EIC Accelerator
The dedicated EIC Accelerator Pilot (former SME instrument with a new blended finance – grant and equity - component) encourages for-profit companies to put forward their most innovative ideas with an EU dimension that can't find financing on the market because of their high-risk character. The SME instrument targets highly innovative SMEs showing a strong ambition to develop, grow and internationalise, regardless of whether they are high-tech and research-driven or non-research conducting, social or service companies.
The Enhanced European Innovation Council pilot is targeting even more than before radically innovative proposals from SMEs that have the potential to create entirely novel goods or services and/or that can shake up our economy and society for the better via refreshing business models or processes.
The EIC Accelerator Pilot addresses the financing gap in developing high-potential, but high-risk innovative ideas of small companies and bringing them closer to the market. It responds to a widely recognised EU-wide market failure which relates to the market's difficult relationship with uncertainty and estimating the potential value of new technologies, new products, new resources, new firms or new entrepreneurial capabilities.
With a budget of close to €3 billion over the period 2014-2020, the EIC Accelerator Pilot is taking innovation in SMEs to the next level, by granting tailored support to SMEs that have ground-breaking ideas with a high market potential, paving the way of the future for the well-being of Europe's economy and society.
The Horizon 2020 work programme related to "Innovation in SMEs", implemented in its last three years (2018-2020) SME project funding, so that around 4000 SMEs received funding under the EIC SME instrument call. Since October 2017 the SME Instrument became part of the European Innovation Council pilot (EIC pilot), which included the SME Instrument, the EIC Fast Track to Innovation (FTI), Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)-Open and EIC Horizon Prizes. Horizon 2020 - Work Programme 2018-2020 - EIC (pdf)
The new EU Work Programme Horizon Europe (#HorizonEU) will also continue with the SME Instrument, within its EIC European Innovation Council in #HorizonEU Pillar 3. Check the link below for updated information about the #HorizonEU programme. Horizon Europe 2021-2027
REACH Innovation can support you and your company in several ways within the EIC "Innovation in SMEs" Work Programme. Our specific services for EU Project Proposal Preparation, Dissemination & Project Management could be of great help to you!
Contact us and let REACH help you reach your targets!