As we said in our previous posts in this series, the EIC Accelerator call for proposals is conducted in  a three-step procedure which consists of preliminary applications (short applications), full and detailed applications (full applications) and a review panel of experts.

Application and assessment process

The short application consists of the following parts:

  • Initial application - a fewpage long form with questions about the innovation, market potential and project team;
  • Pitch deck - a presentation of up to 10 slides;
  • Video material - a 3-minute recording in which the main team members should present the innovative solution and the main motivation behind the application.

Calls are conducted on a continuous basis and preliminary applications are evalutated by four EIC experts on a first come first served basis, i.e., in the order of receipt of applications. The results are expected within 4 weeks.

The expertise of the evaluators will correspond to the area of technology and market application of the innovation.  The experts will have access to analyses, e.g., related scientific publications and patents. Proposals will be evaluated according to three criteria:

  1. Excellence: experts will check whether the innovation has a high degree of novelty compared to existing products, services and business models, whether it has the potential to create a new market or to make a significant difference in an existing one, and whether it is well-timed in terms of market, user, and technological trends and developments;
  2. Impact: the evaluators will determine if the innovation has the potential to scale up, if the funding request is adequately assessed but realistic, and if the innovation has the potential to achieve a pan-European social, economic and environmental impact;
  3. Level of risk, implementation, and need for Union support: the experts will assess whether the project team has the necessary competencies and motivation to implement the proposed innovation and bring it to market, and whether the securing of critical competencies currently lacking in the team has been adequately planned.

Each of the four experts will decide whether the application meets the respective evaluation criteria and will give a positive or negative mark - there is a complete abandonment of the point scale in favour of a zero-one scale, the so-called "GO" or "NO GO". If at least two evaluators give a positive mark, the application is accepted and the applicant is invited to the next stage - preparation of a full grant application.

What if the proposal is unsuccessful?

Unsuccessful applications can be revised and resubmitted. After two unsuccessful attempts to apply for support, there will be a 12-month freeze period during which the applicant will not be able to submit applications.

In the next post, we will say more about the full application and the panel of experts evaluating the EIC Accelerator proposals.

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