities, chemicals, fuels,
or energy vectors. Such technology should produce added-value products optimising
input/output energy balances and achieving a carbon negative or net zero process
promoting sustainable business models. Besides, the different steps of the CO2/N
management and valorisation process could be designed to achieve integration at
system or process level, to maximize sector coupling of energy systems such as
converting renewable electricity into e-fuels and materials (e.g. power to X).
Expected outcomes and impacts
This Challenge aims at developing:
 a net zero carbon process involving conversion of CO2 from various sources and
streams into renewable fuels or net zero materials, using renewable energy as
input. Such technology should involve CO2 capture/conversion (directly from air
or from flue gases streams, and through photosynthetic, biological, biophysical,
or chemical processes), storage (e.g. through chemical, electrochemical,
biogenic processes), and further valorisation (e.g. feedstock for chemical
industry, high energy density fuels, energy carriers or other carbon neutral
compounds for industrial or agricultural applications). The CO2 valorisation
processes should be based on renewable energy and adopt technologies such
as co-electrolysis of CO2 and water, catalytic reduction of CO2, or
photoelectrochemical CO2 conversion etc.;
 N integrated management cycle (nitrogen circular economy) to avoid or
significantly reduce N release (e.g. from combustion, fertilizer, livestock, and
wastewater) in conjunction with the conversion of N-compounds to inert N2, or
N-compounds recovery (e.g. using chemical, electrochemical, physical or
biological systems), recycle and reuse as feedstock for added-value products or
30
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Critical Raw Materials Resilience:
Charting a Path towards greater Security and Sustainability, COM(2020)474 final
33
for biological fixation (e.g. into agriculture, as ammonia, as renewable fuels and
energy vectors, as liquid hydrogen carriers).
Specific conditions
Applicants should propose a proof of concept or lab-scale validated innovative
technology able to manage and valorise CO2 and/or N by biological, chemical, or
physical routes without the use of critical raw materials, using renewable energy as
sources and not being harmful to the natural ecosystems.
Projects with multidisciplinary and cross-sectorial approaches, looking for inspiration,
ideas and knowledge in a broad range of disciplines are particularly welcome. The safe
and sustainable use of non-critical raw materials is mandatory, and the projects should
include a full life cycle analysis of the proposed solutions and their impact on Europe’s
decarbonisation goals.31
II.2.2 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Mid to long term and systems
integrated energy storage
Introduction and scope
Energy storage is required to increase energy systems flexibility, sectors coupling,
demand response and smart interoperability solutions. Storage technologies facilitate
high penetration of intermittent renewable energy, enable energy efficiency
technologies such as waste heat recovery, increase the efficiency of cold supply chains
and in turn contribute to the ecologic transition.
Non critical raw materials (CRM)-based systems and processes integrated, life cycle
driven technologies are needed, in order to develop low cost and competitive
solutions. Particular attention will be paid to high round-trip efficiency, high energy
density, stable and reliable solutions for mid to long term energy storage (from days
to months), which represent the most needed services for flexible, sustainable and fully
integrated energy systems.
This Challenge will support proposals from the following technologies and systems for
stationary applications:
 mid/long term energy storage for power systems, with technologies such as
metal air or redox flow batteries, power to heat to power, chemical bonds,
31
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, The European Green Deal,
COM(2019)640 final 
34
electrochemical/chemical/thermal hybrid solutions, integration of energy
carriers and ‘storage to X’ strategies; concepts for centralised or decentralised
applications at grid, industrial or district scale level are included, excluding micro
and small scale or single building solutions;
 mid/long term thermal energy storage (heating or cooling) at different
temperature, such as building integrated and process systems integrated
solutions, chemical looping or thermochemical storage, solar thermal energy
harvesting and storage, combined storage of thermal and electrical energy as
well as other energy vectors, storage systems integrated in cold chains and in
industrial processes.
Specific objectives
The proposals, through non CRM-based systems integrated, life-cycle and circular
thinking driven approaches, should develop a proof of concept (PoC) or lab-scale
validated innovative mid to long term storage for centralised or decentralised
applications ranging from large to mid scale and excluding small micro scale such as
single building solutions. The proposed technologies include, but are not limited to,
the following:
 computational modelling and optimisation appliedto materials, components
and control (i.e. charging/discharging) for storage;
 heating/cooling storage through chemical and thermochemical technologies
(adsorption, absorption, etc.) included their integration in buildings or industrial
processes and for different temperature;
 integration of energy storage systems into multi-vector energy grids and
existing infrastructures, or into industrial processes for waste energy recovery
and industrial symbiosis including concepts to ensable smart control;
 systems-integrated thermal energy storage technologies for industrial and
building applications (i.e. energy storage combined to solar and geothermal
energy conversion, to pumped heat technologies, or to combined cooling, heat
and power generation);
 innovative concepts for hydrogen (H2) storage/compression combined with
thermal energy management and storage.
35
Expected outcomes and impacts 
This EIC Pathfinder Challenge aims at providing solutions that will optimise European
energy storage and thus enable demand response strategies and capabilities to host
higher penetration of intermittent renewable technologies. Proposed solutions with
multidisciplinary and cross-sectorial approaches, looking for inspiration, ideas and
knowledge in a broad range of disciplines are particularly welcome.
II.2.3 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Cardiogenomics
Introduction and scope
Cardiogenomics holds the potential to address existing gaps in the diagnosis and
treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which would enable better outcome for
the patient. Advanced genetic testing taking into account complex inheritance, or
combining genetic testing, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics analysis
with clinical phenotype can improve clinical management of the CVD and identify more
accurately, who is likely to be at risk for major cardiovascular events such as heart
failure or sudden death . Many gene variants associated with CVD are of unknown
significance and thus of limited clinical utility. Our ability to sub-classify CVD diseases
according to their underlying molecular mechanism has been enhanced due to
technological approaches such as, spatial or single-cell transcriptomics, and others.
There has been considerable funding in the past directed to support and improve the
quality of life of patients with severe heart and other CVD conditions (e.g. development
of bio-electronic implants/devices). On the other hand, there has been considerably
less public funding allocated to demanding research targeted to the actual cause of
major CVDs and their complex genetic basis and as a result, limited progress has been
made in this front. Although, the complex genetic basis of some of the inherited
cardiovascular conditions, such as, the cardiomyopathies is widely accepted, it remains
far from being elucidated. In addition, already identified gene variants can demonstrate
variable expressivity (clinical phenotype severity), challenging the clinical interpretation
of the variants identified in a patient and the selection of the therapeutic tool. As per
the major common diseases such as heart attack and atrial fibrillation, the genetic basis
is incompletely understood.
Companies are therefore increasingly raising funding to support their preclinical CVD
programs aimed to develop key molecules that can disrupt signalling pathways that
regulate key cardiovascular processes including rhythm, hypertrophy, contractility, and
autophagy and others, potentially leading to new therapies for heart failure or other
36
CVD conditions. The overall aim of this Challenge is to pave the way for novel therapies
for major CVD conditions including hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, aneurysm,
cardiomyopathy and certain types of arrhythmias and other conditions, for which no
effective treatments are currently available.
The gender dimension in research content should be considered, where relevant.32
Specific objectives
The following specific objectives have been identified for this Challenge:
 to identify single or multiple gene variants of high biological significance or
other key molecules associated with the CVDs that would allow for accurate
stratification of patients and guide the physician in their clinical management
and monitoring of these CVDs;
 to identify novel targets based on these variants for specific CVD indication(s)
that would allow for the development of first in class therapies for the same
indication;
 to seek for novel technological solutions that could contribute to the
development and acceleration of first in class therapies for major CVD
conditions for which no effective treatments are currently available.
Expected outcomes and impacts 
The following major impacts can be foreseen for this Challenge:
 impact on the practice of cardiology: identification of pathogenic mutations or
multiple variants that have actionable effects (by disrupting normal biochemical
pathways associated with the cause and/or progression of the disease), will have
a substantive impact on the practice of cardiology;
 accelerating the implementation of personalised care in CVD: deciphering the
molecular pathogenesis underlying the clinical pathology of a CVD disease, is
key for implementing personalised care. Performing targeted DNA sequencing
on CVD patient(s) to identify previously characterised pathogenic mutations, is
expected to become part of the daily clinical routine in the CVD clinics. Targeted
genetic testing is envisaged to serve a triple purpose:
 to achieve an early and more accurate diagnosis;
32
https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/gendered-innovations-2-2020-nov-24_en
37
 to guide the physician to administer the right treatment for the right
patient (personalised treatment); and
 to predict more accurately post treatment clinical course (favorable or
non- clinical prognosis).
 gathering the necessary knowledge and data that would enable to apply disease
modelling for CVD, including through 3D in-vitro models, to be used for
screening drugs/therapies for CVDs.
Specific conditions
Applicants must convincingly demonstrate that they have access to a large cohort of
genomic and/or transcriptomics and/or proteomics and/or metabolomics database
from CVD patients.
II.2.4 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Towards the Healthcare Continuum:
technologies to support a radical shift from episodic to continuous healthcare
Introduction and scope
Today, episodic (symptom-triggered) healthcare remains the norm. To a large extent,
individuals are entrusted with the responsibility to self-monitor and trigger requests to
the health system upon identification of relevant symptoms. In spite of the growing
number of screening programmes, the diagnosis of a vast majority of disorders,
including those in which early action has a direct impact on morbidity or survival, still
relies heavily on the individual to initiate the process. Further, a substantial fraction of
outpatients manage the post-treatment phase, particularly of non-life threatening
conditions, with qualitative self-monitoring, seeking help only upon perceived
evidence of disease recurrence. In essence the current approach to healthcare is mostly
reactive.
While the episodic (reactive) model could be perceived as economically advantageous,
drawing on healthcare resources only intermittently, it is clearly not optimal. In selfassessing
their health status independently, individuals miss early signs of disease,
sometimes with devastating results. The large spectrum of possible conditions and
associated symptoms, particularly as age progresses, and the high behavioural
resistance to seek medical assistance without clear symptomatic evidence, compounds
the problem. Often the prodromal phase advances to full blown symptomatic phase
before the diagnosis is triggered by the patient. Further, the emotional burden under
the episodic healthcare model in which individuals are responsible to gauge severity
38
and make decisions on when and how to seek help, should not be underestimated.
Periods of raised health awareness, chronic conditions, slow convalescent recoveries,
etc. in adult and pediatric populations can be particularly emotionally draining for
patients and families under the episodic care model.
Technology can support much needed progress towards continuous and preventive
healthcare, in which individuals are accompanied continuously and unobtrusively by
health monitoring technology and practitioners, proactively offering diagnosis,
treatment or follow up at the optimal pace and with the optimal protocol as dictated
by clinical evidence. Under this model, human beings will heavily rely on technology
seamlessly integrated in their lives, becoming recipients of proactive healthcare with
minimal disruption and cognitive load. The burden of early spotting of disease will be
shifted to unobtrusive technology. This requires careful consideration of all potential
ethical issues that may arise, particularly related to data processing, data ownership
and trustworthy artificial intelligence. Successful examples of such technologies already
exist. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGMs) devices in skin-patch formats, for
instance, offer diabetics relative unobtrusive and uninterrupted detection of
inadequate glucose levels, with the possibility for remote diabetes care. Furthermore,
body motion sensors (e.g., accelerometer-based), respiration monitors and oxygen
saturation (SpO2) sensors, cell phone-enabled behavioural analysis, fitness devices and
many others are also available.
However, the full potential of the continuous healthcare model has not been fully
realised as, for most conditions, diagnostic technologies do not exist with the required
attributes: unobtrusiveness (environment-embedded, body-embedded, objectembedded,
home-integrated, etc.), clinical grade reliability, affordability, etc. For
example, fauling-free on-skin, under-skin or implantable bio-sensors for long-term
use, new modalities for Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) sensing (breathomics), new
personal imaging systems e.g. THz-based or optoacoustic, unobtrusive continuous gut
microbiome monitoring, etc. still require substantial groundwork.
The objective of this EIC Pathfinder Challenge is to develop systems and technologies
starting at very low TRL for unobtrusive monitoring of human health with new
continuous and personal imaging and sensing modalities, implementing continuous
assessment, processing and analysis of the data to identify early signs of disease.
This call can support innovative technologies ranging from the sensor level up to the
system level for effective integration of multimodal data.
39
Proposals can aim at monitoring a family of conditions or a wider mix of health factors,
using the optimal combination of single-point or historic multi-point sensor data and,
if appropriate, clinical records, genomic data, etc. to realise maximal performance.
Involvement of relevant stakeholders (e.g., clinical experts and patient organizations)
from an early stage is recommended.
The gender dimension in research content should be considered, where relevant33
as
well as the involvement of relevant stakeholders (e.g. clinical practitioners, patient
organisations, etc.) from an early stage.
Specific objectives
Proposals submitted to this EIC Pathfinder Challenge should tackle the following
specific objectives:
 develop a novel technology (device, instrument or full system)for unobtrusive
proactive healthcare. The targeted technology should offer life-long health
status monitoring and elements of predictive medicine with methodologies
grounded in existing scientific evidence;
 the end objective must be a Proof-of-Concept and preliminary data suggestive
of adequate safety and performance, while paying attention to minimising false
positives that could hamper its real-world use;
 the targeted technology should make the case for a clinically acceptable
solution amenable to successful evaluation under common Health Technology
Assessment (HTA) methodologies;
 the path to future integration in the European healthcare workflow, specifically
in relation to the inter-operability with existing infrastructures, as well as take
up and compliance by appropriate patient populations, should be plausible.
Expected outcomes and impacts
The expected impact should be the establishment of the basis for the transformation
of the prevailing episodic, symptom-triggered, healthcare system into continuous
healthcare, in which individuals are accompanied continuously and unobtrusively by
health monitoring technology and practitioners, proactively offering diagnosis and
treatment.
Specific conditions
Proposals for this Challenge can be submitted by single applicants or by consortia, as
dictated by the activities to be performed.
33
https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/gendered-innovations-2-2020-nov-24_en
40
II.2.5 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: DNA-based digital data storage
Introduction and scope
Current technologies for digital data storage are hitting sustainability limits in terms of
energy consumption and their use of rare and toxic materials. Moreover, data integrity
when using those technologies is limited in time, which complicates archival datastorage.
DNA or certain classes of synthetic DNA alternatives provide an alternative
that promises information densities that are several orders of magnitude higher than
classical memories, and stability for millennia rather than years. Moreover, DNA-based
data storage can profit from the growing range of DNA research, tools and techniques
from the life sciences, while potentially also adding to it (e.g., for in-vivo data
collection).
Proof of concept for DNA data archiving in vitro (i.e. not in living cells) is now well
established. Several studies have shown that such archiving can support selective and
scalable access to data, as well as error-free storage and retrieval of information.
However, technical challenges remain to make this process economically viable for a
broad spectrum of uses (beyond so-called ‘cold data’) and data types. These relate to
improving the cost, speed and efficiency of technologies for reading, and especially
writing and editing, DNA or other information-storing bio-polymers.
Large corporates and governments are starting to show an interest and some smaller
companies offer solutions for specific archival applications. Europe has academic and
commercial potential in this area. The time is right to pull together a European R&I
ecosystem on DNA-based digital data storage.
This EIC Pathfinder Challenge is to explore scalable and reliable high-throughput
approaches for using DNA as a general data-storage medium. Solutions would thus
need to address the read/write/edit operations of digital data in synthetic DNA,
capturing the expected advantages of high density and stability/longevity of this form
of data storage. The use of DNA sequences as chassis for non-standard forms of
information coding, or of other polymeric substrates and related coding/decoding
techniques are also in scope, provided they entail at least similar benefits than stateof-the-art
DNA approaches. Proposed techniques should deliver qualitative advances
in key parameters such as throughput, DNA-length (well above a few hundred mers),
reliability (coupling efficiency), speed and cost. Beyond the usual storage applications,
there is also scope for radically different scenarios for such a technology, for instance
for data-processing, in-vivo sensing or fingerprinting.
41
Applications submitted to this Challenge, must pay particular attention to the relevant
bio-safety and ethical issues.
Specific objectives
The following specific objectives for this Challenge have been defined:
 new approaches for coding, decoding, modification or computational use of
digital data in synthetic DNA or other sequence-controllable polymers with
quantitative targets (theoretical and technological);
 Proof-of-Concept of technical feasibility with indications of at least state of the
art benefits and major operational characteristics (e.g., extreme densities,
longevity, stability) and going well beyond for some of them (e.g., speed, cost,
accuracy);
 end-to-end scenarios of use, be it for data storage (archival, but also shorter
term storage) or other purposes (like sensing, cryptography or computation)
that exploit the benefits of the technology.
Expected outcomes and impacts
Proposals should contribute to achieving one or several of the following:
 a range of new techniques with clear benefits and steps towards widening scope
of applicability of DNA-based data storage;
 broader range of scenarios and uses for DNA-based data technologies;
 emergence and anchoring of a European innovation eco-system on DNA-based
data technologies and applications, including through involvement of relevant
partners and end-users;
 contribution to standardisation in the field and benchmarks to gauche progress.
Specific conditions
Proposals for this Challenge can be submitted by single applicants or by consortia, as
dictated by the activities to be performed.
42
II.2.6 EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Alternative approaches to Quantum
Information Processing, Communication, and Sensing
Introduction and scope
The Quantum Flagship is currently focused on mainstream quantum technologies, in
qubit implementation, sensors and other areas. Nevertheless, alternative
implementations/platforms and so far, unexploited (controllable) quantum principles
exist and could become key elements in future quantum systems. Such new
implementations and principles could lead to breakthrough innovations and enable
new players to offer unique solutions for the architecture and critical building blocks
of new quantum systems. This could represent a significant opportunity for European
researchers and companies in this competitive field.
The scope of this call is to develop innovative approaches to encoding, manipulating,
or storing information in quantum objects, or to exploiting quantum phenomena for
information processing, communication, and sensing in a way that differs from the
mainstream approaches currently being pursued in quantum research. Proposals
should clearly identify the limits of the current quantum information processing
paradigms they are trying to improve upon and propose relevant metrics to track
progress and demonstrate success or a superior paradigm compared with conventional
quantum information processing approaches.
Specific objectives 
The proposals under this EIC Pathfinder Challenge:
 are expected to contribute to the development of information processing,
communication or sensing components, for terrestrial or space applications,
exhibiting similar advantages to the mainstream quantum technology
approaches, in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, energy efficiency, etc;
 should describe how their proposed information processing or communication
system would be controlled and could lead to the development of an
information processing or communication device using a non-classical
information theory approach;
 should aim to show how information processing or communications principles
and architectures would be developed that demonstrate a clear and quantifiable
advantage with respect to classical approaches and mainstream quantum
technology alternatives. This should be applicable to a class of relevant
problems or applications;
 should show how the foundations for novel approaches to encoding,
manipulating, and storing information that could lead to practical applications
43
would be established. Such novel approaches could find their roots in, for
example, new phases of matter, exotic physical systems, biological systems, or
other approaches;
 should describe how the proposed information processing or communication
system would be controlled, programmed, and measured and should address
relevant interfacing aspects.
Expected outcomes and impacts
This EIC Pathfinder Challenge aims at the following:
 technology breakthroughs that form the basis for future information processing,
communication, and sensing technologies on ground and in space;
 synergetic collaboration with existing European platforms, infrastructures, and
innovation eco-systems in quantum technology;
 increased diversity of information processing technologies platforms exploiting
non-classical information theory approaches.
The activity must clearly achieve the proof of principle and validate the scientific basis
of the breakthrough technology (TRL starting at 2 and reaching 3-4). Proposals are
expected to demonstrate collaboration in order to create a critical mass of cooperation
between EU research, industry and other relevant actors in the emerging area of
quantum information processing. The overall goals are to enable new players to offer
unique solutions as building blocks for new information processing or communication
systems, and to foster the interdisciplinary communities and innovation eco-systems
that are driving this forward.
44
III. EIC Transition
Have you identified EIC Pathfinder, FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) or
European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept project results that could be the
basis for ground-breaking innovations and new businesses?
 Is this novel technology ready for the next steps towards its maturation and
validation in some specific applications?
 Have you performed early exploration of potential markets for your innovation
as well as potential competitors?
 Do you envisage building a motivated and diverse team to develop the idea
towards commercialisation?
If the answer to each one of these questions is ‘yes’, then EIC Transition may be the
right call for you.
Why should you apply?
EIC Transition funds innovation activities that go beyond the experimental proof of
principle in laboratory. It supports both the maturation and validation of your novel
technology from the lab to the relevant application environments (by making use of
prototyping, formulation, models, user testing or other validation tests) as well as
explorations and development of a sustainable business case and business model
towards commercialisation.
Your proposed activities must include further technology development on the results
achieved in a previous project and follow user-centric methodologies to increase
chances of the innovation’s future success in the market. EIC Transition projects should
address, in a balanced way, both technology and market/business development,
possibly including iterative learning processes based on early customer or user
feedback. These activities should include, subject to the level of maturity of the
technology, a suitable mix of research, technology development and validation
activities to increase the maturity of the technology beyond proof of principle to viable
demonstrators of the technology in the intended field of application (i.e. up to
Technology Readiness Level 5 to 6). The activities must in all cases address market
readiness towards commercialisation and deployment (market research, business case,
prospects for growth, intellectual property protection, competitor analysis etc.) and
possibly aspects of regulation, certification and standardisation (if relevant), aimed at
getting both the technology and the business idea investment-ready.
EIC Transition aims at maturing both your technology and business idea thus increasing
its technology and market readiness. The expected outcomes of your EIC Transition
45
project are a) a technology that is demonstrated to be effective for its intended
application and b) a business model, its initial validation and a business plan for its
development to market. It is also expected that the intellectual property generated by
your EIC Transition project is formally protected in an adequate way (Annex 7).
EIC Transition can support a number of different pathways beyond fundamental
research, from technology development and product design to business modelling and
commercialisation strategy to reach the market. Some non-exhaustive illustrative
examples could be the following pathways:
 A focused collaborative project to further develop strategic and high impact
technologies towards specific applications while improving also the market
readiness. This pathway is likely to require a collaboration among several
applicants (‘multi-beneficiary’ approach) including SMEs, research performers
and potential users/customers;
 An individual SME (including start-ups, spin-offs) identifies a market opportunity
to apply the results of an EIC Pathfinder or ERC Proof of Concept project towards
a specific market application. This pathway is likely to require, or lead to, a
licensing arrangement with the SME and could also involve a collaboration
between the result owner(s) of the EIC Pathfinder/ ERC Proof of Concept and the
interested SME;
 A team of entrepreneurial researchers within a research or technology
organisation who want to turn selected project results into a viable product by
looking for a suitable business model or creating a start-up or spin-off company,
and which may involve collaboration with the host research or technology
organisation. In some cases, the results may already be relatively close to market
or ready for investment (e.g. often with higher TRLs) and would therefore
normally not need significant further technological development and hence
require lower amounts of funding.
At the end of your EIC Transition project, you should be ready for the next stage, which
can be to apply for EIC Accelerator (if you are a SME, including start-ups or spin-offs),
to seek other investors or sources of funding, to enter licensing or collaboration
agreements with third parties, or other routes to market deployment. In case your
project is not led by an SME or commercial partner, the formation and spin out of a
new company can be included as part of the activities. You will be expected to describe
the intended pathway and route to market in your proposal, and to specify milestones
and KPIs during the implementation of your project to assess progress towards the
market.
46
Applicants to EIC Transition 2022 can submit proposals through:
 EIC Transition Open which has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to
proposals in any field of science, technology or application;34
or
 EIC Transition Challenges in predefined thematic areas of emerging and
strategic technologies.
Can you apply?
Your proposal must build on results (demonstrated proof of principle) achieved within
an eligible project. In 2022, EIC Transition is restricted to proposals based on results
generated by the following eligible projects:
 EIC Pathfinder projects (including projects funded under EIC pilot Pathfinder,
Horizon 2020 FET-Open, FET-Proactive) and FET Flagships calls (including
ERANET calls under the FET Work Programme).35
 European Research Council Proof of Concept projects.
If you are applying on the basis of an eligible project for which the grant is still active,
you may apply if the project has been active for at least 12 months (i.e. the start date
of the grant is more than 12 months before the date of the selected EIC Transition call
cut-off).
If you are applying on the basis of an eligible project which has already been
completed, you may apply within 24 months of the completion of the project (i.e. the
end date of the grant for the eligible project is less than 24 months from the date of
the selected EIC Transition cut-off).
You do not need to be a participant, Principle Investigator or result owner of the
previous projects; on the contrary, new participants are welcome and encouraged to
apply. However,
 if you were part of the linked EIC Pathfinder, FET or ERC Proof of Concept project
whose results are further developed in the EIC Transition proposal, you need to
34
Innovations that significantly harm the environment (and therefore contravene the ‘do not significant
harm’ principle of the EU Taxonomy Regulation), social welfare or that are primarily designed for military
applications, or in other fields which are generally excluded from EU funding pursuant to Article 18
Horizon Europe Regulation, will not be funded (see Annex 2).
35
Eligible projects are those funded under the following calls: FETOPEN-RIA-2014-2015; FETOPEN-01-
2016-2017; FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020;; FETPROACT-01-2016; FETPROACT-01-2018; FETPROACTEIC-05-2019;
FETPROACT-EIC-07-2020; FETPROACT-EIC-08-2020; FETPROACT-09-2020; FETOPEN-03-
2018-2019-2020; FETFLAG-03-2018; FETFLAG-05-2020 H2020-FETFLAG-2014 (for projects funded under
the related Specific Grant Agreements); projects resulting from a joint transnational call (both with and
without EU co-funding) under any of the QuantERA, FLAG-ERA and ChistERA ERANETs.
47
confirm in your proposal that you are the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
owner or holder, or have the necessary rights to commercialise the results of the
project;
 If you were not part of the linked EIC Pathfinder, FET or ERC Proof of Concept
project whose results are further developed in the EIC Transition proposal, you
need to include in your proposal a commitment letter from the relevant owner(s)
of the result(s), which confirms the commitment of the owner of the linked
project research result to negotiate with you fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory
access to such results, including IPR, for the purpose of future
commercial exploitation.
You can apply for EIC Transition either as:
 A single legal entity established in a Member State or an Associated Country
(‘mono-beneficiary’) if you are an SME or a research performing organisation
(university, research or technology organisation, including teams, individual
Principle Investigators and inventors in such institutions who intend to form a
spinout company36
). Larger companies (i.e. which do not qualify as SMEs) are
not eligible to apply as a single legal entity; or
 A small consortium of two independent legal entities from two different
Member States or Associated Countries, or
 A consortium of minimum three and maximum five independent legal entities
(‘multi-beneficiary’) following standard rules i.e. must include at least one legal
entity established in a Member State and at least two other independent legal
entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries
(see Annex 3).
Consortia of more than 5 partners will be deemed ineligible.
Consortia may for example include universities, research organisations, SMEs or larger
companies, user/customer organisations or potential end users (e.g. hospitals, utilities,
industry, regulatory and standardisation bodies, public authorities).
Your proposal will only be evaluated if it is admissible and eligible (see Annex 2 as well
as Annex 3 for eligibility of third country applicants).
36
A spin off from research performing organisation (university, research or technology organisation)
having a legal (e.g. contractual cooperation not limited to the action, e.g. a collaboration agreement for
research in a particular field) or capital (research performing organisation owning a share in the capital
of the spin off) can be considered as an affiliated entity according to Article 8 of the Grant Agreement.
48
What support will you receive if your proposal is funded?
The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 131.36 million, of which EUR 40.5 million
will be funded through Next Generation EU as this call contributes to the objectives to
rebuild a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe. EUR 70.86 million of the total
indicative budget will be allocated to Transition Open and EUR 60.5 million to
Transition Challenges (see Annex 1).
If successful, you will receive a grant for a Research and Innovation Action to cover the
eligible costs, necessary for the implementation of your project. For this call, the EIC
considers proposals with a requested EU contribution between EUR 0.5 million and EUR
2.5 million and duration between 1 and 3 years as appropriate. Nonetheless, in
exceptional cases, this does not preclude you to request larger amounts, if very well
motivated and explained. The funding rate of this grant will be 100% of the eligible
costs.
The projects funded through EIC Transition are eligible:
 to receive additional Booster grants with fixed amounts of up to EUR 50 000 to
undertake portfolio activities (see Annex 6);
 to submit an EIC Accelerator proposal via the Fast Track scheme (see Annex 4).
In addition to funding, projects will receive tailor-made access to a wide range of
Business Acceleration Services and matchmaking events (see Section V).
How do you apply; how long does it take?
The cut-off dates37
for 2022 are:
 4 May 2022 at 17h00 Brussels local time;
 28 September 2022 at 17h00 Brussels local time.
It is expected that, during 2022,38
the preparation and submission of EIC Transition
proposals will be moved to the EIC artificial intelligence-based IT platform already used
for EIC Accelerator. Until then, you must submit your proposal via the EU Funding &
Tender Opportunities Portal before the given cut-off.
37
The call will open on 1 March 2022. The Director-General responsible for the call may decide to open
the call up to one month prior to or after the envisaged date(s) of opening. The Director-General
responsible may delay the deadline(s) by up to two months.
38
Under the condition that the platform will implement the features needed by EIC Transition calls and
after thorough testing and validation.
49
Sections 1 to 3 of part B of your proposal must consist of a maximum of 20 A4 pages.
Your proposal will be evaluated first by EIC expert evaluators. You will be informed
about the result of this evaluation, including feedback on your proposal, within 9 weeks
after the cut-off. If your proposal successfully passes this first evaluation phase (see
details below), you will be invited for a face to face interview, which will be organised
approximately 13 weeks after the cut-off. At the interview, you will be assessed by a
panel of maximum 6 EIC jury members. You will be informed about the result of the
interview within 4 weeks from the start of the interviews.
If you are successful, your grant agreement will be signed within 6 months from the
call deadline (indicative).
How does the EIC decide if your proposal will be funded?
In a first step, at least three EIC expert evaluators will evaluate and score your proposal
against each award criterion (see below). The overall score for each evaluation criterion
will be the average of the corresponding scores attributed by the individual evaluators.
The total score of your proposal will be the sum of the overall scores from the three
evaluation criteria.
Starting with the highest scoring proposal and in descending order, a pool of the best
ranked proposals (highest scoring) requesting an aggregated financial support equal
to approximately the double of the budget available,39
will be invited to the next step.
If in that pool:
 at least 30% of the applications are submitted by women-led SMEs or consortia
(see definitions in the Glossary), only the applications of that pool will be invited
to face-to-face interviews;
 less than 30% of the applications are submitted by women-led SMEs or
consortia,40
the pool will be expanded to subsequent best ranked applications
(starting with the highest scoring in descending, sequential order and at least
equal score under Excellence criterion) submitted by women-led SMEs or
consortia until reaching, if possible, a composition of the pool of at least 30% of
applications submitted by women-led SMEs or consortia. All such applicants
invited to interview must have met all evaluation criteria thresholds from the
remote evaluation (Table 4).
If your proposal is scored below threshold in any one of the three criteria during the
remote evaluation, you will be allowed to resubmit an improved proposal once in the
39
A higher number may be invited, for example if several applications receive the same score.
40
The definition of women-led SMEs and consortia is provided in the Glossary in the Introduction.
50
following 12 months. In case the proposal is scored below threshold in two or more
evaluation criteria, no resubmission within the following 12 months is permitted.
The second step is a face to face interview with an EIC jury. At the interview your
proposal may be represented by a maximum of five persons.41
Only individuals
mentioned in the proposal and involved in the future project implementation can
represent your proposal at the interview.
The jury will be composed of a maximum of six members, which may include an EIC
Programme Manager with expertise in your area or managing one of the EIC Portfolios
your project could be allocated to. During the interview you should convincingly pitch
your proposal to the jury, who will ask you questions aimed at clarifying various aspects
of your proposal in line with the award criteria (in particular those regarding the quality
of the team and the milestones). The jury will recommend your proposal for funding or
not (‘GO’ or ‘NO GO’) and will not provide a separate assessment against the criteria.
The budget will be allocated approximately equally between the cut-offs. In case the
amount allocated to GO applicants is less than the budget available for that cut-off, or
additional budget becomes available as a result of the award of the EIC grants, then
the remaining available budget will be allocated to the subsequent cut-offs. In case the
amount allocated to GO applicants is above the budget available, then a number of
applicants corresponding to the unavailable budget will be awarded funding using the
available budget of the subsequent cut-off . This will be done within the limit of 20%
of the subsequent cut-off budget to ensure that the subsequent budget is not depleted
excessively).42
Proposals will be assessed according to the following award criteria (Table 4). For the
face to face interviews, the jury may ask questions concerning any of the award criteria.
41
The number of participants to the interview must however be limited to the minimum necessary.
42
Additional 20% budget may be made available. Changes within these limits will not be considered
substantial within the meaning of Article 110(5) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046
51
Table 4. Award criteria for EIC Transition Open and Challenges
Excellence (Threshold: 4/5)
Technological breakthrough: Does the technology have a high degree of novelty compared
to other technologies available or in development? Does the technology indicate the
potential for novel application?
Objectives: How credible and feasible are the objectives (and KPIs) for the planned
technology development? How credible and feasible are the objective (and KPIs) for the
planned business development process?
Methodology: Is the proposed methodology appropriate and sound, including consideration
of the gender dimension in the envisaged application? To what extent will potential users,
customers or other stakeholders be involved to test potential demand and acceptability? Is
the technology developed in a safe, secure and reliable manner?43
Impact (Threshold: 4/5)
Credibility of the impacts: To what extent the expected outcomes and impacts described are
credible and realistic within the project and beyond?
For EIC Transition Challenges ONLY: To what extent the proposed application has the
potential to impact on the specific objectives set out in the Challenge?
Economic and/or societal benefits: To what extent does the proposed innovation creates
substantial demand and new European or global markets? To what extent is the proposed
innovation expected to generate other positive impacts (employment, societal,
environmental, scientific, etc.)?
Investment readiness: To what extent the proposed measures contribute to make the project
outcomes investment ready (including through IP protection, partnership or market
validation)?
Quality and efficiency of the implementation (Threshold 3/5)
Quality and motivation of the team: To what extent do the applicant(s) bring the necessary
high-quality expertise, capabilities and motivation to move decisively towards innovation,
create a unique commercial value from the emerging technology and develop an attractive
business and investment proposition?
43
Proposals which involve the development, use or deployment of AI based systems/techniques must
be technically robust (e.g. resilient to attack, secure and safe, having fall-back plan, accurate, reliable and
reproducible). To a degree matching the type of research being proposed (from basic to precompetitive)
they must demonstrate that they comply with the Trustworthy Intelligence Principles (see Annex 2).
52
Milestones and Work plan: Are milestones adequately and clearly defined (measurable,
timed, etc.) to track progress along the pathway towards objectives? How coherent and
effective are the work plan (work packages, tasks, deliverables, timeline, etc.), the innovation
methods and the risk mitigation methods, in order to reach the milestones and to achieve
the project objectives?
Allocation of resources: How appropriate and effective is the allocation of resources (personmonths
and equipment) to tasks and partners?
You will receive as feedback of the evaluation an Evaluation Summary Report from the
first evaluation step. If you have been invited for an interview, you will also receive
feedback from the jury.
If you submit your proposal as an individual SME and it meets all evaluation criteria
thresholds at the first step but is not selected for funding (including from a No-Go
recommendation from the jury), it may be awarded a Seal of Excellence.
If your proposal is awarded a Seal of Excellence, you will also be asked to agree to share
your relevant data with alternative funding bodies of your Member State or Associated
Country, as a prior condition for such an award. Exceptionally, EIC juries may
recommend that your proposal does not receive a Seal of Excellence if they find
weaknesses in your proposal which were not identified by the expert evaluators. In such
cases, you will receive feedback to justify this recommendation.
53
III.1 EIC Transition Open
This topic has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field
of science, technology or application.
For any chosen field, EIC Transition projects should address, in a balanced way, both
technology and market/business development, possibly including iterative learning
processes based on early customer or user feedback. These activities should include,
subject to the level of maturity of the technology, a suitable mix of research, technology
development and validation activities to increase the maturity of the technology
beyond proof of principle to viable demonstrators of the technology in the intended
field of application (i.e. up to Technology Readiness Level 5 or 6). The activities must in
all cases address market readiness towards commercialisation and deployment (market
research, business case, prospects for growth, intellectual property protection,
competitor analysis etc.) and other relevant aspects of regulation, certification and
standardisation, aimed at getting both the technology and the business idea
investment-ready.
The expected outcomes of your EIC Transition project are a) a technology that is
demonstrated to be effective for its intended application and b) a business model, its
initial validation and a business plan for its development to market.
54
III.2 EIC Transition Challenges
The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 60.5 million, of which approximately half
is reserved for the topic “Green digital devices for the future”, and the remaining
budget is divided equally between the other two topics.
III.2.1 EIC Transition Challenge: Green digital devices for the future
Introduction and scope
Digital devices and technologies in wider sense are an essential part of our modern life.
Actually, we cannot talk about a modern economy without digital devices. Digital
devices and technologies are a matter of Europe’s competitiveness and the
competition for the most efficient and advanced devices is a race about technological
and industrial leadership.
However, current digital technologies are gradually reaching the limits of performance
and miniaturization while consuming higher and higher amounts of energy. For
example, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and ever-increasing
quantities of data put more and more pressure on current computing paradigms and
cause an ever-increasing energy consumption.
Europe is a global leader in energy efficiency, and this will be a key requirement for
next generation digital devices. Improvements will affect the whole spectrum of ICT
technologies and applications, from high-performance data centres to small
computing devices used in mobile applications and the wide ICT landscape of
components, systems and subsystems.
At the end of their life digital devices generate also an ever-increasing ecological
footprint in term of e-waste, rare and/or heavy metals that raise economic dependency
issues and are difficult or impossible to recycle. The current European legislation is
already setting ambitious targets for recycling e-waste and this level of ambition is only
expected to grow. Next generation green and efficient digital devices designed and
produced in Europe must rethink the whole concept and address this important aspect
by design. This represents a business opportunity for start-ups and SMEs deploying
disruptive innovative technologies in their competition or collaboration with the more
established players.
Next Generation green and efficient digital devices and architectures are evolving from
existing approaches, but also from the maturation of emerging technologies such as
neuromorphic, spintronics, optical computing, nano/micro electromechanical systems
55
(NEMs/MEMs), cell and bacterial computing, etc. and could include devices,
architectures, systems, subsystems and components including intelligent behavior of
systems. They aim to radically improve or solve one or several of the following key
issues: energy efficiency, use of non-critical and non-toxic raw materials, ensuring
circular approaches and/or a high degree of recyclability, while maintaining or even
improving on performance and miniaturisation.
Specific objectives
Proposals submitted to this EIC Transition Challenge should focus on demonstrating
novel digital devices and/or architectures that have a clear and quantifiable advantage
with respect to one or several of the key issues mentioned above compared with
existing alternatives for a class of relevant problems or applications.
Proposals should focus their work on harnessing a physical, chemical, or biological
process not previously explored, or they should revisit existing devices while operating
them in novel modes or regimes leading to a novel approach with quantifiable and
demonstrable advantages.
The applicants should also identify what are the limits of the current paradigms they
are trying to improve and propose relevant metrics or KPIs to track progress and
demonstrate success or a superior paradigm compared with current state of the art.
Proposals should describe how the proposed novel device, architecture, system or
subsystem is controlled and programmed (if applicable) and address relevant
input/output (I/O) interface aspects.
Expected outcomes and impacts
In the medium term, the expected outcome is the commercial emergence of new class
of green digital devices that radically improve or solve one or several of the issues
mentioned (i.e., energy efficiency, using non-critical, non-toxic raw materials, ensuring
circular approaches and/or a high degree of recyclability) while maintaining or even
improving on performance and miniaturisation. The goal is tackling as many of them
as possible, ideally all. A business model, its initial validation and a business plan are
also expected outcomes of the project.
Projects are expected to contribute to[at least one of the following impacts:
 novel information processing and storage devices and/or architectures based
on new paradigms that exhibit a significant decrease in energy consumption
while improving on speed/performance and miniaturisation.
 disruptive hardware components (e.g., memory technologies, logic devices, etc.)
with significant progress towards the wafer-scale integration of computational
56
building blocks and provide industry compatible solutions for memory, imaging,
communication or computation technologies.
 novel designs of large-scale complete systems that include next generation
information processing and storage devices with emphasis on compatibility,
integration of different materials and technologies including complementary
metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS).
At the end of the project, you should come up with a mature prototype device validated
or demonstrated in relevant environment (TRL 5/6) and demonstrate the proposed
advantage in specialised, niche applications or in a general-purpose device that can
unlock the full potential of the field and generate high impact in term of economic
returns (e.g. innovative companies created, increased market share, competitive
advantage) and societal benefits (e.g. reduced energy consumption, reduced
environmental impact, improved recyclability).
Specific conditions
In order to capitalise on and deploy the EU deep-tech know-how as well as comply
with the EU policy objectives activities foreseen in this EIC Transition Challenge, the
topic will aim to have impact on sustainability, using non-critical and non-toxic raw
materials and ensuring circular approaches and/or a high degree of recyclability in the
whole lifetime.
If at the end of the jury stage the combined budget of GO proposals exceed the
allocated budget, the portfolio considerations will be applied. For this specific
Challenge, the portfolio consideration will be a balanced portfolio of projects in term
of technologies and/or type of device.
The general Transition eligibility conditions apply.
III.2.2 EIC Transition Challenge: Process and system integration of
clean energy technologies
Introduction and scope
Energy recovery, conversion and storage are essential components of the technological
efforts to reach 2030 emissions reduction targets and ‘Fit for 55’ goals44
.
44
“Fit for 55: delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality”, COM(2021)550,
14 July 2021.
57
Renewable fuels and clean energy technologies are integral parts of these efforts and
can provide significant contributions to diversify the fuel supply, while increasing
sustainability of energy production, conversion, storage and final use.
These technologies/system components have received vast research and development
(R&D) support in the last decades, generating promising application opportunities in
residential and industrial sector, including cross-sector coupling and systems
integration of conventional and novel technologies to facilitate the energy transition.
While promising a solid market potential, several of these technologies have
insufficient maturity for early adoption and present still a low TRL and, therefore, still a
significant technological risk for private investment.
The integration of these technologies at process or systems level is a critical, yet
necessary fundamental step to identify, design, test and de-risk the most suitable
application.
The integration sought in this call is the combination of at least one technology
resulting from an eligible project in a system or complex process comprising the
elements of energy production or conversion, storage, including renewable fuels, and
/ or final use.
Specific objectives
Proposals submitted to this Challenge call should focus on the following specific
objectives:
 further develop energy technologies, including renewable fuels enabling the
decarbonisation of energy sector and;
 facilitate the selection of different and appropriate applications and use cases,
and integration of these sustainable technologies into existing and new energy
systems and devices, both at component, process or at infrastructure level.
Reaching these objectives requires the combination of different skills and expertise and
contribution from several players in the value chain, by validating existing and
exploring new use cases for research results from eligible projects. These results should
halve already provided promising results in laboratory at the stage of proof of concept.
Expected outcomes and impacts
This EIC Transition Challenge aims at maturing the proposed energy technology
through its integration in a fully functioning energy system and the emerging of the
ecosystem actors and value chain needed for the market uptake of the technology.
The expected outcomes of your proposal are:
58
 an energy generation/recovery/storage technology that can positively
demonstrate a clearly defined use case, with clear indication and quantitative
measurement of the investment costs, efficiency, dynamic performance,
durability and sustainability versus established alternative technologies, and
integration of the proposed technology at system/process level (both as
component of a device or as part of existing system infrastructure);
 a credible business model for the deployment and use of the energy system in
the relevant environment;
 an exploitation strategy including the formal IP protection (see Annex 7) of the
novel results integrated in the energy system.
The de-risking process is primarily focused on the technological aspects that represents
the higher uncertainty at this stage of development of any energy technology.
Applicants are asked to fully identify the supply and value chain actors necessary to
integrate their energy technology inside an energy system. Relevant methodologies to
develop this process can include Design, Build, Test and Learn with frequent “strategic”
iterations. The proposals may consider particular applications, where conditions of use
of the energy system requires the involvement of final users.
Specific conditions
If at the end of the jury stage the combined budget of GO proposals exceeds the
allocated budget, portfolio considerations will be applied. For this specific Challenge
the portfolio consideration will be a balanced portfolio of projects in term of
technologies and/or application domains.
The general EIC Transition eligibility conditions apply.
III.2.3 EIC Transition Challenge: RNA-based therapies and diagnostics
for complex or rare genetic diseases
Introduction and scope
With the success of the recent COVID messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, a
new era into the utilisation of mRNA-based technologies has emerged. RNA-based
therapeutics has nearly unlimited capacity to address unmet clinical needs and mRNA
therapeutics are poised to become an important element in the healthcare landscape.
The number of RNA drugs under development, and in clinical trials, is growing rapidly,
and so is the number of biotech start-ups and academic groups in the field with
transformative ideas. As of January 2021, 35 RNA therapeutics were approved for
clinical use or undergoing clinical trials of which 23 were on mRNA. They address all
59
areas, from infectious diseases to cancers, degenerative diseases and physiological
disorders.
The advantage of the RNA-based therapeutics relies on the potential to be used for
precise and individualized therapy and enable patients to produce therapeutic proteins
in their own bodies without struggling with the comprehensive manufacturing issues
associated with recombinant proteins. Compared with the current therapeutics, the
production of RNA is more cost-effective, faster and more flexible because it can be
easily produced by in vitro transcription. Moreover, RNA therapies allow for rapid
administration of the medication in a personalised manner. Along with the great
potential from bench to bedside, RNA pharmaceuticals are facing challenges and
technical obstacles. Specifically for mRNA-based therapeutics, one of the biggest
challenges is the efficient and safe delivery of mRNA to targeted cells. This is because
the size of mRNA is significantly larger than other types of RNAs. The clinical translation
of mRNA-based therapeutics requires delivery technologies that can ensure
stabilisation of mRNA under physiological conditions. Hence, novel delivery strategies
providing more effective and safer delivery of the mRNA-based therapeutic into most
type of cells, are required for mRNA based clinical candidates.
In addition, other types of RNAs e.g. transfer RNA (tRNA), small interfering RNA siRNAs,
micro RNAs (miRNAs), with other mechanisms of action can be used to target nearly
all disease-related genes of interest. In the case of these RNAs too, challenges exist like
the intracellular delivery of mRNA limiting their clinical utility and the possible
induction of off-target effects, both of which represent major hurdles. With regards to
the latter, and in the case of siRNA, expression of disease-causing genes in tissues
outside the liver and kidney, has been reported.
Specific objectives
Proposals submitted to this EIC Transition Challenge call should focus on one or more
of the following specific objectives:
 advance, beyond the state-of-the-art, RNA delivery methods, including robust
mRNA formulations, that would enable effective and safe delivery of mRNA into
the cells;
 design, develop and preclinical validate of novel miRNAs (miRNA lncRNA, tRNA
or siRNA-based) therapies for complex or rare genetic diseases;
 develop and validate novel RNA-based diagnostics and RNA-based predictive
biomarkers that would allow for early and more accurate diagnosis and for
favourable or non- post-treatment prognosis, respectively.
60
Expected outcomes and impacts
Proposals are expected to contribute to at least one ofthe following outcomes: 
 novel technological solutions leading to more effective and safer RNA delivery
methods applicable to a wide range of non-infectious diseases;
 utilisation of RNAs to molecularly classify sub-types of different solid tumours
that would allow for stratification of patients leading to more effective and
precise treatments in complex diseases with high-unmet medical needs;
 novel and sound ideas for the development and validation of RNA-based
therapeutic platforms and drugs;
 all the projects should lead to a sufficiently mature and sound data for being
ready to be up taken to the (pre-) clinical trials.
Proposals are expected to address both technology maturation and demonstration as
well as business development activities searching for a sustainable business model.
Proposals submitted to this EIC Transition Challenge   should aim to 
 perform the necessary R&D to advance from an existing/demonstrated proofof-principle
technology to a mature version ready to initiate clinical evaluation;
 develop a commercialisation/exploitation strategy, including the formal IP
protection (Annex 7) of the novel result, qualitatively and quantitatively outlining
the proposed path to patient and describing an investable proposition.
The gender dimension in research content should be considered, where relevant.45
The starting point in the project should be a preliminary technology or protocol of an
RNA-based therapy for complex or rare genetic diseases with unmet medical needs
that demonstrates, in a lab or preclinical context, the essential features that underpin
the disruptive nature of the innovation (TRL 3-4). The endpoint in the project should
be a completely functional version of the technology suitable for clinical validation
(TRL5-6), supported by a sound and implementable commercialisation/exploitation
strategy.
Specific conditions
If at the end of the jury stage the combined budget of GO proposals exceed the
allocated budget, portfolio considerations will be applied. For this specific Challenge,
the portfolio consideration will be a balanced portfolio of projects in terms of
technologies and/or type of disease addressed. The general Transition eligibility
conditions apply.
45
https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/gendered-innovations-2-2020-nov-24_en
61
IV. EIC Accelerator
 Do you have a high-impact innovative product, service or business model that
could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even
worldwide?
 Are you a start-up or a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) with the
ambition and commitment to scale up?
 Are you looking for substantial funding but the risks involved are too high for
private investors alone to invest?
If your answers to the above questions are ‘yes’, then the EIC Accelerator may be the
right funding scheme for you.
Why should you apply?
The EIC Accelerator supports companies (principally SMEs, including start-ups) to scale
up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing
ones. The EIC Accelerator provides a unique combination of funding from EUR 0.5 to
EUR 17.5 million and Business Acceleration Services (see Section V).
The EIC Accelerator focuses in particular on innovations, building on scientific discovery
or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed
over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’). Such
innovations often struggle to attract financing because the risks and time period
involved are too high. Funding and support from the EIC Accelerator is designed to
enable such innovators to attract the full investment amounts needed for scale up in a
shorter timeframe.
The EIC Accelerator supports the later stages of technology development as well as
scale up. The technology component of your innovation must therefore have been
tested and validated in a laboratory or other relevant environment (e.g. at least
Technology Readiness Level 5/6 or higher and have fully completed Technology
Readiness Level 4). The EIC Accelerator looks to support companies where the EIC
support will act as a catalyst to crowd in other investors necessary for the scale up of
the innovation.
62
Applicants to EIC Accelerator can submit proposals through:
 EIC Accelerator Open, which has no predefined thematic priorities and is open
to proposals in any field of technology or application;46
or,
 EIC Accelerator Challenges in predefined thematic topics in areas of emerging
and strategic technologies.
The EIC Accelerator Challenges supports companies (principally SMEs, including startups)
to scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or
disrupt existing ones in identified areas of strategic relevance. Like EIC Accelerator
Open (Section IV.1), the EIC Accelerator Challenges focus on innovations building on
scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant
funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient
capital’). The EIC Accelerator Challenges is open to innovations in the specific fields of
technology or application described by the specific challenges below (IV.2.1 and
IV.2.2).46
Can you apply?
To be an eligible applicant to EIC Accelerator, you must apply as one of the following
eligibile entities:
 a single company classified as a SME and established within a Member State or
an Associated Country (see Annex 3); or
 a single company classified as a small mid-cap (up to 499 employees)
established in a Member State or an Associated Country, but your proposal can
only be for rapid scale up purposes (e.g. Technology Readiness Level 9) and only
for the investment component; or
 One or more natural persons (including individual entrepreneurs) or legal
entities, which are either:
a. From a Member State or an Associated Country intending to establish an SME
or small mid-cap (as defined above) in a Member State or Associated Country
by the time of signing the EIC Accelerator contract or, in case the equity only
is awarded, at the latest when agreeing on its investment component;
b. Intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap in a Member State or an
Associated Country and who may submit a proposal on behalf of that SME or
46
Innovations that significantly harm the environment (and therefore contravene the ‘do not significant
harm’ principle of the EU Taxonomy Regulation), social welfare or that are primarily designed for military
applications, or in other fields which are generally excluded from EU funding pursuant to Article 18
Horizon Europe Regulation, will not be funded (see Annex 2).
63
small mid-cap, provided that a prior agreement exist with the company. The
contract will be signed with the beneficiary company only; or
c. From a non-associated third country intending to establish an SME (including
start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or an Associated
Country. Your company must prove its effective establishment in a Member
State or an Associated Country at the time of submission of the full proposal.
The Commission may set specific conditions and milestones in the contract
to ensure that the interest of the Union is met.
The standard admissibility and eligibility conditions are detailed in Annex 2 and
information on eligible Associated Countries in Annex 3.
There are limitations on the number of times you can submit a proposal described in
the section on resubmission limits below.
If you are currently a participant in an eligible project funded by Horizon Europe or
Horizon 2020 then you may be able to apply through your existing project under the
Fast Track scheme (see Annex 4). This scheme is managed by the funding body
responsible for the existing project and for 2022 it applies to funding bodies managing
projects under the EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition (including EIC pilot 2018-20); ERC
Proof of Concept; the Eureka Secretariat; and Knowledge and Innovation Communities
(KICs) supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
Applicants may also be able to apply if they have a project financed by an eligible
programme managed by a Member State or an Associated Country under the pilot
Plug-in scheme. The Plug-in scheme to apply to the EIC Accelerator is detailed in Annex
5.
What support will you receive if your proposal is funded?
The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 1 167.84 million, of which EUR 396.32
million will be funded through Next Generation EU as this call contributes to the
objectives to rebuild a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe. EUR 630.96
million of the total indicative budget will be allocated to Accelerator Open and EUR
536.88 million to Accelerator Challenges (see Annex 1). The total indicative budget for
Accelerator Challenges is expected to be allocated in approximately equal shares
across the challenges.
64
The EIC Accelerator provides blended finance (Innovation and Market Deployment
Action) which is composed of:
 An investment component usually in the form of direct equity or quasi-equity
such as convertible loans.47
 A grant component to reimburse eligible costs incurred for innovation activities,
including demonstration of the technology in the relevant environment,
prototyping and system level demonstration, R&D and testing required to meet
regulatory and standardisation requirements, intellectual property
management, and marketing approval (e.g. at least TRL 5/648
to 8).
Applicants for EIC blended finance can choose to request the investment component
only.
You may request a grant component only (‘Grant Only’) or ‘Grant First’ (i.e. maximum
EUR 2.5 million to cover TRL 5/6 to 8 and without requesting an investment component
for TRL 9) if you have not previously received EIC Accelerator grant-only support.49
In
your proposal for grant-first support, you will have to include a milestone at mid-term
or at the latest 6 months before the end of the project, for the EIC to assess deployment
perspectives and capabilities.
Small mid-caps (i.e. companies that do not comply with the definition of an SME but
have fewer than 499 employees) can only apply for the investment component and are
not eligible to receive the grant component.
EIC Accelerator investment component
The minimum investment component is EUR 0.5 million and the maximum is EUR 15
million. a. A more than EUR 15 million investment request50
is allowed in duly justified
cases for:
 proposals in technologies that are strategic for the Union;
47
In future years, the investment component may also include reimbursable advance, loan guarantees
and other forms of financial instruments, in complementarity with support under the InvestEU
programme.
48
To be interpreted as all aspects of TRL 4 completed as a minimum.
49
If you have received a previous grant only support you may apply for investment component only
support. However, you may still request a grant-only or grant-first if the support you received previously
was under Horizon 2020 (including the EIC Pilot phase 2018-2020) and your project is terminated, as
well as if you are submitting a completely new proposal.
50
In a pilot phase in 2022, projects with a more than EUR 15 million investment request a) cannot
represent more than 15% of the budget over the year and b) will be submitted to the EIC / EIE
Programme Committee for opinion.
65
 where there is a global competition; and
 where the funding needs significantly exceed what is available in Europe.
The investment component is intended to finance market deployment and scale up but
may also be used for other purposes (including co-financing or even fully financing
innovation activities). Within the maximum budget awarded by the Commission, the
terms of investment will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis by the EIC Fund .51
In
the case of equity, investments will not exceed 25% of the voting shares of the company
(except where for strategic reasons the Commission subjects its support to the
acquisition of a blocking minority). Investments will normally be made with a long
average perspective (7-10 years) with a maximum of 15 years (‘patient capital’). The
Fund’s main guiding principles are described in the Investment Guidelines.52
The investment component of the EIC is designed to fill the funding gap for high risk
innovations to a stage where they can be co-financed or financed under the InvestEU
programme or by private investors alone. As the EIC accelerator is designed to bear
the risk of potential breakthrough market creating innovations in order to attract
alternate private investors in a second stage, the lack of such investors at the initial
stage would not prevent the EIC investment to be agreed.
When implementing investments approved by the Commission, the EIC Fund will
ensure that supported companies keep most of their value, including their IP, in the EU
or in the Associated Countries in order to contribute to their economic growth and job
creation.
EIC Accelerator grant component
Eligible costs for the grant component are reimbursed up to a maximum of 70%. The
remaining 30% of the costs for these activities and the costs incurred for the
commercial introduction of the product or service and full scale up operations (e.g.
Technology Readiness Level 9 or above) will not be reimbursed by the grant but can
be financed by the investment component if and when this investment component is
awarded and implemented.
51
Following the transition phase in 2022, investment decisions may also be taken by other EIC
Investment Partners. In the case of the investment component, the financial support may exceptionally
be revised following a periodic or final review of an EIC Accelerator project (in line with Article 48(12),
second paragraph of the Horizon Europe Regulation), also in light of the terms and conditions
established in the investment agreement.
52
The EIC Investment Guidelines will be made available on the EIC website.
66
The grant component should normally not exceed EUR 2.5 million but may be for a
higher amount in exceptional and well justified cases.53
The innovation activities to be
supported should normally be completed within 24 months but may be longer in well
justified cases. The proposed duration should genuinely reflect your current TRL and
the nature of the technology to be developed and demonstrated. The grant
component may be used for subcontracting including, only if justified, for activities
which are essential for the objectives of the project.
Grant Only and Grant First
You may request a Grant Only or Grant First support under the following conditions:
 Grant Only: You must provide evidence that you have sufficient financial
means (e.g. revenue flow, existing investors or shareholders) to finance the
deployment and scaling up of your innovation. In such a case, you will have
to detail in your proposal all elements demonstrating that you possess or
are in the process to obtain those necessary resources and financial means
to provide for necessary expenditures normally covered by the investment
component.
 Grant First: Your innovation is based on a scientific discovery or novel
technology and still requires significant work to validate and demonstrate in
relevant environments in order to properly assess its commercial potential.
Such innovations may include, but are not limited to, those at relatively early
stage (e.g. TRL 5 -6) or based on research results from the EIC Pathfinder and
EIC Transition, as well as from the European Research Council. Grant-first
companies are eligible for a follow on equity component subject to a
milestone assessment attesting that the innovation activities are well under
way and that the innovation has the potential for deployment.
If the milestone assessment for a Grant First proposal is positive, you will be:
a. required to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial means (e.g.
revenue flow, existing investors or shareholders) to finance or any remaining
innovation activities and the deployment and scaling up of your innovation;
or
53
In the case of the grant component, the financial support may exceptionally be revised upon advice
by the EIC Board and subject to a project review by external independent experts (in line with Article
48(11), second paragraph of the Horizon Europe Regulation). For “grant only” applications the maximum
is €2.5 million.
67
b. invited to enter due diligence and negotiations to receive an EIC equity
investment, including to complement any other third party investments if
insufficient. Allocation of the equity investment is conditional to the due
diligence assessment.
To provide for the co-financing of TRL5 to 8 activities, the EIC in cooperation with EIC
investment partners, may introduce the option for grant-first applicants to request in
their full proposal an investment component to co-finance the 30% of the costs for
their TRL5 to 8 activities not covered by the grant component. If and when this option
becomes available, the application form will be modified accordingly.
All successful proposals will receive, in addition to funding, tailor-made access to a
wide range of Business Acceleration Services (see Section V).
The EIC Accelerator model contract for the grant component can be found on the
Funding and Tenders Portal.
How do you apply; how long does it take?
The application process consists of a number of steps:
1. Short proposals which may be submitted at any time and which will be
evaluated remotely by EIC expert evaluators on a first come, first served basis;
2. If successful, you will be invited to prepare a full proposal, where you will have
access to support through the EIC artificial intelligence-based IT platform and
from EIC business coaches to develop a detailed business plan;
3. Full proposals will first be assessed remotely by EIC expert evaluators. If
successful, you will be invited to a face to face interview with an EIC jury as the
final step in the selection process;
4. If selected for funding, you will be invited to negotiate an initial contract for
the grant component and to start the due diligence for the investment
component.
1. Submission of short proposals
You may submit a short proposal at any time via the European Funding & Tender
Opportunities Portal that will direct you to the EIC artificial intelligence based IT
platform. The short proposal consists of:
 A 5-page form where you must summarise your proposal and respond to a set
of questions on your innovation, your potential market and your team;
68
 A pitch-deck of up to ten slides in pdf format;
 A video pitch of up to three minutes where the core members of your team (up
to three people) should provide the motivation for your proposal.
All personal data and information in your proposal will be kept strictly confidential. 54
However, before submitting your full proposal, you will be offered the opportunity to
share basic or all data and information with your Member State or Associated Country
National Contact Point, for any support they may provide you with.
Within approximately 4 weeks, you will receive the evaluation result of your short
proposal specifying whether or not your proposal met the evaluation criteria (set out
in the next section) and can therefore proceed to submit a full proposal. In both cases,
you will receive feedback from the expert evaluators.
2. Submission of full proposals
If your short proposal is successful then you will be entitled to receive coaching support
to prepare a full proposal which can be submitted to one of the cut-off dates within
the next 12 months from the date of the response to your short proposal. You may
decide which cut-off to apply to. The cut-off dates for 2022 are:55
 23 March 2022 at 17h00 Brussels local time;
 15 June 2022 at 17h00 Brussels local time;
 5 October 2022 at 17h00 Brussels local time;
You must prepare your full proposal on the EIC AI-based platform, which includes
methodology to help you to develop your detailed business-plan and a number of
automatic checks and feedback to guide you through the process. The full proposal
consists of that full business plan and full information on you company’s finances and
structure. You will also need to propose a set of milestones to be used as a basis for
the EIC to manage the funding for your innovation.
As support for the development of your full proposal, you will be entitled to receive
coaching from one of the business coaches from the EIC Business Acceleration
54
All personal data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection
of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies,
offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data.
55
The call will open on 1 March 2022.The Director-General responsible for the call may decide to open
the call up to one month prior to or after the envisaged date(s) of opening. The Director-General
responsible may delay the deadline(s) by up to two months. Applicants will be invited to select an EIC
business coach out of a dedicated database and will receive 3 days of remote coaching.
69
Services.56
You can only receive this support once for a proposal and it will not be
provided for resubmissions.
The automatic checks and feedback from the IT platform and the optional coaching
support are designed to help you prepare your full proposal. However, it is your
decision how to respond to the feedback and support, and the content of your
proposal is your sole responsibility.
All personal data and information in your proposal will be kept strictly confidential.57
However, before submitting your full proposal, you will need to give consent to share
necessary information with the EIC Fund. You will also be offered the opportunity to
share certain data and information with investors who have undergone a prior EIC due
diligence process and who may wish to invest in your company or project and assist
you in developing your idea into a business plan. You will also be asked to agree to
share your relevant data with alternative funding bodies of your Member State or
Associated Country in case your proposal is awarded a Seal of Excellence, as a prior
condition for such an award.
Once you submit your full proposal, it will be assessed remotely against award criteria
(set out in the next section) by EIC expert evaluators. Within approximately five-six
weeks you will be informed about the result of the remote evaluation and will receive
feedback. If successful, you will be invited to attend a face to face interview with an EIC
jury.
3. Face to face interviews with an EIC jury.
All companies receiving a GO from the remote evaluation stage will be invited to the
face to face interviews. In case the number of companies to invite exceeds the
capacities of the initially planned interview sessions, a first batch of companies will be
invited according to the following prioritisation, starting with category ‘a’ below,
proceeding to the next:
a. All companies that were invited by the jury to resubmit directly to one of the
next interview sessions (see Table 8 on resubmission limits);
b. Gender balance: companies with female CEOs (up to 40% of invited companies
is reached);
56
It is nevertheless up to the applicants to decide if and when to use the coaching services.
57
All personal data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection
of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies,
offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data
70
c. Submission date and time: any remaining companies will be prioritised based
on the date and time submission of their short proposal.
The remaining batch of companies to interview will be invited to a further set of
interviews to be organised before the interviews of the next cut-off date.
Face to face interviews will be organised approximately eight-nine weeks after the cutoff
date (or longer if there is a need for a further set of interviews). At the interview,
you will be assessed by a panel of maximum six jury members. EIC Programme
Managers and representatives from EIC Investment Partners may participate in the
interview, but will not be members of the jury and will not take part in the jury’s
decisions. Detailed information about the format of the face to face interview will be
communicated to you in the invitation. You will be informed about the result of the
interview within approximately two-three weeks.
4. Invitation to negotiate grant component and due diligence process
Blended finance will be awarded through a single process under an overall
coordination by the Agency.
If you are selected for funding, you will be invited to negotiate. Once the grant
negotiations are concluded, a single award decision will be adopted by the Commission
and will serve as the basis for the signature of the Accelerator Contract. The single
award decision will also define, if applicable, the maximum amount of the investment
component. Following the award decision, you will be invited to sign an initial contract
that will provide for the grant component and, if applicable, for an indicative amount
investment component. You will then receive, a first pre-financing payment on the
grant component.
In parallel, if your proposal included an investment component, the EIC Fund will start
the negotiation process to structure the potential investment agreement (compliance
checks,58
due diligence, syndication of potential co-investors, tranches of investment
and related objectives and milestones, etc.).
During this stage, and in particular if you have not yet secured other investors, the EIC
Fund or the Agency will also look for other investors. You will be asked for your consent
before other investors are contacted or engaged in negotiations.
At the end of this process, which should usually take between two to six months, an
investment component will be agreed. The initial contract will have to be amended to
integrate this agreement, and any relevant corresponding changes (e.g. in definitions
58
Such as KYC (Know Your Customer), AML/CTF (Anti-Money Laundering / Combating the Financing of
Terrorism), Tax compliance, Sanctions, etc.
71
of milestones). The decision to invest as well as the amount and the terms of the
investment component will be made by the EIC Fund in compliance with the EIC Fund
Investment Guidelines. The investment decisions will also be reported to the
Programme Committee in accordance with Article 14 of Council Decision (EU)
2021/764.
As an outcome of the due diligence process, the investment may be rejected, notably
due to the results of the due diligence, compliance checks, existence of irregularities,
in cases of misrepresentation by the applicant or in the case of a manifest error in its
assessment. In such a case, the Commission may also request amendments or, in the
cases of misrepresentation, submission of false information, non-submission of
information, suspicion of fraud or any other ground listed in the EIC Accelerator
contract, it may terminate your initial EIC contract covering the grant component. The
EIC Accelerator contract may also be terminated if the non-investment is likely to affect
the implementation of the action or puts into question the decision awarding the
financial support.
Should the outcome of the due diligence conclude that the innovation or your
company is not yet mature for equity investment, the EIC Fund may recommend to the
Commission that you start with the grant component first, and that the investment
component will be subject to reaching defined milestones that will be included in the
contract for the grant component via an amendment.
How does the EIC decide if your proposal will be funded?
The EIC Accelerator is highly selective and only the very best proposals can be funded.
Your proposal will be assessed on its merits by leading experts and the Commission
will ensure open and fair competition to all eligible proposals submitted.
1. Evaluation of short proposals
Short proposals will be evaluated by four EIC experts as soon as they are submitted.
These four evaluators’ competences will match the area of technology and market
application of your innovation. They will have access to analyses (for example on
related scientific publications and patents) generated by the EIC artificial intelligencebased
IT platform. The analyses produced by the artificial intelligence IT platform are
not part of the evaluation, and will be not be used to score your proposal. The
independent evaluators will essentially look at the innovativeness/disruptiveness of
your idea, its impact and your team using the evaluation criteria specified below.
Each evaluator will assess whether your short proposal meets each of the evaluation
criteria (Table 6) and give a GO or NO GO:
72
 If at least two evaluators give a GO, then your short proposal will be successful
and you will be invited to prepare a full proposal.
 If more than two evaluators give a NO GO, then your proposal is considered
unsuccessful.59
Table 6. Evaluation criteria for EIC Accelerator Open and Challenges at short
proposal stage
Excellence
Breakthrough and market creating nature: Does the innovation have a high degree of novelty –
compared to existing products, services and business models – with the potential to create or
significantly transform markets?
Timing: Is the timing right for this innovation in terms of market, user, societal or scientific of
technological trends and developments?
Impact
Scale up potential: Does the innovation have scale up potential, including the potential to develop
new markets and impact on the growth of the company? Does the company show a clear and
convincing vision, taking into account its current level of development and maturity, in relation to
the targeted market, the business model and growth forecasts?
Broader impact: Will the innovation, if successfully commercialised achieve positive broader
societal, economic, environmental60
or climate impacts?
Level of risk, implementation, and need for Union support
Team: Does the team have the capability and motivation to implement the innovation proposal
and bring it to the market? Is there a plan to acquire any critical competencies which are currently
missing, including adequate representation of women and men?
59
If your proposal is unsuccessful at short proposal stage and you wish to resubmit an improved
proposal, you will be offered the opportunity to rebut comments provided by the experts on your initial
proposal. For your resubmission, the four new experts assigned to assess your proposal will be requested
to take these elements into account. If your resubmission is unsuccessful and within 5 working days after
receiving notification, you may file a complaint if you believe that the evaluator(s) made an incorrect
assessment on the following grounds: a) a factual mistake; b) absence of information which is not
required at short proposal stage; and c) a manifest error of appreciation on the scope and purpose of
the Accelerator. In cases where within 5 working days the Agency finds that there is an error on one of
the above grounds, it will be assessed again by the concerned expert(s) within 5 working days. If your
proposal is reevaluated as a GO, you will be eligible to introduce your full application to the same cutoff
date that you would have been able to submit to, with a GO from the initial evaluation. Otherwise,
your proposal will be definitively rejected and you will only be able to resubmit in accordance with the
resubmission rules (Table 8).
60
Projects must comply with the ‘do no significant harm’ principle enshrined in Article 17 of the EU
Taxonomy Regulation as part of the eligibility criteria.
73
2. Evaluation of full proposals and face to face interviews
Full proposals will be assessed following the cut-off dates listed above. This will start
with a remote evaluation where your full proposal will be sent to three EIC expert
evaluators, who will be matched against the area of technology and application of your
innovation. The expert evaluators will then assess your proposal more in depth against
the award criteria set out below. They will have access to analyses (for example on
related scientific publications and patents, market trends and perspectives, etc.)
generated by the EIC artificial intelligence-based IT platform. If your proposal is a
resubmission, the evaluators will also assess the changes and improvements made
since the first submission and take into account any comments you may wish to make
to respond to the feedback from the first evaluation.
Each evaluator will assess whether your full proposal meets each of the award criteria
and give a GO or NO GO per criterion:
 If all three evaluators give a GO for all the criteria, then your full proposal will be
successful and you will be invited to a face to face interview with an EIC jury.
 If one or more evaluators give a NO GO under any of the criteria then you will
not be invited to the interview, but you will be eligible to resubmit an improved
proposal (see Table 8).61
At the face to face interviews, the EIC jury will have prior access to your short and full
proposal and the evaluation results. Jury members will also have access to analyses (for
example on financial metrics) generated by the EIC AI-based platform and in certain
cases the independent assessment of a specialised expert in the field of science or
technology. Such analyses will be made available to applicants after the decision.
Jury members, based on your interview and their overall assessment, will recommend
your proposal for funding (GO) or not (NO GO):
 If the proposal receives a GO and is recommended for funding, the jury may
recommend lowering the grant amount if activities above TRL 8 are detected.
Should the jury find the level of risk to be lower than initially identified by the
61
If your proposal is unsuccessful at full proposal stage and you wish to resubmit an improved proposal,
you will be offered the opportunity to rebut comments provided by the experts on your initial proposal.
For your resubmission, the three new experts assigned to assess your proposal will be requested to take
these elements into account. Should the resubmitted proposal be considered as NO GO, the proposal
will be definitively rejected, and you will only be able to resubmit in accordance with the resubmission
rules (Table 8).
74
applicant, the jury may also recommend another combination of components,
including substitution of the grant component by a reimbursable advance.62
The
jury is not expected to propose a different amount of investment than initially
requested by the applicant, except in duly justified cases. Applicants are
reminded that the amounts awarded by the Commission are subject to
negotiation, including due diligence. The jury may also make recommendations
to be taken into account when negotiating the grant or investment component,
including for example on the milestones and the valuation, and on proposed
coaching activities.
 If your proposal receives a NO GO and is not recommended for funding, the jury
will recommend whether:
a. Your proposal has the potential to be a GO if specific targeted
improvements are made. In this case, you will be allowed to resubmit a
revised proposal (see resubmission rules in Table 8) directly to the face to
face interviews. Such a specific, targeted resubmission will only be permitted
once.
b. Your proposal will be awarded a Seal of Excellence6364
to facilitate funding
from alternative funding sources and access to EIC Business Acceleration
Services. Exceptionally, EIC juries may recommend that your proposal does
not receive a Seal of Excellence if they find weaknesses in your proposal
which were not identified by the expert evaluators. In such cases, you will
receive feedback to justify this recommendation.
Indicatively, the budget will be allocated approximately equally between the cut-offs.
In case the amount allocated to GO applicants is less than the budget available for that
cut-off, or additional budget becomes available as a result of the contract concluded
with EIC awardees, then the remaining available budget will be allocated to the
subsequent cut-off. In case the amount allocated to GO applicants is above the budget
62
Reimbursable advances may be introduced during the course of 2022 in which case the terms and
conditions will be made available on the EIC website. Once introduced, they would be considered by the
jury in cases where the innovation cycle (market deployment) is short. The amount would be limited to
a maximum of EUR 2.5 million and will reimburse up to 70% of the eligible costs of innovation activities.
The reimbursable advance will have to be paid back to the EU on an agreed schedule as an interest-free
loan. In case you are not able to reimburse or do not want to reimburse, the reimbursable advance will
be transformed into equity. In case of bankruptcy, the reimbursable advance will be considered as a
grant and hence written off.
63
Seals of Excellence are only awarded if you have given consent to share data about your application
with other alternative funding bodies.
64
Seals of Excellence will also be awarded to companies who attended the jury interviews following the
cut-offs in the 2021 EIC Work Programme but were not awarded funding, as long as they have given
consent to share data about their application with other alternative funding bodies.
75
available, then a number of applicants corresponding to the unavailable budget will be
awarded funding using the available budget of the subsequent cut-off. Such applicants
will be identified using the ordering set out above for the invitation to interviews.
Proposals will be assessed according to the following award criteria (Table 7). The jury
may focus the interview on any element of your proposal based on the remote
evaluation result and its own assessment.
Table 7. Award criteria for EIC Accelerator Open and Challenges at full proposal
stage and face to face interview
Excellence
Breakthrough and market creating nature: Does the innovation have a high degree of novelty
– compared to existing products, services and business models – with the potential to create
or significantly transform markets?
Timing: Is the timing right for this innovation in terms of market, user, societal or scientific of
technological trends and developments?
Technological feasibility: Is the innovation based on a technology or technologies that have
been adequately assessed at least in a laboratory environment and relevant environments to
characterise the potential and assess the level of risk (at least TRL 5/6)? Is the technology
developed in a safe, secure and reliable manner?
Intellectual Property: Does your company have the necessary Intellectual Property Rights to
ensure freedom to operate and adequate protection of the idea?
Impact
Scale up potential: Does the innovation have scale up potential, including the potential to
develop new markets and impact on the growth of the company? Are the associated financial
needs well assessed and realistic?
Broader impact: Will the innovation, if successfully commercialised achieve positive broader
societal, economic, environmental65
or climate impacts?
For EIC Accelerator Challenges ONLY: Does the proposed application have the potential to
contribute to the specific objectives and achieve the expected impacts set out in the
Challenge?
Market fit and competitor analysis: Has the potential market for the innovation been
adequately assessed, including conditions and growth rates? Has a competitive analysis been
thoroughly performed, including identification of potential customers and relevant types of
65
Projects must comply with the ‘do no significant harm’ principle enshrined in Article 17 of the EU
Taxonomy Regulation as part of the eligibility criteria.
76
users, including women and men, definition of unique selling points and key differentiation
from competitors?
Commercialisation strategy: Is there a convincing and well thought-through strategy for
commercialisation, including regulatory approvals/compliance needed, time to
market/deployment, and business and revenue model?
Key partners: Have the key partners required to develop and commercialize the innovation
been identified and engaged, including their roles/competences and a sufficient level of
commitment and incentivisation?
Level of risk, implementation, and need for Union support
Team: Does the team have the capability and motivation to implement the innovation
proposal and bring it to the market? Is there a plan to acquire any critical competencies which
are currently missing, including adequate representation of women and men?
Milestones: Is there a clear implementation plan with defined milestones, work packages and
deliverables, together with realistic resources and timings?
Risk level of the investment: Does the nature and level of risk of the investment in your
innovation mean that European market actors are unwilling to commit the full amount alone?
Is there evidence that market actors would be willing to invest, either alongside the EIC or at
a later stage?
Note: Small mid-caps will be expected to provide documentary evidence that their bank has
refused the financing needed for the project.
Risk mitigation: Have the main risks (e.g. technological, market, financial, regulatory) been
identified, together with measures to take to mitigate them?
77
The following limitations on resubmission apply to the EIC Accelerator proposals
submitted in 2021 and in 2022 (both Open and Challenge based topics) (Table 8):
Table 8. Limitations on resubmission of proposals to the EIC Accelerator
Remote evaluation of short proposals
If rejected one time
You may resubmit to the short application stage at any time, but
will be expected to have made improvements.
If rejected second time
You will not be allowed to submit another proposal for 12
months, starting from the date of submission of your revised
short proposal, at which point you may only submit a new or
significantly improved proposal to the short application stage.
Remote evaluation of the full proposal
If rejected one time
You may resubmit directly to the remote evaluation of the full
proposal at one of the following cut-offs, but will be expected to
have made improvements.
If rejected a second time
You will not be allowed to submit another proposal for 12
months, starting from the date of submission of your revised full
proposal, at which point you may only submit a new or
significantly improved proposal to the short application stage.
Face to face interviews with EIC Juries
If rejected one time but
the jury decides your
proposal is a potential
GO if specific targeted
improvements are made
You may be invited to resubmit a revised proposal directly to one
of the next face to face interviews within a maximum 12 month
period. Your revised proposal must address the issues identified
by the jury. Such a resubmission direct to the face to face
interviews will only be permitted once.
If rejected one time
(including following a
resubmission direct to
the face to face
interviews)
You may resubmit directly to the remote evaluation of the full
proposal at one of the following cut-offs, but will be expected to
have made improvements
If rejected a second time You will not be allowed to submit another proposal for 12 months,
starting from the date of submission of your revised full proposal,
at which point you may only submit a new or significantly
improved proposal to the short application stage.
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IV. EIC Accelerator
IV.1 EIC Accelerator Open
EIC Accelerator Open has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in
any field of technology or application.66
The EIC Accelerator supports the later stages of technology development as well as
scale up. The technology component of your innovation must therefore have been
tested and validated in a laboratory or other relevant environment (e.g. at least
Technology Readiness Level 5/6 or higher). The EIC Accelerator looks to support
companies where the EIC support will act as a catalyst to crowd in other investors
necessary for the scale up of the innovation
The EIC Accelerator focuses on innovations building on scientific discovery or
technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over
a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’). Such innovations
often struggle to attract financing because the risks and time period involved are too
high. Funding and support from the EIC Accelerator is designed to enable such
innovators to attract the full investment amounts needed for scale up in a shorter
timeframe.
66
Innovations that significantly harm the environment (and therefore contravene the ‘do not significant
harm’ principle of the EU Taxonomy Regulation), social welfare or that are primarily designed for military
applications, or in other fields which are generally excluded from EU funding pursuant to Article 18
Horizon Europe Regulation, will not be funded (see Annex 2). Research proposals within the scope of
Annex I to the Euratom Treaty, namely those directed towards nuclear energy applications, must be
submitted to relevant calls under the Euratom Framework Programme.
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IV.2 EIC Accelerator Challenges
IV.2.1 EIC Accelerator Challenge: Technologies for Open Strategic
Autonomy
Introduction
In a multipolar world characterised by increasingly strong economic rivalries, Europe
seeks to preserve its open strategic autonomy. Such an open strategic autonomy
increasingly relies on technologies and innovative solutions that respond to social
needs, that are the cornerstones of new markets and wealth, and that may have an
impact on individual and collective security.
In this context, Europe needs to maintain its capacity to act autonomously by building
and strengthening its supply and value chains for strategically important deep-tech
solutions for Europe, and to avoid situations where it remains dependent on other
regions for access to or development of the related technologies. Furthermore,
strategic technologies underpin and accelerate the shift to a greener and digital
economy, are instrumental in modernising Europe’s industrial base and drive the
development of entirely new knowledge-based industries. These aims are key to
Europe’s renewed industrial strategy and action plan on synergies between civil,
defense and space industries.
Scopes and specific objectives
This EIC Accelerator Challenge identifies the following set of key strategic areas and
corresponding specific objectives for which highly innovative start-ups and SMEs are
invited to propose new technologies, pioneering solutions and breakthrough
innovations:
 Components, technologies and systems for the pharmaceutical industry
to ensure security of supply including through synthetic biology and novel
manufacturing technologies;
 Strategic healthcare technologies building on Europe’s research strengths
in cell and gene therapies, including ribonucleic acid (RNA) based therapies
to ensure EU leadership;
 Sustainable and innovative approaches, including circular approaches
to critical raw materials (CRM) for new sources of supply/extraction,
processing, use, recovery or replacement aimed at improving efficiency use,
80
so reducing EU dependency on external providers, and to build EU capacity
at all stages of the raw materials value chains;
 New applications of quantum technologies on the ground and in space
building on Europe’s research strengths including the Quantum Flagship to
put EU at the forefront of the second quantum revolution and leader in the
deployment of such technologies as well as to support the EU Secure
Connectivity initiative;
 Edge computing applications including new business models to foster EU
leading role in their development;
 Innovative applications making use of data and signals from EU space
infrastructures (Galileo, Copernicus, etc.) to ensure more prominent
exploitation of newly available functionalities creating opportunities for
breakthrough innovations across multiple downstream sectors;
 Development of space technologies, including those needing in-orbit
demonstration (IOD) / in-orbit validation (IOV) services, for space
transportation, telecommunications, satellite navigation, earth and ocean
observation, space surveillance and tracking as well as on-orbit services, in
support of EU competitiveness and non-dependence;
 Critical security technologies for secure communication, data security and
protection of borders (while respecting fundamental human rights and
freedoms such as the rights to privacy and data protection) to ensure
safeguarding of EU and citizens’ interests.
 Technologies for innovative financial and payment infrastructures and
services supporting the development of pan-European payment solutions,
as enabler for the digitalization of Europe’s economy.
Expected impacts
The expected impact of this Challenge is a significant reduction of the European
dependency on other regions for deep-tech innovations and services of EU key
strategic interest, and consequently strengthening of European competitiveness,
security and open strategic autonomy.
This EIC Accelerator Challenge targets highly innovative SMEs (including start-ups,
spinouts) and small midcaps from any sector provided that they are developing
innovative solutions within key strategic areas defined above, in order to be ahead of
the evolution of the related technologies and capture the competitive advantages they
can yield, accelerating their deployment and adoption within value chains.
81
Specific conditions
Applications to this EIC Accelerator Challenge may request an investment component
of above EUR 15 million in duly justified cases.
In order to protect the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, the
Commission may set specific conditions and milestones if this is necessary to ensure
that technologies of a strategic nature for open autonomy are not directly or indirectly
controlled by third countries not associated to Horizon Europe or by legal entities of
non-associated third countries.
IV.2.2 EIC Accelerator Challenge: Technologies for ‘Fit for 55’
Introduction
In July 2021, the Commission adopted the ‘Fit for 55’67
package of proposals to make
the EU's climate, energy, land use and transport fit for reducing net greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Achieving these emissions net reductions is
a key milestone in reaching climate neutrality by 2050, making the European Green
Deal a reality.
The radical changes needed to achieve a climate neutral economy and the ‘Fit for 55’
plan require breakthrough, scalable solutions in the related areas by start-ups and
SMEs. These innovations together with sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion are key
core values in line with the ambition of ‘New European Bauhaus’ initiative68
. Many
relevant technologies to achieve decarbonisation exist already, but often these
technologies are not yet demonstrated at scale and have yet to prove their commercial
viability and sustainability of related business models.
Scope and specific objectives
This EIC Accelerator Challenge aims at supporting the development and scaling up of
technologies and boosting breakthrough innovations that strengthen the green
transition. Breakthrough innovations for this Challenge should have the potential to
create significant economic, competitiveness and employment benefits for Europe.
This Challenge targets ground-breaking innovations in any field of technology that
have a high potential to meet the following goals:
67
“Fit for 55: delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality”, COM(2021)550,
14 July 2021.
68
https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus
82
 Higher clean energy conversion and use through energy harvesting,
conversion and storage, including renewable energy carriers, their
integration into energy systems and hybrid energy generation;
 Decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries including carbon dioxide
(CO₂) emissions capture/conversion, transport, storage and
utilisation/valorisation , process-integrated energy harvesting, recovery and
storage, use of renewable hydrogen, waste heat recovery and valorisation of
by-products for co-production of energy and materials;
 Energy efficiency and safety in the built environment including the use
of innovative climate-neutral materials, smart windows, technology and
natural carbon removal solutions, design and engineering concepts that
increase the energy performance, comfort and safety, indoor air
management, the integration of renewable energy, facilitate the
development of energy communities and smart grid, circularity and
integrated food-energy-water management;
 Zero emission mobility solutions for all modes of transport, both for
passenger vehicles and for light and heavy duty vehicles, with a particular
focus on automation, connectivity solutions, and solutions that enhance
interaction with the energy system;
 Climate neutrality in the land use to increase climate resilience,
decontaminate soils, and abate nitrogen and methane emissions, increase
carbon stock in the soil and, other carbon pools on land and coastal zones;
 Water, gas and indoor air management/monitoring systems both for
quality and indexing purposes (global warming measurements) and early
warning tools, gas leakage monitoring systems, treatment systems,
sustainable gas grids (for hydrogen);
 Green digital technologies to enhance energy system integration to enable
supply and demand side management and costs optimisation, real time
monitoring, control, digitalised maintenance; tools to enhance digital
protection of energy systems, smart grids and net zero energy communities;
blockchain concepts adapted to energy performance in buildings and to
power systems increased reliability; quantum computing for energy systems;
digital solutions/sensors to improve efficiency.
83
Expected impacts
This EIC Accelerator Challenge seeks to support highly innovative SMEs (including
start-ups, spinouts) and small midcaps that are developing novel and breakthrough
innovations that can contribute effectively to the goals enshrined in the ‘Fit to 55’ plan
accelerating decarbonisation by having high potential impact on reducing net CO2
emissions as per the specific objectives set out above and assist further innovation. The
expected impact of this Challenge is a more inclusive and steady acceleration towards
climate neutrality by 2050 while considering design and aesthetics of proposed
solutions (where relevant).
Applicants should provide description and quantitative assessment of impacts such as
reduction or avoidance of GHG emissions, indicating the methodology and
assumptions, as part of their full proposals.
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V. EIC Community and Business Acceleration
Services
The EIC support goes far beyond funding and it aims at supporting the emergence,
acceleration and growth of EIC innovations and top deep tech companies. In order to
further leverage the EIC investments, as EIC funded researcher, innovator or
entrepreneur you will be provided with access to a range of tailor-made EIC Business
Acceleration Services (BAS) at any stage of development of your activities and of the
EIC research and innovation cycle. The EIC uses its pan-European reach to connect you
with partners from all around Europe, across borders and will also contribute to further
develop the innovation ecosystem in Europe.
Who can benefit and what services are offered?
All the EIC awardees (from the EIC Accelerator, EIC Transition, EIC Pathfinder and
Women Tech.EU69
funding schemes) have access to BAS. Some of the services will also
be made available to EIC Accelerator applicants (invited to prepare a full proposal), to
companies receiving the Seal of Excellence 70
as well as to innovators and companies
coming from other European or national initiatives that have entered into a specific
agreement with the EIC.
Specific actions will be taken to support promising green innovations as well as EIC
funded SMEs reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Women innovators, including those
supported under the Women Tech.EU funding scheme will be offered a targeted
leadership and development programme including coaching and mentoring (EIC
Women Leadership Programme).
The services described below are available through the EIC Community platform or
provided through the EIC Investment Partners.
69
The Women Tech.EU funding scheme is implemented under the ‘European Innovation Ecosystems’
part of the Horizon Europe work programme.
70
Seal of Excellence companies will have access to all BAS services except those linked to the direct
management of the project like investor mentoring provided alongside management of the EIC equity
and access to expertise.
85
The EIC BAS are structured around three main pillars:
1. Access to coaches, mentors, expertise and training
EIC researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs will be able to benefit from tailor-made
coaching, mentoring, expertise and training delivered by specialised providers and
adapted to their innovation stage.
Business coaching focuses on providing insights on business development
shortcomings and guidance to improve business performance. Coaching topics cover
the entire entrepreneurial and innovation endeavour from challenging the value
proposition and business model, IP management, data protection, improving strategy
and investor business case, building the team and leadership, to international
expansion.
Mentoring aims to develop the business and leadership skills, such as resilience,
tenacity and strategic insight, of the individual founders and CEOs. The impact is
especially high when mentors share their own experience about business innovation
and fundraising.
Coaching and Mentoring are delivered by qualified, experienced business coaches,
entrepreneurs, investors. Specific mentoring will be provided to companies receiving
EIC blended finance in coordination with the management of the equity component.
When looking for co-investors, the EIC will also incentivise other investors to provide
mentoring tasks and independent advice to the company.
As part of the proactive portfolio management by EIC Programme Managers, access to
specific expertise, trainings, incubation or acceleration will be provided to meet
individual needs of the EIC awardees and their innovations. Such services provided by
professional service providers and ecosystem partners could include: expertise in the
area of Intellectual Property protection, legal & financial advisory, privacy and data
protection, certification and standardisation, competition analysis, and assistance in
negotiations. In addition, access will be provided to relevant entrepreneurial and
innovation/IP strategy trainings, prototyping workshops, business plan development
oriented summer schools, boot camps, incubators and accelerators.
The deployment of such services will be subject to a recommendation from the project
review, Project Officer, the EIC Programme Manager or EIC Investment Partners, if a
similar service cannot be provided by national or European initiatives, e.g. Enterprise
Europe Network or the European IP Helpdesk.
Access to specific expertise and training or acceleration services will mainly be provided
through a pool of certified innovation ecosystem actors and service providers.
86
Regarding business coaching, EIC Accelerator applicants71
invited to submit a full
proposal, Seal of Excellence companies and all EIC awardees will receive three coaching
days. Additional coaching days for EIC awardees, (in principle up to 12 days) will
depend on the project review and input from Programme Managers. When duly
justified for exceptional cases the amount of coaching days could be extended.
2. Access to global partners (leading corporates, investors, procurers,
distributors, clients)
The BAS facilitate cooperation and co-creation with international business partners:
leading corporates, investors, procurers, distributors, clients. This includes exploration
of commercialisation potential with industry, dedicated and impact focused
matchmaking events (e.g. Corporate Days, Procurers Days), venture client model,
structured pilot and trials collaborations with corporates and private and public
innovation procurers.
EIC funded SMEs will be offered a specific support when expanding to new markets
within Europe and abroad in form of participation to global business trade fairs, visiting
major European innovation hubs and specific soft landing programmes.
The EIC will facilitate collaboration with (co-) investors for the EIC Community. The
service will be supported through a dedicated matching platform, for both investments
and tailor-made services including mentoring, strategic advice, curated presentation to
investors’ networks as well as investment readiness preparation and pitching sessions.
The most mature and promising EIC funded companies will be able to benefit from
curated services, tailor-made to their needs connecting them to top level corporates
and investors, supporting them to raise further funding or succeed in an Initial Public
Offering.
Unless specified otherwise, all above services are open to all EIC awardees and Seal of
Excellence companies based on a proposal and, when relevant, selection process. The
process involves a publication of a proposal by an interested EIC company or project
on the EIC Community platform (see below) and, depending on the type of service
sought, a pre-selection by business partners/experts can be applied.
71
For this purpose, EIC Accelerator applicants include Fast Track and Pilot Plug-in applicants to EIC
Accelerator.
87
3. Access to innovation ecosystem and peers
The EIC ambition is to engage partners from across the European innovation ecosystem
within the EIC Community (see below), in order to benefit from cross-fertilisation and
diversity inspiring innovation and creativity. It aims to stimulate unprecedented and
unforeseeable encounters between peer inventors, researchers, innovators and
entrepreneurs as well as other actors from the ecosystem, including corporates,
investors, business angels, mentors and coaches, innovation procurers, innovation
agencies, business associations, clusters, accelerators, incubators, technology transfer
offices and many more.
4. The EIC Community Platform
The EIC Community rely on the EIC Community platform: an exclusive, virtual meeting
place, where EIC awardees can connect with their peers and leverage potential business
partnerships complemented by Community activities. This platform is open to all EIC
beneficiaries and it gathers innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors,
corporates, procurers and small companies.
It hosts matching and collaboration features including partner search, groups, as well
as stories and event calendars. Another feature within the EIC Community Platform
enables any EIC Community member to post a challenge and ask the Community to
provide solutions.
A new tool will be the development of an EIC Marketplace that will collect and organise
information on preliminary findings and results generated by EIC projects and
proactively makes this information, together with supporting services and expertise,
available to potential partners, investors and entrepreneurs that could take the results
further or incorporate in their innovations.
88
To further strengthen the BAS’ scope and
provide even more tailored services EIC
also seeks for partnerships with
ecosystem partners bringing in specific
experience, specific expertise or access to
a specific networks in certain innovation
areas. Such collaboration could include
exchange of information, coorganisation
of specific EIC events (e.g.
pitching events or specific trainings,
bootcamps, summer schools), data
mining or mapping service e.g. of tech
infrastructure, piloting plants and testbeds.
It also aims to extend, in a cost-efficient manner, the support for EIC awardees to
a range of existing and effective services, implemented by the European Commission
and also by specific entities in the Member States and Associated Countries; In
particular the EIC will seek for operational synergies with EEN, national and regional
clusters, the European IP Helpdesk, Start-up Europe, EIT KICs, national innovation
agencies, NCPs’ networks, top European accelerators and incubators, business and
investors associations.
Potential partnerships can take the form of a win-win collaboration or in some specific
cases directly being made via (co)funding to the organisers.
Budget and implementation
The described activities are implemented through multiannual contracts, some of them
initiated under Horizon 2020. The 2022 budget includes the following activities.
a. Coaching
Remote coaching72
to be implemented through expert contract actions with experts
providing advice to EIC Accelerator applicants invited to submit a full proposal, Seal of
Excellence companies, Women Tech.EU companies and all EIC awardees, including
women innovators supported with specific BAS leadership actions.
72
Coaching involving travel may take place in duly justified cases when the physical presence of the
coach is expected to bring significantly better results, mainly for coaching to EIC Funded beneficiaries
and projects. Coaching 2021 budget may also be used for the Horizon 2020 EIC legacy projects.
89
These coaching services will be provided by highly qualified specialised business
coaches. The coaches will register their profile and expertise in the Commission’s
corporate database, through a single Call for Expression of interest published for
experts across all EU programmes. The selection of the business coaches will be made
following this call, in accordance with Article 237 of the Financial Regulation. Under the
terms of the call, applicants to become EIC business coaches must have at least five
years of professional experience in managerial positions with responsibilities in
developing business innovation. In addition, they must have at least five years of
coaching experience supporting new business development within a corporate’s
departments or with start-ups. The fields of new business development includes
technical expertise as well as practical involvement on go-to-market processes,
building/acquisition of strategic partnerships and organisational and financial
development.
EIC business coaches will have the task to support the recipients of EIC BAS depending
on their needs, assess with them improvement opportunities and assist them in their
process of learning and solving complex business development issues. As highly
qualified specialised business coaches, their remuneration will be proportionate to their
high-level strategic support and it will closely mirror the international level of
remuneration for experts performing tasks of similar nature. In this respect, EIC
business coaches will receive EUR 1 000 per day of coaching (corresponding to EUR
500 per half day), which is considered to be proportionate to the specific services that
EIC business coaches will provide, which are more complex than the standard tasks of
experts evaluators.
To increase the quality of the coaching services available to the recipients of EIC BAS,
the EIC Coaching Casetracker system will be updated to provide improved user
experience, responsiveness, monitoring and reporting features of the coaches
activities.
Type of action: Expert contracts action.
Indicative budget: EUR 4 500 000 from 2022 budget
Indicative timetable: from Q1 2022
90
b. EIC Marketplace supporting services
This action contributes to the development of a European innovation ecosystem by
mobilising and connecting a new generation of deep tech innovators, talent,
entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners from across Europe. The objective is to provide
innovation support services to match those results from EIC projects, in a proactive
manner, with potential users: innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and
public procurers. The support could include dedicated matchmaking activities,
outreach activities and promotion events, venture building, entrepreneurship trainings,
technology scouting, IP specialist services, market scanning and customer need
analysis, negotiations support etc.
Type of action: Public procurement action.
Indicative budget: EUR 4 000 000 from 2022 budget.
Indicative opening: Q1 2022.
c. Bridging EIC awardees to innovation procurement.
To provide EIC funded projects and companies with services to enhance their
capabilities to take part in innovation procurement bids in and outside Europe. Services
would include, among others: trainings, scanning of relevant bidding opportunities,
matching with potential bidding partners, support to internationalisation and
presenting their solution to key innovation procurers.
Type of action: Public procurement action.
Indicative budget: EUR 4 000 000 from 2022 budget.
Indicative opening: Q1 2022.
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VI. EIC Prizes
VI.1 EU Prize for Women Innovators
Objectives and scope
The opportunities created by novel technologies and disruptive innovations promise
to deliver the fair and sustainable recovery Europe needs. But Europe risks missing out
on these opportunities if half its population is overlooked as a source of innovation
and creative talent.
The EU Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women entrepreneurs behind
game-changing innovations. In doing so, the EU seeks to raise awareness of the need
for more women innovators and create role models for women and girls everywhere.
The Prize is awarded to the women who have created the largest impact on the EU
innovation ecosystem by transforming ideas into new and advanced products and
services to benefit people and planet.
The Prize is launched and managed by the Agency, and the winners are chosen by an
independent expert jury.
There are two prize categories: Women Innovators and Rising Innovators. In the first
category, three prizes of EUR 100 000 each are awarded to the three highest-ranked
applications. In the second category, three prizes of EUR 50 000 are awarded to the
three highest-ranked applications from promising ‘Rising Innovators’ under the age of
35.
Eligibility criteria
All applicants must comply with the following eligibility criteria to participate:
1. The applicant must be a woman73
;
2. The applicant must be an ordinary resident74
in an EU Member State (including
overseas countries and territories, OCTs) or a country associated to Horizon
Europe;
73
This Prize celebrates women in all their diversity. The word 'woman' equates to a cis woman, or a
transgender woman who is legally defined as a woman.
74
A person is ordinarily resident in a given country, if she is recognised as resident under national law
in that country, and proof of such recognition can be provided upon request to fulfil the eligibility criteria.
92
3. The applicant must be the founder or co-founder of an active innovative
company registered at least two years before the call year75
;
4. Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a
second prize for the same activities.
In addition to the above, those applying for the Rising Innovators category must be
under 35 at the start of the call year.76
There is no age limit to apply for the Women
Innovators category, though applicants eligible for both prize categories can only apply
to one.
Applicants are expected to provide proof of eligibility upon request.
Applicants must support their written application with an inspiring video message
about themselves and their achievements, lasting no more than 90 seconds.
Award criteria
The prize is awarded to the applicants who in the opinion of the jury best address the
following criteria:
1. Breakthrough innovation – the company founded or co-founded by the
applicant provides a truly innovative product or service in the EU market.
2. Impact – the product or service addresses a specific societal need or
challenge, with significant benefits for people and/or planet.
3. Inspiration – the applicant has played a pivotal role in the success of their
company, and has the power to lead and inspire other women and girls.
The jury will review and score all eligible applications, and invite the shortlisted
applicants to a hearing to defend their application. This hearing may take place
remotely.
Further details on the evaluation and award criteria will be specified in the rules for this
contest published at the launch of the contest. For the common ‘Rules of Contest for
Prizes’ please see the Funding and Tenders Portal.
Expected results
The prize will boost public awareness of the potential, importance and contribution of
women to the EU innovation ecosystem and create strong role models, inspiring more
women to become innovators themselves.
75
The company must be registered before 1 January 2020.
76
Those applying for the Rising Innovator prize must be born on or after 1 January 1987.
93
Type of Action: Recognition Prize
Indicative Timetable:
Stages Indicative period
Opening of the contest Q1 2022
Deadline for submission of proposals Q3 2022
Award of the prize Q4 2022
Indicative Budget
Category Amount
‘Women Innovators’ category EUR 300 000 (Three prizes of EUR 100
000 each)
‘Rising Innovators’ category EUR 150 000 (Three prizes of EUR 50
000 each)
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VI.2 The European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital)
Cities are faced with most severe societal and sustainability challenges, but do also
have the means to develop and apply effective innovative solutions. They are the place
where ideas, people, public and private actors meet and engage among themselves to
improve the quality of citizens’ lives. They are the natural playground where
breakthrough innovation flourish and nourish. They provide ground to experiment new
technologies and products in a real environment, their interaction with people and their
added value.
Objectives and Scope
The traditional city innovation ecosystem is opening up to new models of innovation
engaging citizens. An increasing number of cities are acting as test beds for innovation
and run citizens-driven initiatives to find solutions for their relevant societal challenges.
The public domain is particularly challenged with finding effective ways to ensure the
mainstreaming of these practices into the ordinary urban development process.
Successful practices are particularly crucial to enhance the city's capacity to attract new
resources, funds and talents to stimulate the growth of breakthrough innovations.
Moreover, collaboration and strengthening synergies among innovation ecosystems
boost cities’ development and resilience to tackle urban challenges.
For this reason, the European Capital of Innovation Awards will recognize the cities’
role as catalysers of the local innovation ecosystem and will stimulate new activities
aimed at boosting game-changing innovation.
Categories
In 2022, the European Capital of Innovation Awards will feature two categories. The
first one, the European Capital of Innovation category, would include cities which
have a population of minimum 250 000 inhabitants and, based on the below
cumulative criteria, would reward the winner (ranked 1st
) with EUR 1 million and two
runners up (ranked 2nd
and 3rd
) with EUR 100 000 each one.
The second one, the European Rising Innovative City category, would include towns
and cities which have a population of 50 000 and up to 249 999 inhabitants; and, based
on the below cumulative criteria, would reward the winner (ranked 1st
) with EUR 500
000 and two runners up (ranked 2nd
and 3rd
) with EUR 50 000 each one.
Each application must contain a specific endorsement to apply signed by the city Mayor
(or the equivalent highest political representative).
95
Eligibility criteria
1. The candidate cities must be located in one of the Member States or Associated
Countries.
2. For the category of European Capital of Innovation, the candidate city must have
a minimum population of 250 000 inhabitants. In countries where there are no
such cities, the city coming closest to 250 000 inhebitants is eligible to apply for
the European Capital of Innovation category, provided that it has a minimum
population of 50 000 inhabitants and that the city did not apply for the European
Rising Innovative City category. The candidate cities for the European Rising
Innovative City category must have a population of 50 000 and up to 249,999
inhabitants.
3. Winners of former European Capital of Innovation Awards editions, as well as
runners-up of the edition organised one year prior to the current edition are not
eligible. This does not apply to previous finalist cities.
4. Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a
second prize for the same activities.
Award criteria
The award is launched and managed by the Agency. For this yearly competition, six
prizes will be awarded after closure of the contest to the applicants who, in the opinion
of the jury, best address the following cumulative criteria:
1. Experimenting – innovative concepts, processes, tools, and governance models
proving the city's commitment to act as a test-bed for innovative practices, while
ensuring the mainstreaming of these practices into the ordinary urban
development process.
2. Escalating – accelerating the growth of highly innovative start-ups and SMEs by
establishing innovation friendly legal framework, creating an environment that
stimulates growth, private and public investments, resources, diversity and
talents; and driving innovation demand through efficient innovation public
procurement. The city is expected to provide details on concrete results of the
showcased initiatives.
3. Ecosystem building – unlocking cities potential as local innovation ecosystem
facilitators by fostering synergies among different innovation ecosystem
players, from public, industry, startups, civil society, citizens to academia, to
contribute to the development of an innovation ecosystem within the city.
96
4. Expanding – acting as a role model for other cities by supporting the
dissemination and replication of tested solutions that boost the local innovation
ecosystem; by promoting mutual learning, knowledge transfer and capacity
building; and by enhancing cooperation and synergies between cities that are
front-runners in driving the local innovation ecosystem, and those that are still
exploring and testing their role as innovation enablers.
5. City innovative vision – applicants should demonstrate their long-term
strategic vision/plan, highlighting the innovative initiatives that have positively
contributed to the transformation of the city and which will further support the
development of a sustainable and resilient innovation ecosystem ensuring the
green and digital transition.
The jury will review and score eligible applications, and invite the shortlisted applicants
to a hearing in front of the jury members to defend their application. This hearing may
take place remotely.
Further details on the evaluation process and award criteria, as well as promotional
activities will be specified in the rules for this contest published at the launch of the
yearly contest. For the common rules of contest for prizes, please see the Funding and
Tenders Portal.
Expected results
A European prize to the most innovative cities ecosystems. The award will raise the
profile of the cities that have developed and implemented innovative policies;
established frameworks that boost breakthrough innovation; enhanced the city
attractiveness towards investors, industry, enterprises and talents; helped to open up
connections and strengthen links with other cities, promoting the replication of best
practices in the innovation field; enhanced citizens' involvement in the decision-making
process; and supported cities resilience.
Type of Action: Recognition Prize
Indicative budget: the following 2022 budget will be allocated as follows:
European Capital of Innovation winner EUR 1 000 000
European Capital of Innovation 1st
runner-up EUR 100 000
European Capital of Innovation 2nd
runner-up EUR 100 000
European Rising Innovative City winner EUR 500 000
European Rising Innovative City 1st
runner-up EUR 50 000
European Rising Innovative City 2nd
runner-up EUR 50 000
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Indicative timetable of contest(s)
Stages Date and time or indicative
period
Opening of the contest Q1 2022
Deadline for submission of application Q2 - Q3 2022
Award of the prize Q4 2022
VI.3 The European Innovation Procurement Awards
Objectives and scope
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global context and created an opportunity
for the EU to redefine and affirm its role as a leader to achieve the necessary
transformations ahead. Innovation procurement should play a key role to supporting
the European priorities set up in the Green Deal77
and to securing the European
technological sovereignty.
Innovation procurement boosts the process of transforming research results and ideas
into innovative solutions. It represents an untapped potential to stimulate the demand
for innovation. By using innovation procurement, the public and private sectors can
provide state-of-the-art services and goods to the society and, at the same time, offer
new growth and commercialisation opportunities for suppliers of disruptive solutions,
particularly start-ups and SMEs.
The European Innovation Procurement Awards aim to recognise public and private
buyers, natural persons and those legal entities supporting these practices across
Europe in their efforts to promote and stimulate innovation procurement and the
innovative ways the solutions are procured.
The Awards also aims to demonstrate how innovation procurement positively
transforms the economy by not only creating new and sustainable markets, but also by
tackling societal challenges such as climate change.
These Awards complement other EIC initiatives aimed at supporting and fostering
innovation procurement in the European Union.
77
Communication from the Commission on the Green Deal issued on 11.12.2019 (COM(2019) 640 final
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Categories
In 2022, the European Innovation Procurement Awards will feature the following three
categories:
 Innovation procurement strategy category: to reward holistic and dedicated
strategy/action plan that trigger sustainable innovation procurement practices.
 Facing societal challenges category: to reward those innovative procurement
practises aimed to face covid-19 pandemic and/or its consequences during the
recovery phase.
 Procurement leadership category: to reward the outstanding individual(s)
and/or legal entities (s) that create strong role models; who empower others to
succeed in the use and further deployment of innovation procurement; or
develop, support and promote the establishment of new innovative
procurement practices within the innovation ecosystem.
Each category would reward the winner with EUR 75 000 (1st ranked) and one runnerup
(ranked 2nd) with EUR 25 000.
Eligibility criteria
 For the innovation procurement strategy and the facing societal challenges
categories, eligible applicants are any public and/or private procurer, as well as
individuals/natural persons, located in one of the Member States (including
overseas countries and territories, OCTs) or Associated Countries to Horizon
Europe;
 For the procurement leadership category, eligible applicants are any public
and/or private procurer, individuals/natural persons and/or legal entities located
in one of the Member States (including overseas countries and territories, OCTs)
or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe;
 The awarded procurement practice must have taken place in a Member State
(including overseas countries and territories, OCTs) or in an Associated Country
to Horizon Europe;
 For the Innovation procurement strategy and the Facing societal challenges
category, the awarded procurement practice must relate to completed or
ongoing initiatives started after 1 January 2018. In the case of ongoing activities,
only work completed by the submission deadline will be considered for the prize
(Applicants will be required to prove the starting date of the practice by
providing supporting documents);
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 Participants can only apply to one of the three categories with the same
application and set of activities;
 Winners of former European Innovation Procurement Awards editions, as well
as runners-up of the edition organised one year prior to the current edition are
not eligible;
Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second
prize for the same activities.
Award criteria
The award is launched and managed by the Agency. The prize will be awarded after
closure of the yearly contest to the applicants who, on the opinion of the jury, best
address the following cumulative criteria:
1. Transformation – stimulating the conversion of procurement practices towards
innovation procurement with the aim to ensure a sustainable and inclusive
growth.
2. Uptake – the innovative procurement practice is replicable and scalable, and
therefore, contributes to providing, more efficient and effective solutions.
3. Collaboration – demonstrated co-operation linked to the innovation
procurement practice. Special attention should be paid to the establishment of
synergies, to the promotion of best practices, to the support to capacity building
and skill development, and to the efforts of knowledge sharing between
stakeholders within the different territories, especially among those at different
state of maturity in innovation procurement practices.
4. Societal impact – practices with a demonstrated positive quantitative and
qualitative impact on society, with special emphasis to achieving the green deal
and digital transformation priorities.
The jury will review and score eligible applications,and will invite the shortlisted
applicants to a hearing in front of the jury members to defend their application. This
hearing may take place remotely.
Further details on the evaluation process and award criteria, as well as promotional
activities, will be specified in the rules for this contest published at the launch of the
yearly contest. For the common rules of contest for prizes, please see the Funding and
Tenders Portal.
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Expected results
The awards would:
 Stimulate the innovation procurement uptake;
 Acknowledge and support the efforts done by procurers, and legal entities
supporting them, to deliver better services and/or to bring products to the
market in an innovative way; and
 Build a diverse European community of public and private buyers to share, work
together and inspire each other in the design of innovative procurement
processes, and particularly in the delivery of public services.
Indicative timetable of the contest
Stages Date and time or indicative period
Opening of the contest Q1 – Q2 2022
Deadline for submission of applications Q3 2022
Award of the prize Q4 2022
Type of Action: Recognition prize
Indicative budget: the following 2022 budget will be allocated as follows:
Innovation procurement strategy award winner EUR 75 000
Innovation procurement strategy category runner up EUR 25 000
Facing societal challenges category winner EUR 75 000
Facing societal challenges category runner up EUR 25 000
Procurement leadership category winner EUR 75 000
Procurement leadership category runner up EUR 25 000
VI.4 The European Social Innovation Competition
The European Social Innovation Competition aims at stimulating the potential of social
innovation to provide solutions to societal challenges that we face and to foster
sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe. It will directly support ideas best illustrating
this rationale. It will engage people, businesses and start-ups in a large range of sectors,
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as well as universities, engineering schools and civil society organisations thereby
creating new connections, sources of sustainable growth and meaningful job
opportunities.
This competition is launched and managed by the Agency. This competition is
composed of the European Social Innovation Challenge Prize 2022 and the European
Social Innovation Impact Prize 2022.
VI.4.1 The European Social Innovation Challenge Prize 2022
Objectives and scope
The European Social Innovation Challenge Prize 2022 will focus on ‘the future of living,
innovation for affordable, and sustainable housing districts’.
The objective of the New European Bauhaus movement is to re-invent our current way
of living to meet the goals of the European Green Deal. By creatively addressing the
way we construct and renovate our city buildings, major determinants of greenhouse
gas emissions, the EU Bauhaus Initiative aims to engage citizens and all relevant actors
to ignite a cultural change leading to more sustainable living. The ‘Renovation Wave
for Europe strategy’78
is pivotal to contributing to this aim and to achieving a successful
EU post-COVID recovery and long-term green transition. Beyond addressing energy
poverty of the current building stock in the EU, the Renovation Wave – and the
Affordable Housing Initiative in particular - represents a chance to rethink and restore
not only the economic activities linked to renovation of buildings and housing districts,
but also the way we live in them.
Social innovation can be a driver to make housing districts not only spaces to live, but
also more livable, sustainable, inclusive and closer to the residents’ needs. Social
innovation in this case can boost employment and improve energy efficiency, while
ensuring cities’ and regions’ sustainability and citizens’ well-being. When approached
from an innovative perspective, renovation of buildings shifts from a cost into an
opportunity for local creativity and business’ market.
Against this background, the European Social Innovation Challenge Prize 2022 will
support proposals coming from social innovators and bringing forward innovations
expected to generate economic and/or societal benefits (i.e. positive impacts on
78
The Renovation Wave for Europe strategy was launched on 14 October 2020 through the European
Commission Communication “A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs,
improving lives”, COM(2020) 662 final.
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employment, societal, environmental, scientific, vulnerable groups etc.). Gendersensitive
solutions with regards to energy consumption, mobility patterns, waste
management, and other sustainable living aspects should be taken into account, where
relevant.79
In addition to non-technological social innovations, the competition will look for
projects with a particular focus on breakthrough, market-creating and deep-tech
innovations embracing the policy objectives of this year’s editions, which will boost
innovation within housing districts and, consequently, will have an impact on local
prosperity and sustainability.
Eligibility criteria
1. The applicant must be a natural person or a legal entity (such as universities,
research organisations, SMEs, start-ups or NGOs, except public administrations)
located in one of the Member States (including overseas countries and
territories, (OCTs)) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.
2. Proposed solutions that harm the environment or social welfare are not eligible
80
3. The proposed solutions or activities contained in the application must have
taken place (or, in case of early stage solutions, must target beneficiaries) in a
Member State (including overseas countries and territories, OCTs) or in an
Associated Country to Horizon Europe.
4.
The proposed solutions must relate to ongoing (even in an early phase) or
completed initiatives started after 11 December 2019 ).81
In the case of ongoing
activities, only work achieved by the submission deadline will be considered for
the prize. (Applicants will be required to prove the starting date of the proposed
solution by providing supporting documents)
5. Winners of all categories, including both from the Challenge and the Impact
Prizes, of previous editions of the European Social Innovation Competition are
not eligible.
6. Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a
second prize for the same activities.
79
https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/gendered-innovation-2-how-inclusive-analysis-contributes-
research-and-innovation_en
80
Innovations that significantly harm the environment (and therefore contravene the ‘do not significant
harm’ principle of the EU Taxonomy Regulation), social welfare or that are primarily designed for military
applications, or in other fields which are generally excluded from EU funding pursuant to Article 18
Horizon Europe Regulation, will not be funded (see Annex 2).
81
A Communication from the Commission on the Green Deal was issued on 11.12.2019 (COM(2019) 640
final) setting the COM policy objectives, including the ‘Renovation Wave’.
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Award criteria
For the 2022 edition, this prize is organised in a two-stage submission. The same award
criteria apply to both stages, as specificed below.
Three prizes will be awarded after closure of the contest to the applicants who, in the
opinion of the jury of independent experts, best address the following cumulative
criteria:
1. Degree of Innovation - the degree to which any new product, service or model
is new for its given context in connection to the challenge of the competition .
The idea must be new and innovative within its given socio-economic and
geographical context;
2. Impact - the potential of the proposal to tackle the competition challenge. The
applicant must demonstrate how the proposed solution will contribute to solving
the challenge;
3. Sustainability- the financial and environmental sustainability of the proposal;
4. Scalability and replicability - the idea's potential to scale and be replicated, be
it at regional, national, European or global level.
In the 1st
stage, applicants will be required to submit a short application. Based on the
four award criteria mentioned above, the jury of independent experts will review and
score eligible applications and shortlist a maximum of 30 applicants.
Afterwards, the 30 finalists will be required to submit a full application of their original
application, which will be evaluated based on the same four award criteria mentioned
above.
On this basis, the jury will propose three winners (ranked 1st
, 2nd
and 3rd
). Each winner
will receive EUR 50 000.
The competition provides other benefits for finalists. In this regard, once the
competition will be finished, all 30 finalists will be offered business acceleration services
during a maximum period of three months.
Further details on the evaluation process and award criteria, as well as promotional and
supporting activities, will be specified in the rules for this contest published at the
launch of the yearly contest. For the common rules of contest for prizes, please see the
Funding and Tenders Portal.
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Expected results
The European Social Innovation Challenge Prize aims at raising awareness about social
innovation across a wide audience, sparking the creation of new socially innovative
ideas, creating a network of like-minded practitioners and supporting finalists to
transform early-stage ideas into structured businesses.
Indicative timetable of the competition:
Stages Date and time or indicative
period
Opening of the contest Q1-Q2 2022
Deadline for submission of applications Q2 – Q3 2022
Opening of the submission of full applications Q2 – Q3 2022
Deadline for submission of full applications Q2- Q3 2022
Award of the prize Q4 2022
Type of Action: Recognition Prize
Indicative budget:
Challenge prize (3 winners) EUR 150 000 (EUR 50 000 x 3)
VI.4.2 The European Social Innovation Impact Prize 2022
Objectives and scope
The European Social Innovation Impact Prize 2022 aims at recognizing the efforts made
by the semi-finalists of the European Social innovation competition challenge prize
2021 edition to evolve their original applications, develop the best impact
methodology, and demonstrate the best results among all participants.
Eligibility criteria
1. The applicant must have been one of the 30 semi-finalists of the European
Social Innovation Competition Challenge Prize 2021 edition.
2. Winners of the Social Innovation Competition Challenge Prize 2021 are not
eligible.
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3. Applicants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a
second prize for the same activities.
Award criteria
For the 2022 edition, one prize will be awarded after closure of the contest to the
applicant who, in the opinion of the jury of independent experts, best addresses the
following cumulative criteria:
1. Quality and clarity of the theory of change and of the impact measurement
methodology with relevant indicators developed by the applicant;
2. Demonstrated results over the previous year, on the basis of the chosen
indicators.
The jury will review and score eligible applications.
Semi-Finalists of the 2021 edition will be invited to submit an impact report with their
application to show the progress of their idea presented to the European Social
innovation competition 2021. On the basis of the impact reports received, the jury will
propose the winner of the impact price (1st
ranked) rewarded with EUR 50 000.
Further details on the evaluation process and award criteria, as well as promotional and
supporting activities, will be specified in the rules for this contest published at the
launch of the yearly contest. For the common rules of contest for prizes, please see the
Funding and Tenders Portal.
Expected results
The European Social Innovation Impact Prize 2022 aims at raising awareness about
social innovation across a wide audience, sparking the creation of new socially
innovative ideas, creating a network of like-minded practitioners and supporting semifinalists
to transform early stage ideas into structured businesses.
Indicative timetable of the competition
Stages Date and time or indicative period
Opening of the contest Q2 – Q3 2022
Deadline for submission of applications Q2- Q3 2022
Award of the prize Q4 2022
Type of Action: Recognition Prize
Indicative budget:
Impact prize winner EUR 50 000
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VII. Other Actions
VII.1 Honoraria and expenses of the EIC Board
As highly qualified, specialised, independent advisors appointed following an open and
transparent procedure, the members of the EIC Board will be remunerated for the
services they offer from the budget of the EIC work programme.
Remuneration is justified on the grounds of the personal commitment of the members
and their work providing high level strategic advice to the Commission and bringing
prestige and visibility to the EIC.
Remuneration will be proportionate to the specific tasks to be assigned to EIC Board
members and it will closely mirror compensation schemes for other EU, international
or national entities of similar nature. Remuneration will take the form of honoraria for
their effective participation at the Board’s plenary meetings or any other additional
meetings where EIC Board members are asked to attend. It will be accompanied by a
compensation for travel (‘travel allowance’) and other expenses (‘per diem’) for
meetings on location.
1. The rules on the compensation of the members of the EIC Board (other than its
President) are the following: Honoraria of members of the EIC Board other than
the President, as well as their travel and subsistence expenses (per diem), will be
paid by the Agency. Honoraria will be paid irrespective of the length (i.e. number
of days) of the meeting, and will be governed by the provisions of the individual
expert contract in accordance with points 2) to 7).
2. The honoraria of the members referred to in point 1 will be:
 EUR 2 000 for full attendance at a plenary meeting, and;
 EUR 1 000 for partial attendance.
3. Payments will be authorised by the Agency on the basis of an attendance list
validated by the EIC Board President and the Director of the Agency or their
deputies. The attendance list must indicate if each member attended the entire
meeting (full attendance) or only part of it (partial attendance).
4. For other meetings than plenary meetings, the Agency will, where appropriate,
reimburse those travel and subsistence expenses necessary for members of the
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Board to carry out their activities in accordance with their contract and the
Commission's rules on the compensation of external experts.82
5. In the case of participation at plenary meetings through the use of remote
communication, the duration of the communication link must count as a
physical presence at the meeting for the purpose of establishing the appropriate
honoraria.
6. The maximum number of paid meetings must not exceed twelve meetings,
including plenary meetings, in total per year.
7. The honoraria and travel and subsistence expenses will be paid from the
operational budget indicated in this Work Programme.
Type of action: Expert contract action.
Indicative budget: EUR 500 000 from the 2022 budget.
Indicative Opening: From Q1 2022.
VII.2 EIC Data and IT systems integration
The objective of this action is to provide the complementary IT development and the
maintenance resources to consolidate, curate and contextualise key data and
information coming from internal and third party sources, including using artificial
intelligence. Expected results: dynamic, flexible and reactive management of EIC
activities, based on high quality and real time strategic and operational insights.
The developed system would allow additional data-driven decision-making processes
and business intelligence strategy by combining data outputs from the “Innospace”
platform and its various components (see Outlook for 2023 and future years in Section
I) with existing Commission corporate platforms, for the efficient and effective delivery
of services to EIC funded projects and companies and stakeholders. Finally, they should
allow to provide to relevant Member State and Associated Country authorities an
enriched data service on innovative companies and projects in their respective
countries and regions.
Following up on the ongoing work and taking into account future needs of the EIC AI
based services and Marketplace, the EIC IT and data management systems
developments will focus on the following key components:
82
Commission Decision C(2007) 5858.
108
 Improve and expand the IT tools and interfaces built to support the daily
operations management of EIC stakeholders;
 Expand the integration of EIC IT tools with other relevant IT systems, including
those of the European Commission, EIT KICs, EU MS and regional ecosystems,
relevant EU programmes and third parties (i.e. national business registries,
granting and procurement platforms etc.);
 Ensure continuous access to relevant, accurate and fresh data sources for the
systems above, connecting to high quality data services from EU Institutions,
Member States and Associated Countries, and third parties. Acquire data from
external sources to improve intelligence on relevant scientific, technological and
market trends;
 Further expand the existing back-office IT tools and improve the EIC data
collection and transformation capabilities ensuring higher quality and reliability
of data made available across all the above mentioned systems;
 Further improve and expand the matching tools developed to help the EIC
funded projects and companies in finding partners and relevant support to their
activities and projects;
 Update, improve and maintain the EIC online community platform to facilitate
business development, networking activities and the establishment of
communities of practice (see Section V) for EIC funded projects and companies;
 Update and improve the EIC Coaching Casetracker system to automatise
administrative operations, generate statistics automatically and better integrate
with the other EIC corporate tools;
 Further develop and expand the event management tools as a critical
component of effective events for EIC funded projects and companies and
stakeholders (including Corporates, public procurers);
 Further improve expert management tools in support to the services to the EIC
funded projects and companies (incl. coaches, mentors, experts etc.);
 Support capacity development and learning for SMEs on-line and through
academy training events;
 Improve integration and seamless user experience across all the above tools;
 Ensure proper user support for all the tools made available. The above
developments will follow, as much as possible, the principles of open source
code and open data standards ensuring that both the tools and data generated
109
can be reused by other institutions, Member States, Associated Countries and
relevant third parties.
Type of action: Public procurement action.
Indicative budget: EUR 3 700 000 from 2022 budget.
Indicative opening: From Q1 2022.
VII.3 AI-based technology rating tool for applications to the EIC
Rationale
There is an information asymmetry between innovators and private and public funders
that weakens the evaluation performance of innovation projects. Indeed, while
innovators usually highlight scientific and technology topics as the innovation basis of
their projects, funders assess the opportunity to provide financial support based on the
systemic risks and market potential. This asymmetry is significantly larger for
breakthrough / game-changing innovations as they hold both high risk and
technological /market potential. Therefore, the asymmetry should be reduced to
provide public and private funders with additional information on these risks and
potential to support their investment decisions.
Scope
To this end, non-financial rating systems for innovative companies and comparative
sectoral analysis methods have been developed and some work has also been carried
out on disruptive innovation projects to measure their risks and potential based on a
data-driven approach. Under the previous framework programme, the EU has also
supported such development, in particular with the INNORATE project (H2020 GA
821518).
From these various existing efforts, it appears that a more holistic analysis of a given
innovation lead to a more sophisticated and relevant assessment of the risk and
potential of an innovation, by building on technology and market data, and going
beyond the analyses of accounting and financial data carried out at the level of a
company in general.
The objective of this action is consequently to further reduce cognitive biases in the
evaluation of innovation, and thus achieve a higher level of confidence in the analyses
and processing of the underlying data to encourage public and private investment in
breakthrough innovations. The aim is to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-based
110
approach(es) and tool(s) and make them available to stakeholders of the European
innovation ecosystem , in particular public but also private investors.
Thanks to its various calls and its decision to move for a full data submission system
starting with the Accelerator in 2021 and to be extended to other instruments in 2022,
the EIC has and will continue to collect (via proposals received) and produce (via their
non-financial evaluation) a critical mass of data. Combined with the additional
complementary metadata produced by the Innoloop platform, such a critical mass
could prove a solid basis to develop AI-based rating methodologies and tools.
To that end, a grant is hereby allocated to the provider of the Inoloop platform in order
to:
1. develop such methodologies and tools, allowing for a more extensive and in-depth
use of artificial intelligence to improve and make more objective the evaluation of
the risks and potential of disruptive innovation projects;
2. develop and disseminate these as a common reference framework in the European
innovation ecosystem, that can be used to assess both risk and innovation potential
of projects by all interested stakeholders, of which the EIC.
After carrying out a state of the art on the work already carried out in this topic, the
beneficiary will identify and select, together with the actors of the European innovation
ecosystem, the key criteria for analysing the risks as well as the market potential of a
technology. It will also be necessary to collect and process relevant complementary
data from other suitable data sources in order to check the materiality of statements
made about a technology or innovation on an objective basis.
This work should also be an opportunity to mobilise intermediary financial institutions
(venture capitalists, corporate venture capitalists, business angels, promotional banks,
etc.), in particular through workshops, surveys or other data collection techniques, in
order to define a commonly accepted evaluation and rating reference framework. The
technological rating of innovative projects could possibly also be used as an input to a
financial valuation of companies.
Expected impact
Free access AI-based decision support methodologies and tools, providing analyses
based on objective data to support public and private funding bodies of the European
ecosystem.
Such analyses will be carried out in line with the European legal framework, in particular
Regulation (EU) No 2018/17251 on the protection of individuals with regard to the
111
processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and
on the free movement of such data.83
Type of Action: Coordination and support action (CSA) / Grant to named beneficiary
(as the implementation of this grant is intrinsically linked to collection of data via the EIC
AI-based Platform, it will be awarded to an identified beneficiary according to Financial
Regulation Article 195(e)).
Legal entity: The Innovation Loop SAS, 165 Avenue de Bretagne 59 000 Lille, France
Indicative budget: EUR 700 000 from 2022 budget
Indicative opening: From Q1 2022
VII.4 Training and onboarding on the EIC AI-based Platform
for the stakeholders of the European innovation ecosystem
Rationale
The EIC has launched its first calls for proposals on April 2021 with innovative funding
schemes for deeptech startups aiming to support the emergence and acceleration of
breakthrough innovation onto the market. The EIC has successfully provided an AIbased
platform as a vehicle to route startups throughout the application process, with
outstanding features, facilitating proposals set-up for applicants and supporting
evaluators in their decision-making.
The EIC AI-based platform is increasingly considered as an inclusive digital ecosystem
for all stakeholders of the European innovation ecosystem (national contact points, the
Enterprise Europe network, Programme Committee members, evaluators, experts,
innovation agencies, incubators, accelerators, etc.). It becomes, then, necessary to
provide intelligence and guidance to those actors to maximise the use of the different
functionalities of the EIC AI-based platform in the benefit of the direct users (the
applicants).
The objective of this call is to develop all necessary materials to raise awareness and
understanding and improve the use of the EIC AI-based platform, through European
training campaigns (workshops, webinars, etc.) and other digital tools that target
European intermediaries’ public stakeholders.
83 Regulation (EU) No 2018/17251 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of
personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such
data (OJ L295/39 of 21.11.2018).
112
Scope
The training programme will have to cover both :
 Functional aspects: Providing a high degree of control over all modules and
functionalities provided by the platform all along the applications (including
resubmission cases) and evaluation process;
 Content aspects: Providing all necessary information to improve the ability to
capture all conceptual and technical topics related to the EIC Accelerator
programme (strategy, implementation…), the EIC AI-based platform
(methodology and concepts), and the innovation management (value chain,
business model, KPIs, finances).
For both aspects, means and tools will be provided to enable a smooth understanding
of the different elements and to anchor methodologies and concepts enhancing the
support capability of the different stakeholders provided to applicants. This will include:
 Dedicated digital environment to train on the EIC AI-based platform: This will
cover an user profile analysis, an on-line training toolkit (including a knowledge
base about the different topics addressed by the platform), specific training
materials, and specific tools to capture feed-back on users' experience.
 Training workshops (physical (provided sanitary conditions) and virtual): This will
be preceded by an onboarding step which will essentially capture trainees’
needs and expectations thanks to an online training toolkit. Workshops will offer
efficient and seamless interaction with attendees to inform about both
theoretical approaches and practical use cases where groups of attendees will
be able to test and validate the different concepts. Innovative education tools
from EdTech will be included and gamification will be encouraged to facilitate
the uptake. To maximise efficiency and interaction, each session will not exceed
10 participants and will be followed by a user feedback exercise to monitor
satisfaction and level of control as well as to implement remedial actions if
needed. At least four one-day sessions (two physical and two virtual) per EU
Member State or Associated Country shall be ensured.
Expected impact
The goal is that:
 All participants will be capable of knowing and effectively using the basic
concepts, knowledge and skills in innovation management;
 All participants will be able to master the methodological framework reflected
within the EIC AI-based platform;
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All participants will be able to leverage their learnings in their respective support
missions to European applicants.
Type of Action: Coordination and support action (CSA) / Grant to named beneficiary
(as the implementation of this grant is intrinsically linked to the ongoing service contract
for the provision of the EIC AI Platform, it will be awarded to an identified beneficiary
according to Financial Regulation Article 195(e))
Legal entity: The Innovation Loop SAS, 165 Avenue de Bretagne 59 000 Lille, France
Indicative budget: EUR 500 000 from 2022 budget
Indicative opening: From Q1 2022
VII.5 External expertise for monitoring, ethics and policy advice
The EIC uses external independent experts for monitoring of projects 84
and ethics
compliance, for technology assessments, for policy advice on the optimal achievement
of the EIC objectives, as well as for the implementation of scientific/innovation
intelligence and proactive management of EIC activities including support to BAS
activities and to the EIC Programme Managers. The EIC also reimburses the costs of
applicants invited to attend face to face interviews during the evaluation of their
proposals.
Type of action: Expert contracts action.
Indicative budget: EUR 4 600 000 from 2022 budget.
Indicative opening: From Q1 2022.
VII.6 Expert group on the design of the EIC Marketplace and Tech
to Market activities
The expert group on design of the EIC Marketplace and Tech to Market activities will
carry on the work initiated in 2021. As foreseen in the EIC 2021 Work Programme, the
deployment of the EIC Marketplace is taken forward ‘through a staged approach, where
purpose and scope are adjusted as experience and buy-in accumulate’. This Expert
Group will also continue advising on the design of Tech to Market activities and their
84
Including projects financed by the EIC pilot, SME instrument, Fast Track to Innovation, FET Open and
FET Proactive under Horizon 2020.
114
implementation, and to serve as a ‘sounding board’ for EIC so as to step by step
develop a stronger proactive EIC portfolio management practice and policy.
Design of EIC Marketplace
Based on the benchmark analysis on the similar endeavors in Europe and beyond and
the overarching vision of the EIC Marketplace developed in 2021 and taking into
account the current Intellectual Property Regime related challenges in the European
innovation ecosystem, e.g. the fragmentation of part of the EU’s IP system, the complex
and costly procedures, the EIC seeks advice on how to enable the EIC Marketplace to
analyse, combine and/or transfer project results to other application areas, through e.g.
the use of blockchain technologies to ensure traceability and guarantee protection.
The group must reflect notably on how to integrate the EIC Marketplace with the
current Tech to Market process; how to integrate the protection element/ Intellectual
Property regime; how to make the EIC Marketplace a tool for the EIC Programme
Managers, the EIC Tech to Market Advisers and the wider EIC community in relation to
EIC proactive management and portfolio management policy.
A critical aspect of the success of the EIC Marketplace will be the engagement of other
players in the European Innovation ecosystem: not only national funding agencies,
technology transfer offices, venture capitals, accelerators, but also existing platforms
and services. The Expert Group will provide actionable strategy to engage and
collaborate with established and new players in the European Innovation ecosystem.
Design of Tech to Market activities
The Expert Group will take stock of the main European challenges related to bringing
deep tech to the market performed in 2021 and on the development of transition
strategies, ecosystem engagement plans, and transition working groups. The EIC seeks
recommendations on how to provide more patient capital, collaborate with deep-tech
accelerators/ incubators/ startup studios, and develop venture building in a way to
enhance and accelerate the creation of companies and the growth of tech SMEs on the
basis of EIC inventions (e.g. coming from EIC Pathfinder or EIC Transition).
A special allowance of EUR 450/day will be paid to the experts appointed in their
personal capacity who act independently and in the public interest. This amount is
considered to be proportionate to the specific tasks to be assigned to the experts,
including the number of meetings to be attended and possible preparatory work.
Type of action: Expert contracts action.
Indicative opening: Q2 2022.
Indicative budget: EUR 300 000.
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VII.7 Pilot European innovation gender and diversity index
The limited diversity of talent in the tech world is frequently identified as an issue that
can hamper the performance and growth of innovative start-ups and scale-ups,85,86
and
as such is a concern for the European Innovation Council. In particular, high diversity
in terms of gender and ethnicity has been correlated with higher financial performance
of private ventures,87
while diversity at executive level (also including e.g. in
socioeconomic status and disability) has been shown to be important for effective
decision-making.88
In order to improve the availability of all talent, and particularly female talent, to the
EIC portfolio of projects and companies and the EU innovation eco-system, and
following the recommendations of the ScaleUp Europe report,89
the EIC seeks the
development of an innovation gender and diversity index, providing consistent
information to the EIC, other investors and funding bodies, market actors and policy
makers across Europe. Such information includes gender and diversity data for
innovative start-ups and scale-ups as well as for investors and funds investing in such
companies and should cover and be comparable across at least all Member States and
Associated Countries. Such information is currently missing or fragmented or collected
according to different methodologies and definitions. The expected impacts arising
from the development of such an index are:
 To enable gender and diversity gaps to be identified, relevant measures to be
designed, and progress to be assessed
 To enable better informed investment decisions; and
 To encourage diversity at all levels across the innovation ecosystem.
Building on existing efforts to measure diversity within EU companies90
and
consistently with the objectives of the EU’s sustainable finance strategy,91
this action
will support a multidisciplinary consortium to:
85 https://content.sifted.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15162949/Scale-Up-Europe-Report.pdf;
86 https://2020.stateofeuropeantech.com/
87 https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-
matters
88https://www.frc.org.uk/getattachment/3cc05eae-2024-45d8-b14c-abb2ac7497aa/FRC-Board-
Diversity-and-Effectiveness-in-FTSE-350-Companies.pdf
89
https://sifted.eu/intelligence/reports/scale-up-europe
90 https://europeanwomenonboards.eu/portfolio/gender-diversity-index-2020/
91https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/sustainable-
finance/overview-sustainable-finance_en
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 Develop a pilot innovation gender & diversity index based on agreed definitions
and indicators that can be applied to startups/ SMEs and to innovation
investment actors in the EU;
 Identify relevant sources of reliable and robust data;
 Develop methodologies and conduct data collection in order to fill data gaps;
 Implement and produce a first pilot gender & diversity index using available
data from different sources as well as additional data collection as appropriate;
 Provide recommendations for further development and implementation of an
innovation gender and diversity index and additional measures needed to
improve data availability and benchmarking, such as voluntary reporting
standards by start-ups, scale-ups and investment funds;
 Disseminate and promote the results of the project to investors, policy makers
and the wider innovation ecosystem.
Applications for this action should include a proposed list of experts that will be
consulted on the development of the index and be ready to interact with additional
experts identified by the EIC and European Commission or other relevant EU bodies
including the European Investment Bank and European Investment Fund.
Type of action: Coordination and support action (CSA).
Indicative call opening: 5 April 2022.
Indicative deadline for applications: 8 September 2022
Indicative budget: For this call, the EIC considers proposals with a requested EU
contribution of up to EUR 700 000 as appropriate. Nonetheless, this does not preclude
you to request larger amounts, if properly justified. The funding rate of this grant is
100% of the eligible costs.
VII.8 Expert Group on late-stage scale-up financing
Following the introduction of the equity component of the EIC Accelerator, there has
been a strong demand and clear market gap for this type of high finance. However, for
Europe to be able to scale up innovative companies into global leaders in new areas of
breakthrough innovation may require amounts of finance which are beyond the scale
that can be provided by the EIC and where the risk level is too high for other EU
instruments such as InvestEU.
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To address this gap, a number of reports92
have recommended the creating of a
funding mechanism for such larger scale, high-risk investments. The Expert Group must
provide recommendations on the following issues:
 What is the size and nature of the financing needs, and the gap with instruments
that already exist at EU and national levels and by public and private bodies?
 What is the overall level of financial means that makes sense in terms of critical
mass and filling the identified needs?
 What are the options for financial structures in order to mobilise the level and
nature of financing required, and what are the options for incentives to attract
private investors?
 What are the options for the operation and implementation of the required scale
up financing, and how would these options relate to the EIC and other major
instruments for innovative financing?
A special allowance of EUR 450/day will be paid to the experts appointed in their
personal capacity who act independently and in the public interest. This amount is
considered to be proportionate to the specific tasks to be assigned to the experts,
including the number of meetings to be attended and possible preparatory work.
Type of Action: Expert contracts action
Indicative opening: Q1 2022
Indicative budget: EUR 100 000
VII.9 EIC Scale Up 100
Rationale
Startups and scaleups are key to Europe’s economy, as they create employment
(providing around 50% of all jobs created) and are instrumental for the twin transition
to a digital and green economy. Scaleup financing if particularly challenging for deeptech
startups where the risks are high and significant amounts of capital are needed.
A key challenge in Europe is a relative shortage of successful scale-ups pursuing the
position of world tech leaders. Studies show that in the United States, there are three
times more scale-ups than in Europe while Asia is also far ahead of Europe in terms of
the number and financing of scale-ups. This challenge is highlighted in the EU’s SME
92 Respectively on 10 April 2021 and 10 May 2021, Commission services received reports from two
stakeholder groups: A Lean Canvas for Next Innovation EU by the Unicorn group, and the Action plan to
make Europe the new global powerhouse for start-ups by the Innovation Ecosystem Leaders’ group.
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Strategy while the Digital Compass for the digital decade sets a target of doubling the
number of EU unicorns.
As high growth companies are the ones largely responsible for job creation and
economic benefit, this is a missed opportunity. The growth barriers are very high for
truly high-risk deep tech innovators. In consequence, an important target are the
European Innovation Council (EIC) instruments and beneficiaries. Because they have a
longer time to market than digital start-ups, access to a broader pan-European and
international market is a key factor to succeed.
Scope
The EIC Scaleup 100 should help identify a cohort of 100 deep-tech companies from
the portfolio of EIC supported startups as well as from similar programmes at EU level
(such as the Digital Europe Programme and the EIT) and at Member State and
Associated Country level, with the potential to scale up as global leaders or potential
unicorns. Taking into account the diversity of national programmes, this action is also
open to companies not being supported by national programmes as long as they meet
the requirements for scaling up.
The initiative should provide a package of support including bespoke networking,
access to finance, internationalisation and marketing to these potential European
unicorns. It should also provide support to the selected companies regarding
emerging scaling up issues in an agile way. For topics where acting at EU level would
be required, it can contribute in an open, constructive and proactive way to the EIC
Forum discussions and workshops. The iniative shoud leverage existing networks in the
startup domain (such as the Startup Europe and the Europe Startup Nations Alliance)93
and capitalise on established methodologies. Links to national programmes and efforts
to provide support for scaleup companies should be promoted, including through
providing networking and best practice. The initiative should play a proactive role to
help the EU to build growth, expertise and leadership in the field of scaling up
companies. The number of 100 promising companies is targeted for ensuring a critical
mass of companies having the potential to become Unicorns. The final aim is to have
at least ten to twenty companies being on a sustainable path of reaching the status of
a Unicorn at the end of the project.
The proposed action will focus on EIC beneficiaries on one hand and European scaleups
not currently benefitting from direct EIC support on the other hand. Both categories
have to be ready for series B+ funding rounds. It is estimated that at least 50 companies
93
http://www.europestartupnationsalliance.eu/
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would be identified94
from the EIC portfolio and up to 50 from other programmes at
EU, Member State and Associated Country level, or supported by other relevant EU
programmes or private initiatives, ensuring a geographical, and sector diversity.
Particular attention should be paid to attracting women-led companies.
The proposal will have to describe their methodology, both for identifying the
supported companies and for scaling them up, the concrete set of proposed actions
for scaling up and argument, why the action is proposed and is suitable for scaling up
European companies.
Some illustrative examples of expected actions are:
 Actions to accelerate investments and business development among the most
mature EIC beneficiaries with scaleup potential and create European deep-tech
success stories. EIC Scaleup 100 will connect the targeted scaleups to funding
and business opportunities e.g. provided by corporates, private or public buyers,
Mergers and Acquisition, (Corporate) Venture Capital, other investors (including
National Promotional Banks and Institutions or/and Regional Banks that provide
strong networks and late stage investment (equity or venture debt)), stock
exchanges and other players;
 Actions to support Internalisation, soft landing, expansion to foreign markets
are another set of measures in support of growing and scaling up companies
and should be part of the proposal;
 Actions to support operational excellence of the supported companies;
 Actions to foster inclusion and growth of women talent at selected companies
 Actions to Provide access and organise bespoke peer learning, networking and
mentoring sessions for selected companies in conjunction with the EIC Business
Acceleration Services;
 Actions to Support networking and development of best practice between
Member States on providing support for scaling up in general (including on
regulatory issues) and for EIC Scaleup 100 companies in particular, in
conjunction with relevant activities under the EIC Forum, as well as with the
European Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA);
 Development and Management of a European Scaleup Report to investigate key
parameters and trends for a startup to scale and succeed in Europe and provide
intelligence on what is happening locally in various European innovation
ecosystems;
94
The final list will have to be agreed with EISMEA.
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 Actions to Generate awareness of the EIC Scaleup 100 companies and the report
through marketing and branding (e.g. “powered by EIC”) campaigns involving
key European publications and participation at key technology events, in
coordination with EIC communication actions.
Expected impact
The selected entity or consortium should have the knowledge, expertise and means, to
foster substantial growth of deep-tech and digital European scaleups that will increase
their number and value of commercial deals, investments deals and initial public
offerings (IPOs)/acquisitions of the cohort.
For this, the selected entity or consortium should enable:
 Networking successful founders/CEOs, corporates, public and private investors,
policymakers across the EU etc.;
 Attraction of European equity and improved matchmaking services, access to
production facilities and equipment;
 Personalised advice and coaching on fundamental growth barriers such as
gender-inclusive work culture, talent, international expansion, and funding;
 Strengthen the image of the European scaleup scene and position the selected
cohorts as successful, fast-growing and sustainable future global leaders.
For general award criteria please check Annex 2.
Type of action: Coordination and support action (CSA). This action will be evaluated
partially or fully by representatives of Union institutions or bodies, according to Article
29 paragraph 1 of Horizon Europe Regulation.
Number of projects expected to be funded: 1
Indicative call opening: 26 April 2022
Indicative deadline for applications: 05 October 2022
Indicative budget: EUR 7 000 000 from the 2022 budget.
VII.10 Communication, outreach, events
The success of the EIC lies in attracting highly innovative and diverse companies and
researchers that can generate fast and high growth, as well as co-investors and global
corporates that can further maximise the impact of EIC support.
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The objective of this action is to prepare and implement the communication and
outreach activities for the EIC as well as for a continuous campaign to strengthen the
reputation of the EIC towards stakeholders, potential applicants, policymakers, and the
broader EU innovation ecosystem. This action covers the design of the strategy, the
maintenance and management of the EIC website and its social media channels and
the creation of relevant informative content and materials. In addition, it allows to
organise the EIC Summit, EIC Awards Ceremonies and the EIC participation in key
events, including the EU Research and Innovation Days, stakeholder events to
contribute to future EIC Work Programmes, as well as other outreach and stakeholder
engagement actions with a focus of increasing the number of newcomers, particularly
from underrepresented groups. These include training events for remote experts and
outreach events with EIC Jury members during interview weeks.
This should allow the EIC to become a prominent voice in the ongoing debates relevant
to innovation policy in Europe and globally. The communication and outreach
campaign should generate awareness and impact at international, European, national,
regional and local levels.
Type of action: Public procurement actions.
Indicative opening: from Q1 2022.
Indicative budget: EUR 1 200 000.
VII.11 Creating communities, stakeholder engagement and impact
from EIC portfolios
This action aims to raise the visibility and impact of EIC portfolios of projects through
novel and creative approaches for:
 stimulating synergies, inter-disciplinary exchanges and serendipitous effects
among the projects in a thematic portfolio;
 building broader,diverse and gender-inclusive communities around each
portfolio, well beyond the beneficiaries of the portfolio projects as such; and
 reaching out to relevant stakeholders that can further enhance the portfolio’s
impacts.
The action will also:
 promote interactions across EIC portfolios, in particular for co-creating new
visions and directions for research and innovation in future deep-tech.
These activities will be implemented with a mix of real/virtual/hybrid formats, as
appropriate, and should all result in concrete material that demonstrates the added
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value of the EIC portfolio construct as ‘being more than the sum of its parts’, in
particular by producing high-quality reports or mixed-media material, testimonials,
case studies and aggregated information and knowledge, making the portfolio’s
subject matter intelligible and stimulating for others while also providing a basis to
strengthen the outcomes and impacts from portfolio activities overall. This action will
be implemented in close cooperation with the EIC Programme Managers that are
overseeing thematic and challenge-based portfolios, and in close connection with the
EIC communication strategy.
The proposer/s is/are expected to demonstrate strong familiarity with deep-tech
research and innovation, a proven capacity to credibly engage with EIC communities,
and a track record in creative approaches with high-quality outputs. The action is
expected to cover a representative range and mix of portfolios from different thematic
and EIC challenge areas, while leaving flexibility to adjust and choose others, in
agreement with EIC as granting authority.
Type of action: Coordination and support action (CSA).
Indicative call opening: 5 April 2022
Indicative deadline for applications: 8 September 2022
Indicative budget: EUR 1 000 000.
VII.12 Upskilling for outreach and EIC proactive management
The objective of this action is to share best practice and connect relevant stakeholders
involved in implementing programmes and projects in the area of breakthrough
technologies and market creating innovation, similar to EIC, in Europe and elsewhere.
In particular, this action will provide outreach training to EIC remote expert evaluators
and jury .
Furthermore, this action will strengthen the EIC proactive management by building a
geographically and gender-balanced community of practice on proactive management
across different programmes (national, European and global). In particular, a series of
workshops and experience-gathering events (virtual or on-site) will be organised for
exchange with and learning from other professionals that manage programmes and
projects in the area of breakthrough technologies and market creating innovation,
similar to EIC, in Europe and elsewhere.
Type of action: Public procurement action.
Indicative opening: From Q1 2022.
Indicative budget: EUR 650 000.
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VII.13 Enhancing synergies between the EIC and Startup Europe
Rationale
To support scaling up of companies in Europe, the EIC is seeking to build synergies
with the wider European startup ecosystem via a second wave of actions under the
Commission’s Startup Europe initiative. The actions will act as a catalyst to fulfil the
potential of European startups, in delivering market-ready applications and technology
solutions that can contribute to the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of EU
industry in key technology areas and value chains. Actions will reinforce the activities
of the European Innovation Council by targeting digital and deep tech startups that
have received support from EIC to support their scale up in Europe. The actions can
support also deep tech startups not yet been supported by the EIC, including startups
that have already received private investment or EU funding (e.g. under Horizon Europe
or the Digital Europe Programme), and raise their awareness of the opportunities on
offer from the EIC. It is foreseen that the targeted startup communities will contribute
to development of applications that foster climate-neutrality, digital and circular
economy, clean industry and user-centric technology development, while also
encouraging inclusiveness, and incorporating European social and ethical values.
Scope
Connecting local digital and deep tech startup ecosystems and supporting crossborder
acceleration activities for startups. Among the startups ecosystems to be connected,
specific attention will be given to including of ecosystems in Widening countries.
Actions should also ensure the integration of startups with the Digital Europe
Programme (for example from European Digital Innovation Hubs), the non-EIC parts of
Horizon Europe (for example leveraging the Innovation Radar95
intelligence) and
national programmes targeting startups. Actions should be published on the Startup
Europe one-stop-shop96
and where relevant in the EIC Community97
, raise broad
awareness of support for startups, while knowledge generated by the project(s) should
contribute to EIC Business Acceleration Services and the general activities of the EIC
Forum. Special attention will be given to support digital and deep tech startups and
scaleups, wherever they are situated in Europe, to access innovation procurement
opportunities (public or corporate procurers).
95
https://ec.europa.eu/innovation-radar
96
https://startupeuropeclub.eu/
97
https://community-smei.easme-web.eu/
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The scope of proposals submitted to this call should be complementary to the scope
of projects financed under “Enhancing synergies between the EIC and Startup Europe”
call for proposals outlined in the EIC Work Programme 2021.
Each proposal should demonstrate sustainability of proposed actions beyond the
lifetime of the project.
Expected Outcome
Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
 Increasing the market footprint of European Startups in strategic digital
technologies and deep tech innovation notably AI, Advanced Computing,
Cybersecurity, Next Generation Internet, Blockchain, IoT, Greentech and Fintech;
 Better connection of EIC-supported startups and Seal of Excellence holders to
relevant local and/or European ecosystems and communities;
 A scaling up of capabilities in matching technology solutions developed by
highly innovative EU-funded digital and deep tech startups with investment and
growth opportunities including, but not limited to, EIC, InvestEU, Digital Europe
Programme, innovation procurement, investors and corporate innovation
ventures.
Expected Impact
Proposals should address the following and provide appropriate metrics for measuring
success with respect to a defined baseline:
 Increased links between European startup ecosystems with the larger business
ecosystem delivering lasting synergies;
 Increased access to customers, both private and public, better access to
qualified employees, and prospects for scaling up across borders;
 Stimulation of European investments in digital and deep tech sectors through
increasing the number of cross-border investments;
 Engagement of startups in the targeted ecosystems with the European
Innovation Council.
The action may be implemented through financial support to third parties or directly
by the consortium partners to allow startups to best benefit from the services described
above. The monitoring of the support to third parties provided for each action, as well
as the management of the financial support to third parties, will be ensured by the
coordinator.
The applicants must put in place proper communication and publicity of the actions
engaged. The applicants must put in place a system that allows the proper monitoring
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of the benefit gained by the third parties as consequence of the actions described
above and, ultimately, the proper reporting of the impact obtained.
Applicants must allocate at least 75% of the total proposed budget to financial support
to third parties.
Eligible entities: Startup ecosystem builders, business angel organisations, venture
capital entities, accelerators, incubators, startup associations
Type of Action: Coordination and support actions
Indicative call Opening: 1 June 2022
Indicative deadline for applications: 17 November 2022
Indicative budget: EUR 6 million for 3-4 Coordination and Support Actions
For general award criteria check Annex 2.
For more details on the evaluation process, please refer to the heading ‘How does the
EIC decide if your proposal will be funded’ under EIC Transition Open.
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Annexes
Annex 1 Estimated Indicative Budget 98
Budget in EUR millions 99
Budget-line Horizon
Europe budget
Next Generation
EU budget
Calls(1)
HORIZON-EIC-2022-
PATHFINDEROPEN-01(2)
183.00
HORIZON-EIC-2022-
PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01(2)
167.00
HORIZON-EIC-2022-
TRANSITIONOPEN-01-01(2)
70.86
HORIZON-EIC-2022-
TRANSITIONCHALLENGES-01-
01/02/03(2)
20.00 40.50
HORIZON-EIC-2022ACCELERATOROPEN-01-01
(3-6)
Grant
component
170.66 145.50
Investment
component
314.81
HORIZON-EIC-2022-
ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-01-
01/02 (3-6)
Grant
component
250.82
Investment
component
286.06
HORIZON-EIC-2022-GENDER-
INDEX-01
0.70
98
These figures remain estimated figures that are not legally binding.
99
These figures include an estimated amount of third country credits and do not include possible EFTA
appropriations.
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HORIZON-EIC-2022-SCALEUP-01 7.00
HORIZON-EIC-2022-COMMUNITIES-
01
1.00
HORIZON-EIC-2022-STARTUPEU-01 6.00
HORIZON-EIC-2022-AIBP-TRAINING-01 0.5
HORIZON-EIC-2022-AIBTRTOOL-01 0.7
Business Acceleration Services
EIC Marketplace 4.00
Coaching 4.50
Support for innovation procurement 4.00
Other actions
Prizes 2.75
Public Procurement Actions 5.55
Expert contracts 5.50
Contribution to Women Tech.EU
initiative (7)
[10.00]
Contribution to Angel Investors
initiative (7)
[2.00]
Estimated total budget 1 254.59 436.82
(1) The budgets set out in the calls and topics are indicative. Unless otherwise stated, final budgets may change
following evaluation. The final figures may change by up to 20% compared to the total budget indicated in this
Work Programme. Changes within these limits will not be considered substantial within the meaning of Article 110(5)
of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046.
(2) Max. 1% of the budget dedicated to this call may be used for additional grants (Booster grants) to existing projects
for a fixed amount of EUR 50 000 as set out in the relevant Call section.
(3) The total indicative budget is expected to be allocated in approximately equal shares across the Challenges. If: a)
the entire indicative budget initially dedicated to funding the Challenge related proposals is not allocated, the
remaining balance will supplement the budget to be allocated to funding the Accelerator Open call; b) the entire
indicative budget initially dedicated to funding the Accelerator (Open) call is not allocated the remaining balance
will supplement the budget to be allocated to funding Accelerator Challenges call; c) both the entire indicative
budgets dedicated to funding the Accelerator Open and the Accelerator Challenges calls are not allocated, the
remaining balance will be allocated to indicative budgets of subsequent cut-off dates.
128
(4) The Accelerator is a continuously open call and hence this amount may be increased by any amounts committed
but not allocated under the cut-offs of the previous EIC annual Work Programme. The share of the budget dedicated
to investments (e.g. equity, equity-like, debt/guarantees, etc.) and grants will be a result of the evaluation and due
diligence process for applications to the EIC Accelerator. The contribution from Next Generation EU budget will only
be used for the grant component. In case the full budget allocated for investments in year N will not be committed
fully in year N+1 at the latest, the unused budget will be reallocated to subsequent EIC Accelerator calls.
(5) The EIC Investment Partners will receive an annual amount from the EIC Work Programme budget to cover
administrative expenses and fees. This administrative budget covers the operation and administration expenses of
any investment. These costs include any cost in relation to the acquisition, ownership or realisation of the
investments. The administrative budget also covers, among others, the fees payable to service providers, advisory,
compensations to external experts, staff, depositary and administrative agent fees, accounting, auditors, compliance
procedures, communication and marketing, litigation or arbitration, statutory or regulatory fees, insurance
premiums, taxes and other governmental charges and any other operational and administration costs and expenses
as required. This budget will in average not exceed 10% of the budget transferred for investments purposes.
(6) A maximum of 10% of the HORIZON-EIC-2022-ACCELERATOROPEN-01 call and of the HORIZON-EIC-2022ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-01
call earmarked for investments can be used for follow-up investments.
(7) The EIC will contribute financially to the Women Tech.EU initiative and the angel investors action implemented by
the EU Innovation ecosystems programme (EIE) through budgetary transfer.
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Annex 2 General conditions for proposals
A. ADMISSIBILITY
Admissibility
Proposals must be submitted before the call deadline.
Proposals must be submitted electronically directly via the Funding & Tender
Opportunities portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the call topic page
in the Search Funding & Tenders section); or indirectly via the EIC Community Platform
where applicants will be redirected to the Portal. Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be readable, accessible, printable and complete (contain all the
requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents) and must
be submitted using the forms provided inside the Electronic Submission System.
The Application Form for EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition will have two parts:
 Part A (to be filled in directly online) — contains administrative information
about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and
affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and ethics and
security specific questions;
 Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and
then assembled and re-uploaded as PDF in the system) — contains the technical
description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the Submission System
and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The page limits and sections subject to limits will be clearly shown in the application
templates and must be respected. Excess pages will be automatically made invisible,
and will not be taken into consideration by the evaluators.
For the EIC Accelerator, the applicant must not be in a situation of concurrent
submission/implementation. Concurrent submission exists when an applicant
submits more than one proposal for evaluation to any EIC Accelerator call before the
evaluation feedback has been provided for the earlier submission. If a case of
concurrent submission is identified, only the proposal submitted first will be deemed
eligible. Concurrent implementation occurs when the awardee of an ongoing EIC
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Accelerator/EIC Pilot/SME Instrument project submits another proposal before the first
project is finalised.100
In no circumstances can the same costs be financed twice by the budget (article 191 of
the Financial Regulation).
Applicants will be asked at a later stage for further documents (for legal entity
validation, financial capacity check, bank account validation, etc.).
B. ELIGIBILITY
Entities eligible for participation
Any legal entity,101
regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from
non-associated third countries or international organisation (including international
European research organisations)102
is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for
funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Rules for Participation103
have been met together with any other conditions laid down in the specific call or
topic.
In order to be eligible for funding, the applicants must be established in one of the
eligible countries, i.e., Member States (including their outmost regions and overseas
countries and territories (OCTs)), countries associated to Horizon Europe and low- and
middle-income third countries (see Annex 3).104
Legal entities which are established in countries not listed above will be eligible for
funding if provided for in the specific call conditions, or if their participation is
considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under
national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may,
acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity
without legal personality.
Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before
submitting their application, in order to get a participant identification code (PIC) and
be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation) before signing the grant
100
Ongoing grant-only projects selected under a Horizon 2020 EIC pilot Accelerator call may be eligible
to submit a proposal for a related investment component under an EIC Accelerator call.
101
For the definition of ‘legal entity’, see Article 197(2)(c) EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046.
102
International European research organisation means an international organisation, the majority of
whose members are Member States or Associated Countries, and whose principal objective is to
promote scientific and technological cooperation in Europe.
103
Regulation (EU) 2021/695.
104
See complete list in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
131
agreement. For the validation, they will be asked to upload the necessary documents
showing their legal status and origin during the grant preparation stage. A validated
PIC is not a prerequisite for submitting an application.
Eligible activities
Eligible activities are the ones described in the call conditions. In addition, all projects
 must have a focus on civil applications;
 must not: aim at human cloning for reproductive purposes, intend to modify the
genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable
(with the exception of research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads,
which may be financed); or intend to create human embryos solely for the
purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by
means of somatic cell nuclear transfer; or lead to the destruction of human
embryos (for example, for obtaining stem cells);
 must comply with the ‘do no significant harm’ principle 105
as enshrined in the
EU Taxonomy Regulation.106
More in particular, EIC funding will not be awarded
to projects that contravene the objectives of the Green Deal, including any
proposals dedicated to increase the efficiency of fossil fuels and related
technologies for example.107
105
‘Do no significant harm’ principle. For the purpose of definition, this Work Programme follows the
definition of ‘significant harm to environmental objectives’ contained in Article 17 of Regulation (EU)
2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (the ’EU Taxonomy
Regulation’). Projects are considered to significantly harm (taking into account, if appropriate, the
production, use and end of life of their products and services): a) climate change mitigation, where the
project leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions as compared to typical standards or benchmarks in
similar economic activities sectors; b) the sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources,
where the project is detrimental to the good status of bodies of water or marine waters; c) the circular
economy, including waste prevention and recycling, where the project generates more waste or uses
more natural resources (including non-renewable energy sources) as compared to typical standards in
similar economic activities sectors, or where the long-term disposal of waste may cause significant and
long-term harm to the environment; d) pollution prevention and control, where the project leads to a
significant increase in the emissions of pollutants into air, water or land, as compared to typical standards
in similar economic activities sectors; e) the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems,
where the project is significantly detrimental to the conservation status and resilience of ecosystems,
habitats and species.
106
There is no requirement to apply the full range of requirements enshrined in the EU Taxonomy before
the adoption of the delegated acts complementing and developing the provision of the EU Taxonomy
Regulation (https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/sustainable-
finance/eu-taxonomy-sustainable-activities_en)
107
See also the Horizon Europe Programme Guide
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Ethics
Projects must comply with:
 ethical principles (including the highest standards of research integrity), and
 applicable EU, international and national law
Particular attention must be paid to the principle of proportionality, to the right to
privacy, the right to the protection of personal data, the right to the physical and mental
integrity of a person, the right to non-discrimination and to the need to ensure
protection of the environment and high levels of human health protection.
Applicants must complete the Ethics issues table and Self-Assessment as part of their
proposal in accordance with the guidelines.
Projects involving ethics issues will have to undergo an ethics screening/assessment to
authorise funding and may be made subject to specific ethics requirements (which
become part of the grant agreement). Projects may be also subject to ethics
checks/reviews and ethics audits.
Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence
All AI-based systems or techniques need to be developed in a safe, secure and
responsible manner, with a clear identification of and preventative approach to risks.
Depending on the type of research being proposed (from basic to precompetitive) and
as appropriate, AI-based systems or techniques should be, or be developed to become
(implicitly or explicitly contributing to one or several of the following objectives):
 technically robust, accurate and reproducible, and able to deal with and inform
about possible failures, inaccuracies and errors, proportionate to the assessed
risk posed by the AI-based system or technique;
 socially robust, in that they duly consider the context and environment in which
they operate;
 reliable and function as intended, minimising unintentional and unexpected
harm, preventing unacceptable harm and safeguarding the physical and mental
integrity of humans;
 able to provide a suitable explanation of its decision-making process, whenever
an AI-based system can have a significant impact on people’s lives.
All proposals involving the development, use and/or deployment of AI based
system/technique must ensure that the proposed AI system/technique is technical
robust (e.g. resilient to attack, safe and secure, having fallback plan, accurate, reliable
and reproducible) and must describe how they will uphold the principles of human
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agency and oversight, fairness, diversity, non-discrimination, societal and
environmental well-being, transparency and accountability.
Security — EU classified and sensitive information
Projects involving classified and/or security sensitive information will have to go
through the Security Appraisal process to authorise funding and may be made subject
to specific security rules (detailed in a Security Section, which is annexed to the grant
and contract agreement). Specific provisions for EU-classified information (EUCI) and
sensitive information (SEN) will be included in the grant agreement and contract
agreement, as necessary and appropriate.
The rules for protecting EU-classified information (governed by Commission Decision
(EU, Euratom) 2015/444108
provide for instance that:
 projects involving information classified TRES SECRET UE/EU TOP SECRET (or
equivalent) CANNOT be funded,
 EU-classified information must be marked in accordance with the applicable
security instructions in the Security Classification Guide appendix of the Security
Aspects Letter (SAL) which is contained in the Security Section of the grant and
contract agreement,
 generation of, or access to, information with classification levels CONFIDENTIEL
UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above (and RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED, if required
by national rules) may take place only on the premises of entities which have
been granted a facility security clearance (FSC) issue by the competent national
security authority NSA);
 handling of information classified CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or
above (and RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED, if required by national rules) may
take place only in a secured area accredited by the competent NSA;
 access to and handling of information classified CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU
CONFIDENTIAL or above (and RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED, if required by
national rules) may be granted only to individuals with a valid personnel security
clearance (PSC) and an established need-to-know, who have been briefed on
the applicable security rules;
108
See Commission Decision 2015/544/EU, Euratom of 13 March 2015 on the security rules for protecting
EU classified information (OJ L 72, 17.3.2015, p. 53.
134
 access to, and handling of, information classified RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED
may be granted only to individuals who have a need-to-know and have been
briefed on the applicable security rules;
 at the end of the grant, the classified information must either be returned or
continue to be protected according to the applicable rules;
 subcontracting of tasks involving EU-classified information is subject to prior
written approval by the European Commission, which is the originator of EUclassified
information. It is only possible to subcontract these tasks to entities
established in an EU Member State or in a non-EU country with a security of
information agreement with the EU(or an administrative arrangement with the
Commission);
 disclosure of EU-classified information is subject to prior written approval by the
European Commission.
Please note that, depending on the type of activity, facility security clearing (FSC) may
have to be provided before grant signature. The Agency will assess the need for
clearings in each case and will establish their delivery date during grant preparation.
Please note that, in no circumstances can we sign any grant and contract agreement
until at least one of the beneficiaries in the consortium has a facility security clearing.
In certain cases, the project results might not require classification but they might be
security sensitive and consequently require restricted disclosure or limited
dissemination due to security reasons, in accordance with the applicable security
instructions in the Security Section. This means that, in principle, third parties should
have no access to results subject to this type of restriction. Disclosure of this
information is subject to prior written approval by the European Commission.
Further security recommendations may be added to the grant and contract agreement
in the form of security deliverables (e.g. create Security Advisory Board, appointment of
Project Security Officer, limit the level of detail, use fake scenario, etc.).
In addition, EIC awardees must ensure that their projects are not subject to
national/third country security requirements that could affect the implementation or
put into question the award of the grants (e.g. technology restrictions, national security
classification, etc.). The Agency must be notified immediately of any potential security
issues.
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Use of Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS
Projects involving earth observation, positioning, navigation or timing data, services or
technologies must make use of at least Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS data, services
and technologies.
Gender Equality Plans and gender mainstreaming
Each legal entity being a public body, a research organisation or a higher education
establishment must have a Gender Equality Plan, covering the following minimum
process-related requirements:
 Publication: a formal document published on the institution’s website and
signed by the top management;
 Dedicated resources: commitment of resources and in gender equality to
implement the plan;
 Data collection and monitoring: sex/gender disaggregated data on personnel
and students and annual reporting based on indicators;
 Training: Awareness raising/trainings on gender equality and unconscious
gender biases for staff and decision-makers;
 Recommended areas to be covered and addressed via concrete measures and
targets:
 work-life balance and organisational culture;
 gender balance in leadership and decision-making;
 gender equality in recruitment and career progression;
 integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content;
 measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment.
A self-declaration will be requested at proposal stage, while the existence of the Gender
Equality Plan is checked before grant signature. If all the above-mentioned mandatory
requirements are met through another strategic document, such as a development plan or
an inclusion or diversity strategy, it can be considered as an equivalent. This eligibility
criterion does not apply to other categories of legal entities, such as private for-profit
organisations, including SMEs, non-governmental or civil society organisations.
Relevant EIC awardees must also take all measures to promote equal opportunities
between men and women in implementing the action and, where applicable, in line
with their gender equality plan. They must aim to achieve, to the extent possible, a
136
gender balance at all levels of personnel assigned to the action, including at
supervisory and managerial level.
Open Science and Data Management
For the EIC Pathfinder and Transition, the EIC funded projects must comply with the
open science requirements as described in the Model Grant Agreement (article 17).
These concern:
 providing immediate open access to scientific publications under the conditions
required by the grant agreement;
 managing responsibly research data generated or reused by projects in line with
the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data)’.
Producing and updating a data management plan; providing open access to
research data under the principle ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’,
that is with exceptions, under the conditions required by the grant agreement;
 providing information about the research outputs/tools/instruments needed to
validate the conclusions of scientific publications or to validate/re-use research
data;
 providing digital or physical access to the results needed to validate the
conclusions of scientific publications, unless exceptions apply (the same as with
open access to research data);
 in cases of public emergency, if requested by the granting authority, providing
immediate open access to all research outputs under open licenses or, if
exceptions apply, access under fair and reasonable conditions to legal entities
that need the research outputs to address the public emergency .
Further, open science practices that are not mandatory but recommended, may be
included in projects at the design phase, such as involving all relevant knowledge
actors, including citizens, early and open sharing of research, output management
beyond research data, open peer-review. This is a non-exhaustive list of practices that
proposers are expected to adopt when possible and appropriate for their projects.
Recommended open science practices are incentivised through their the evaluation at
the proposal stage. Proposers should be aware of both mandatory and recommended
practices and integrate them into their proposals.
Data Management
All EIC funded projects must develop and update a data management plan in case they
generate or reuse research data or any other research outputs (except for publications).
All personal and non-personal data must be managed responsibly in line with the FAIR
principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data), the EU General Data
137
Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the respective European, international and national
legal frameworks. Personal data must not be made public unless explicitly agreed by
the data subjects. Non-personal data will be open in principle but exceptions to open
access apply (following the principle 'as open as possible, as closed as necessary').
EIC investments
The requirements concerning the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions (as amended
from time to time) for tax purposes issued by the Council (OJ C 438, 19.12.2017, p. 5)
(the "Council Conclusions") are applied by the EIC in respect of EIC Accelerator
investments.
The EIC shall not enter into any contract or maintain a business relationship with any
institution or individual listed on sanction lists109
, and in particular shall not make any
funds available directly or indirectly to any institution or individual listed on sanction
lists.
The EIC applies the EU rules, policies and procedures, addressing the requirements in
respect of money laundering, terrorism financing, tax avoidance, tax fraud, tax evasion
contained in Article 155(2)(a) of the Financial Regulation and complies with the
prohibition to enter into new or renewed operations with entities incorporated or
established in jurisdictions listed under the relevant Union policy on non-cooperative
jurisdictions or that are identified as high-risk third countries110 or that do not
effectively comply with Union or internationally agreed tax standards on transparency
and exchange of information, as well as the possibility to derogate from this
requirement when the action is physically implemented in one of those jurisdictions,
contained in Article 155(2)(b) of the Financial Regulation.
The breach of these obligations may lead to the interruption of the equity investment
process.
109
Consolidated list of sanctions: https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-
homepage_en/8442/Consolidated%20list%20of%20sanctions
110
Pursuant to Article 9(2) of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
20 May 2015 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering
or terrorist financing, amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the
Council, and repealing Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and
Commission Directive 2006/70/EC (OJ L 141, 5.6.2015, p. 73), as may be amended.
138
C. FINANCIAL and OPERATIONAL CAPACITY
Financial capacity
Applicants to EIC Pathfinder calls must have stable and sufficient resources to
successfully implement the projects and contribute their share. Organisations
participating in several projects must have sufficient capacity to implement all these
projects.
The financial capacity check will be done by the Agency on the basis of the documents
you will be requested to upload in the Participant Register during grant preparation
(e.g. profit and loss account and balance sheet, business plan, audit report produced
by an approved external auditor, certifying the accounts for the last closed financial
year, etc.). The analysis will be based on neutral financial indicators, but will also take
into account other aspects, such as dependency on EU funding and deficit and revenue
in previous years.
The check will normally only be done for the coordinator and if the requested grant
amount is equal or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
 public bodies (entities established as public body under national law, including
local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations, and
 cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000
(low-value grant).
For more information, see Rules on Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and
Financial Capacity Assessment.
Operational capacity
Applicants to EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition calls must have the know-how,
qualifications and resources to successfully implement their tasks in the project and
contribute their share (including, when appropriate, sufficient experience in EU/transnational
projects of comparable size).
This assessment of operational capacity will be carried out during the evaluation of the
award criterion ‘quality and efficiency of the implementation’, on the basis of the
competence and experience of the applicants and their project teams, including its
operational resources (human, technical and other) or, exceptionally, the measures
proposed to obtain it by the time of the implementation of the tasks.
If the evaluation of this award criterion leads a score above the applicable threshold,
then the applicants are considered to have sufficient operational capacity.
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Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are
exempted from the operational capacity check.
For the EIC Accelerator, the operational capacity of the applicant will be assessed
during the evaluation of the award criterion ‘Level of risk, implementation, and need
for Union support’. Experts will judge whether each participant has, or will have in due
time thanks to EIC support, sufficient operational capacity to successfully carry out their
tasks in the proposed work-plan. This assessment will be based on the competence
and experience of the applicant, including their operational resources (human,
technical, other) and the measures proposed to secure these resources by the time of
the implementation of the tasks.
Exclusion
Applicants that are subject to EU administrative sanctions (i.e. exclusion)111
or are in
one of the following exclusion situations112
banning them from receiving EU grants can
NOT participate:
 bankruptcy, winding up, affairs administered by the courts, arrangement with
creditors, suspended business activities or other similar procedures (including
procedures for persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts),
 they are in breach of social security or tax obligations (including if done by
persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts),
 they are guilty of grave professional misconduct (including if done by persons
having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners
or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant),
 they are guilty of fraud, corruption, having links to a criminal organisation,
money laundering, terrorism-related crimes (including terrorism financing),
child labour or human trafficking (including if done by persons having powers
of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who
are essential for the award/implementation of the grant),
 they have shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations
under an EU procurement contract, grant agreement or grant decision
(including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision making
or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the
award/implementation of the grant),
111
See Article 136 EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046.
112
See Articles 136 and 141 EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046.
140
 they are guilty of irregularities within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Regulation
No 2988/95 (including if done by persons having powers of representation,
decision making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for
the award/implementation of the grant), or
 they have created under a different jurisdiction an entity with the intent to
circumvent fiscal, social or other legal obligations in the country of origin or
created another entity with this purpose (including if done by persons having
powers of representation, decision making or control, beneficial owners or
persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant).
Applicants will also be refused if it turns out that113
:
 during the award procedure they misrepresented information required as a
condition for participating or failed to supply that information, or
 they were previously involved in the preparation of the call and this entails a
distortion of competition that cannot be remedied otherwise (conflict of
interest).
113
See Article 141 EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046.
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D. AWARD CRITERIA
If admissible and eligible, the proposals for Coordination and Support Actions will be
evaluated and ranked against the following award criteria:
Evaluation scores will be awarded for the criteria, and not for the individual sub-criteria.
For full proposals, each criterion will be scored out of 5. The threshold for individual
criteria will be 3. The overall threshold, applying to the sum of the three individual
scores, will be 10.
For other types of actions, including ‘Research and Innovation Actions’ (EIC Pathfinder
and EIC Transition) and ‘Innovation and Market Deployment Actions’ (EIC Accelerator),
the award criteria are detailed in the relevant call sections.
Excellence Impact Quality and efficiency
of the implementation
 Clarity and
pertinence of the
project’s
objectives.
 Quality of the
proposed
coordination
and/or support
measures including
soundness of
methodology.
 Credibility of the
pathways to achieve
the expected
outcomes and
impacts specified in
the Work Programme,
and the likely scale
and significance of the
contributions due to
the project.
 Suitability and quality
of the measures to
maximise expected
outcomes and
impacts, as set out in
the dissemination and
exploitation plan,
including
communication
activities.
 Quality and
effectiveness of the
work plan,
assessment of risks,
and
appropriateness of
the effort assigned
to work packages,
and the resources
overall.
 Capacity and role of
each participant,
and extent to which
the consortium as a
whole brings
together the
necessary expertise.
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Annex 3 Entities eligible for funding
In order to be eligible for funding, the applicants must be established in one of the
eligible countries, i.e.:
 Member States of the European Union (including overseas countries and
territories (OCTs))
 Eligible non-EU countries:
 countries associated to Horizon Europe114
At the date of the publication of the Work Programme, not all
negotiations on association to Horizon Europe have been completed.
Considering the Union’s interest to retain, in principle, relations with the
countries associated to Horizon 2020, most third countries associated to
Horizon 2020 are expected to be associated to Horizon Europe in due
course of time. In addition, other third countries may also become
associated to Horizon Europe during the programme. For the purposes
of the eligibility conditions, applicants established in Horizon 2020
Associated Countries or in other third countries negotiating association
to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated
Country, provided that the Horizon Europe association agreement with
the third country concerned applies at the time of signature of the grant
agreement. If the association agreement provides for an exclusion from
the EIC Accelerator investment component, legal entities from that
country are only eligible to apply for the ‘grant-only’ component of the
EIC Accelerator.
 Low- and middle-income countries.115
Legal entities which are established in countries not listed above will be eligible for
funding when provided for in the specific call conditions, or their participation is
considered essential for implementing the action.
Specific cases:
Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established
in one of the countries listed above.
114
Please see the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for up-to-date information on the current list of
and the position for Associated Countries.
115
See the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for a complete list of these countries.
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EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive
funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
International organisations — International European research organisations are
eligible to receive funding. Unless their participation is considered essential for
implementing the action by the granting authority, other international organisations
are not eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a
Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and
mobility’ actions and when provided for in the specific call conditions.
Single legal entity (‘Mono-beneficiary’) and consortium (‘multi-beneficiary’)
composition
Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call conditions:
 Applicants for mono-beneficiary actions must be established in a Member State
or Associated Country.
 Proposals for multi-beneficiary actions (must be submitted by a consortium
including at least three independent legal entities, with at least one legal entity
established in a Member State and at least two other independent legal entities,
each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Unless specified otherwise, proposals for EIC Pathfinder Challenge and EIC Transition
may be submitted as well by multi-beneficiary comprising of two legal entities,
provided that those two legal entities are established in two different Member States
or Associated countries. The JRC, international European research organisations and
legal entities created under EU law are deemed to be established in a Member State
other than those in which the other legal entities participating in the action are
established.
Proposals for Coordination and Support actions may be submitted by one or more
legal entities, which must be established in a Member State, Associated Country, or in
exceptional cases and if provided for in the specific call conditions, in another third
country.
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Annex 4 Fast Track scheme to apply for the EIC Accelerator
The ‘Fast Track’ scheme is a novelty under Horizon Europe and a specific process
applicable to the EIC Accelerator. It provides for a specific treatment of proposals that
result from existing Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 projects.
Under the Fast Track scheme, applicants do not apply directly to the EIC Accelerator
call (Section IV). Instead, a project review is carried out by the responsible funding body
to assess the innovation or market deployment potential of an existing project, to
decide whether the project is suitable for support under the EIC Accelerator.
The project review – implemented by the funding body responsible for the programme
– must be conducted using:
 award criteria equivalent to the ones set out for the short application stage of
the EIC Accelerator (Section IV), centred on the underlying idea of that potential
new action;
 an evaluation process that guarantees an independent assessment of proposals
in compliance with Article 48 of Horizon Europe.
The responsible funding body can submit the outcome of the projects review to the
EIC Accelerator, if the project review concludes that the following conditions are met:
 the proposal meets the two first criteria of the EIC Accelerator (excellence and
impact),
 there is no duplication of funding of activities to be supported under the EIC
Accelerator with the existing grant, and
 the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for the EIC Accelerator.
The applicant will then be invited to prepare a full proposal for the EIC Accelerator to
one of the cut-off dates within the next 12 months following initial review. Applicants
are free to decide to which cut-off date within the next 12 months they apply. They will
receive support through the EIC artificial intelligence based IT platform and coaching
as specified in Section IV.
Full proposals to the EIC Accelerator stemming from the Fast Track scheme will be
assessed as set out in Section IV, and will be treated in exactly the same way as all other
full proposals.
In 2022, the funding bodies and schemes which are eligible for the Fast Track for EIC
Accelerator cut-off dates are:
 The EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition projects (including under EIC pilot);
145
 The ERC Executive Agency for Proof of Concept;
 The Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) supported by the European
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT);
 The Eureka secretariat for SMEs supported under the Eurostars-2 Joint
Programme and the Partnership on Innovative SMEs.
These funding bodies are responsible for implementing the Fast Track scheme in
accordance with the above provisions. They may decide not to implement the scheme
or to introduce it at a later stage.
Subject to experience with the Fast Track scheme in 2021 and 2022, it may be opened
to other parts of Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020, and to the funding bodies
responsible for their implementation.
The EIC website will provide up to date information about how the Fast Track scheme
will be implemented by the relevant funding bodies.
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Annex 5 Pilot Plug-in scheme to apply for the EIC Accelerator
The pilot Plug-in scheme is a novelty under Horizon Europe and a specific process
applicable to the EIC Accelerator only. Its process is equivalent to the Fast Track
scheme’s, as described under Annex 4, except that it applies to proposals that result
from existing national or regional programmes.
Following the results of a mapping of national and regional programmes, a pilot
initiative by the European Commission in close cooperation with Member States and
Associated Countries, is included in the first Work Programme of Horizon Europe.
Under the 'Plug-in' scheme, applicants do not apply directly to the EIC Accelerator call
(Section IV). Instead, a project review is carried out to assess the innovation or market
deployment potential of an existing project at national or regional level, to decide
whether the project is suitable for support under the EIC Accelerator
The project review - implemented by the funding/managing body responsible for the
programme or by other appointed authority under the responsibility of the funding
body -must be conducted using:
 award criteria equivalent to the ones set out for the short application stage of
the EIC Accelerator (Section IV), centred on the underlying idea of that potential
new action;
 equivalent evaluation processes that guarantee an independent assessment of
proposals in compliance with Article 48 of Horizon Europe
The responsible funding/managing body or other appointed authority under the
responsibility of the funding body, can submit the outcome of the projects review to
the EIC Accelerator, if the project review concludes that the following conditions are
met:
 the proposal meets the two first criteria of the EIC Accelerator (excellence and
impact),
 there is no duplication of funding of activities to be supported under the EIC
Accelerator with the existing grant allocated at national or regional level, and
 the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for the EIC Accelerator.
The applicants will then be invited to prepare a full proposal for the EIC Accelerator to
one of the cut-off dates within the next 12 months following initial review. . Applicants
may decide to which cut-off they apply. They will receive support through the EIC
artificial intelligence based IT platform and coaching as specified in Section IV.
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Full proposals to the EIC Accelerator stemming from the Plug-in scheme will be
assessed as set out in Section IV and will be treated exactly the same way as all other
full proposals.
The pilot Plug-in scheme will be implemented with a limited number of programmes,
which are assessed by a group of experts and certified by the Commission. To
guarantee the effective implementation of this pilot, only public programmes – both
national and regional – will be considered initially. The experts will assess the
programmes116
submitted by the Member States and Associated Countries, their
related national or regional evaluation procedures, and whether the project review is
equivalent to the assessment of proposals under the EIC Accelerator.
The Commission will certify which programmes are suitable for the pilot Plug-in
scheme based on the experts’ assessment. The experts will collaborate with the EIC
plug-in contact points (representatives of Member States and Associated Countries)
who will have to provide accurate information regarding the programmes. Only
programmes for which all the key elements and information are provided by the EIC
Plug-in contact points will be considered for the certification. The mapping exercise is
the basis and starting point of the experts’ work. The result of the mapping exercise
and the certification will be published on the EIC website.
The Commission services117
will be notified if any future changes in the criteria and/or
evaluation of the regional or national programmes may impact the assessment and
certification of those programmes.
The Commission may withdraw the certification, if it finds out that:
 false information were used to obtain the certification;
 the project review did not comply with the provisions as set out in the EIC WP.
The funding/managing bodies in charge of these national/regional programmes, or
other appointed authority under the responsibility of the funding body, are responsible
for implementing the Plug-in scheme in accordance with the above provisions. They
may decide not to implement the scheme or to introduce it at a later stage. A
coordination among the different national and regional funding bodies will have to be
ensured at national level to avoid duplication of the proposals.
116
Programme in this context is to be understood in the widest possible sense; in particular, it refers to
all systems and institutions of organised services, activities and opportunities to support and scale up
high impact innovations at the national or regional level.
117
From Directorate General in charge and/or Executive Agency to which the tasks/programme will be
delegated.
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The EIC website will provide information about how the Plug-in scheme will be
implemented by the relevant funding/managing bodies.
After the certification process is concluded, the responsible funding/managing bodies
or other appointed authorities under the responsibility of the funding body, will be
entitled to present the projects that have passed the project review and were funded
under those certified programmes.
Plug-in proposals will be accepted starting from the first EIC Accelerator cut-off in 2022
at the earliest. The pilot Plug-in scheme will be subjected to an assessment after the
first implementation to verify the effectiveness of the process and the quality of the
proposals, in view of the renewal of the Plug-in process under subsequent cut-offs and
possibly the inclusion of other programmes.
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Annex 6 EIC Booster grants for EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition
awardees
The Awardees of EIC Pathfinder projects (including grants resulting from certain EIC
pilot Pathfinder, FET-Open and FET-Proactive calls, see Section II) and of EIC Transition
projects are eligible to receive EIC Booster grants with fixed amounts of up to EUR 50
000, as specified in the relevant call sections of this Work Programme.
In line with Article 47(2) of the Horizon Europe Regulation,118
the EIC Booster grants
are not subject to any call. They reflect the necessity and hence the possibility for the
EIC to proactively support, at any stage of a project implementation, the assessment of
any potentially innovative lead stemming from a EIC Pathfinder project, or reinforce
the coordination and management of an EIC Portfolio where needed.
These EIC Booster grants will fund either complementary activities to explore potential
pathways to commercialisation or portfolio activities.
Complementary activities to explore potential pathways to commercialisation could
include, but are not limited to:
 definition of a commercialisation process;
 market and competitiveness analysis;
 technology assessment;
 verification of innovation potential;
 consolidation of IP rights;
 business case development;
 exploratory / preparatory work for creating start-ups or spin-offs.
Portfolio activities could include, but are not limited to:
 defining common objectives and activities;
 building synergies within the EIC Portfolio and with any outside relevant
partners, including within the EIT Community;
 engaging strategic partners to overcome common challenges;
 (co)-organising events;
 maximising data sharing;
118
See also Article 195(e) of the Financial Regulation.
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 raising visibility of the EIC Portfolio’s community and the EIC.
These EIC Booster grants do not fund research or activities that were already foreseen
in the original project or that cannot be obtained from other EIC services, in particular
through Business Acceleration Services. A maximum of three EIC Booster grants can be
awarded for each EIC Pathfinder project and more than three may be awarded in
exceptional and duly justified cases. A maximum of one EIC Booster grant can be
awarded for each EIC Transition project. Any such EIC Booster grant can be awarded to
an individual EIC awardee or a group of EIC awardees.119
EIC awardees, after discussion with an EIC Programme Manager or following a project
review, can apply for such an EIC Booster grant. Each proposal will be assessed in
accordance with Article 29, paragraph 2, of Horizon Europe Regulation taking into
account the following considerations:
For activities to explore potential pathways to commercialisation:
 Timeliness and pertinence of the activities proposed (Excellence);
 Potential of the proposed deep-tech innovation to create new market or to solve
pressing societal needs / problems (Impact);
 Expertise, capabilities and motivation of the applicants to take this innovation
forward to the market (Quality and efficiency of implementation).
For portfolio activities:
 Contribution of the activity to the objectives of the EIC Portfolio (Excellence);
 Timeliness of the activity proposed to maximize its impact (Impact):
 Engagement of EIC Portfolio’s projects and relevant external partners (Quality
and efficiency of implementation).
The final decision will be motivated and communicated to the EIC awardees and the
Programme Committee. Successful applicants will be invited for grant preparation,
which might take into account adjustments proposed by the EIC Programme Manager.
Following successful grant preparation, the Agency will award the EIC Booster grant
(Coordination and Support Action)120
to cover the eligible costs necessary for the
implementation of the proposed activities. The funding rate of this grant will be 100%
of the eligible costs.
119
This includes affiliated entities that are participating in the Pathfinder or Transition projects.
120
This may be a new grant agreement or an amendment to the existing grant agreement.
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Annex 7 Additional provisions concerning Intellectual Property for EIC
Pathfinder and EIC Transition
In accordance with the Horizon Europe Regulation,121
the Work Programme may
provide for additional exploitation obligations, in particular to put more emphasis on
exploitation of results, and highlight the role the Commission should play in identifying
and maximising exploitation opportunities in the Union.
Together with specific intellectual property rules provided for under Annex 2 in relation
to emergency situations and standardisation, the following rules will apply to EIC
Pathfinder and EIC Transition actions and be reflected into the applicable Model Grant
Agreement adopted by the Commission.
In addition, the said Model Grant Agreement will also address the specific objectives
and means assigned to the EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition activities by the Council
Decision122
adopting the Horizon Europe Specific Programme, i.e. the regrouping of
projects into EIC Portfolios,123
with the aim to stimulate cross-fertilisation, exchange
between innovation actors and to nurture market creating innovation out of EIC
Pathfinder results, but also the role to be played by EIC Programme Managers124
in this
context and in developing a proactive management culture of EIC activities.
1. Definitions
The following definition is complementing those provided in the Glossary in the
introductory section of this Work Programme for the purpose of this Annex.
EIC Inventors: with reference to information and results owned by any EIC awardee that
is a not-for-profit legal entity, any of their employees and subcontractors, established
in a Member States or Associated Country, and appearing or entitled to appear as
inventor in any corresponding publication or patent filing.
2. Exchange of information for the purpose of EIC portfolio activities
2.1 – Access to information about preliminary findings and results
a. At any time and without prejudice to the EIC awardee’s ownership and its rights
and obligations to protect personal data and results according to the grant
agreement, the EIC Programme Manager may request any EIC awardee to make
121
In accordance with Recital (85) and notably the second indent of Article 39(1) of Horizon Europe
Regulation.
122
Section 1.1.1 of Pillar III of Council Decision.
123
Each Pathfinder or Transition action will be allocated to at least one Thematic or Challenge Portfolio.
124
Section 1.2.2 of Pillar III of Council Decision.
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available through the EIC Marketplace information on preliminary findings and
results generated by the action, subject to paragraphs b) and c) below, with the
aim to probe their potential for further innovation.
b. Where any such preliminary finding or result was not already made public
through agreed dissemination activities or a patent or protection by any other
intellectual property right, that information must be earmarked and treated by
the Agency as confidential and disseminated only to:
 other EIC awardees, bound by an EIC grant agreement or an EIC contract,
that refers to or includes the obligations detailed under section 2.2 below;
 EIC inventors having signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Agency,
providing for the obligations detailed under section 2.2 below;
 other member of the EIC Community established in a Member State or an
Associated Country and having signed a non-disclosure agreement with the
Agency, providing for the obligations detailed under section 2.2.
Where based on that confidential information any of these entities request disclosure
or access to the underlying detailed data and results, the EIC awardee may refuse it
based on its legitimate interests, including commercial exploitation and any other
constraints, such as data protection rules, privacy, confidentiality, trade secrets, Union
competitive interests, security rules or intellectual property rights.
c. EIC awardees may object to the obligation provided for under paragraph b)
when:
 committing to either publish or patent or protect by any other intellectual
property right and without unreasonable delays, or
 demonstrating concrete exploitation of the said preliminary findings and
results, subject to initial discussion with and final agreement of the Agency
on the corresponding update of the Plan for dissemination and exploitation
referred to in Section 3.1.
2.2 – Non-disclosure obligations
Where EIC awardees are informed on or given access or disclosure to any preliminary
findings, results or other intellectual property generated by other EIC actions, and
where this information is earmarked as confidential in accordance with section 2.1.b,
they must:
 a keep it strictly confidential; and
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 not disclose it to any person without the prior written consent of the owner, and
then only under conditions of confidentiality equal to those provided under this
section; and
 use the same degree of care to protect its confidentiality as the EIC awardee
uses to protect its own confidential information of a similar nature; and
 act in good faith at all times; and
 not use any of it for any purpose other than assessing opportunities to propose
other research or innovation activities to the EIC, or any other initiative agreed
by the owner.
The EIC awardee may disclose any such information to its employees and, with the prior
authorisation of the owner, to its subcontractors established in a Member State or an
Associated Country and:
 who have a need to access it for the performance of their work with respect to
the purpose permitted above; and
 who are bound by a written agreement or professional obligation to protect its
confidentiality in the way described in this section.
No obligations are imposed upon the EIC awardee where such information:
 is already known to the EIC awardee before and is not subject to any other
obligation of confidentiality; or
 is or becomes publicly known through no act by or default by/of the EIC
awardee; or
 is obtained by the EIC awardee from a third party and in circumstances where
the EIC awardee has no reason to believe that there has been a breach of an
obligation of confidentiality.
The restrictions in this section do not apply to the extent that any such information is
required to be disclosed by any law or regulation, by any judicial or governmental order
or request, or pursuant to disclosure requirements relating to the listing of the stock of
the EIC awardee on any recognised stock exchange.
Upon the end or termination of the grant agreement or of the participation of the EIC
awardee, it must immediately cease to use the said information, except if otherwise
directly agreed with the owner, or if the EIC awardee remains a member of the EIC
Community referred to under section 2.1.b.
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The provisions of this section will be in force for a period of 60 months following the
end or the termination of the grant agreement or of the participation of the EIC
awardee, at the end of which period they will cease to have effect.
3. Specific provisions on intellectual property and related dissemination and
exploitation activities
3.1 – Plan for exploitation and dissemination
EIC awardees must report to the Agency on their exploitation and dissemination
activities:
 in accordance with the grant agreement, together with any updated version of
the plan for exploitation and dissemination;
 within 30 days upon request from the EIC Programme Manager for the purpose
of EIC portfolio activities.
The Granting Authority may also request an update of the plan for exploitation and
dissemination of the results at any time during the implementation of the action.
EIC awardees must address and agree in their Consortium agreement on all related
intellectual property issues, from ownership and co-ownership of results to the
consortium’s internal approval process for their dissemination. EIC awardees must also
identify therein any pre-existing technology fitting the action’s needs and objectives
and try to reach appropriate licensing agreement between them to prevent research
funding redundancy.
The EIC awardees are deemed to have signed the Consortium agreement at the date
of the signature of this grant agreement. The Agency may require a copy at any time
in accordance with the grant agreement.
3.2 – Dissemination activities
Each EIC awardee will propose and undertake dissemination activities of the plan for
exploitation and dissemination agreed by the Agency with the aim of supporting
innovation in the European Union and fostering the development of the EIC
Community, opting for publications as main route to bring technical and scientific
knowledge to the public.
When approving the plan for exploitation and dissemination of the results or any
update, the Agency may subject any proposed dissemination activity to one or a
combination of the following conditions:
 the prior assessment of any innovation potential of the results to be
disseminated,
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 the prior protection of the result to be disseminated, in accordance with the
grant agreement, the cost being eligible;
 the simultaneous unrestricted dissemination through the EIC Marketplace.
Where the Agency disagrees to a dissemination activity, it will actively assist the EIC
awardees to achieve compliance with the required conditions, without unreasonable
delay and in due time, notably by proposing complementary EIC support for
exploitation or a support of the EIC Business Acceleration Services, as detailed and
referred to under section 3.5. Where the Agency agrees to a dissemination activity, it
will abide to the grant agreement.
The Agency is hereby entrusted with the right to also disseminate and promote the
exploitation of any results that are made public by the EIC awardee or with its assent.
3.3 – Exploitation of results
EIC awardees must use their best efforts to exploit their results or have them exploited
by a third party, in priority those established in a Member State or an Associated
Country, including through transfer or licensing.
Each EIC awardee agrees that any of its EIC Inventors is entrusted upon signature of
the grant agreement with the necessary access rights125 to the result they have
contributed to for the purpose of further developing and exploiting it. If the EIC
awardee provides support to the EIC Inventor for any such exploitation, royalties may
be shared with the EIC awardee in mutually beneficial terms, provided the conclusion
of any such agreement does not prevent the EIC Inventor(s) to exercise its(their) rights.
EIC awardees must report on any exploitation operation at:
 the reporting periods provided for in the grant agreement;
 periodicity agreed at the end of the action together with the final exploitation
and dissemination plan;
 within 30 days upon request from the Agency, within 4 years after final payment.
3.4 – Failure to exploit or disseminate
The Agency is entrusted with the right to disseminate and promote the exploitation of
results that have not been made public through dissemination activities or patent or
protection by any other IPR, where the EIC awardee owning it:
125
By default “royalty free”, except in the case described at the end of the paragraph.
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 does not provide any information regarding exploitation or dissemination of
those results; or
 neither intends to exploit nor disseminate those results; or
 declares to continue research activities on those results but without a view of
their subsequent exploitation; or
 where, despite its best efforts, no exploitation or dissemination takes place
within the delays provided in the final exploitation and dissemination plan and
in the absence of any demonstrated alternativee exploitation or dissemination
opportunity.
Where the EIC awardee continues to oppose to the dissemination by the Agency or
refuses to provide any data or document necessary for the said dissemination, the
Agency will impose penalties in accordance with the grant agreement.
3.5 – Possible additional or complementary EIC support for exploitation
Any EIC awardee or group of EIC awardees or the consortium of an EIC Pathfinder
action, including EIC inventors, may be awarded an additional EIC Booster grant of up
to EUR 50,000 to undertake limited EIC transition activities in relation to any of its
results as set out in Annex 6.
This additional grant may be shared with or fully awarded to a third-party partaking in
or undertaking the said activities, under the condition that the said third-party respects
the ownership rights of the EIC awardee and confidentiality conditions detailed in this
Annex.
Beneficiaries, including EIC inventors, are eligible to apply for EIC Transition and EIC
Accelerator calls under specific conditions detailed therein and to benefit from EIC
Business Acceleration Services as set out in the relevant sections of this Work
Programme.