EIC Accelerator — OpenHORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01
- Deadline
- Two-phase structure. 1) Short proposal: submittable at any time, evaluated in monthly batches (first Tuesday of the month, 5pm Brussels time), with feedback normally given within 4-6 weeks. 2) Full proposal: submittable only after a positive (“GO”) outcome on the short proposal, at the 2026 cut-offs: 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September, 4 November 2026 (5pm Brussels time) — the latter is the last of the six 2026 full-proposal cut-offs, not a single deadline for a first application.
- Application model
- Two-stage: short proposal (rolling, monthly batches), then a full proposal at one of the fixed 2026 cut-off dates below.
EIC Accelerator Open funds the scale-up of innovations the European Innovation Council defines as game-changing, in any technology sector. The targeted technology readiness level is 6 to 8 — a working demonstration, not early research. Funding is blended: a grant of up to €2.5 million combined with an investment component of €1-10 million. The maximum project duration is 24 months.
| Programme | Horizon Europe, Pillar III — European Innovation Council (EIC) |
|---|---|
| Budget | €414 million (Open component of the €634 million total EIC Accelerator 2026 budget). |
| Typical amount | Grant of up to €2.5 million; investment component of €1-10 million (blended grant + equity/quasi-equity financing). |
Last verified by Grantline: 2026-10-20 · Official source ↗
Grantline digest
This page states what this call funds and when it closes. The Grantline digest adds the analysis: who can actually apply, grant or equity, and how it fits against the others.