Horizon Europe: EU simplifies application process for EIC Accelerator

On 6 November, the European Commission adopted the 2026 European Innovation Council (EIC) work programme, making €1.4 billion available to support breakthrough innovation and Europe’s deep tech companies.

The programme introduces a number of improvements to make funding faster, more flexible and better aligned with innovators’ needs.

For example, a simplified application process will be introduced for the EIC Accelerator, reducing full proposals from 50 to 20 pages and moving to evaluation rounds every two months instead of twice a year. The process will also include a clearer assessment of technology readiness to support more efficient investment decisions.

The EIC Accelerator is a funding programme under Horizon Europe that offers support to start-ups and SMEs that have an innovative, game changing product, service or business model that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones in Europe and even worldwide and are looking for substantial funding.

The EIC Accelerator is open to applicants from countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme, including Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The initiative supports single start-ups or SMEs (including spin-outs), small mid-caps (up to 499 employees), and natural persons or legal entities willing to set up an SME or a mid-cap.

The simplified application process means that short proposals may be submitted at any time and will be evaluated remotely by EIC expert evaluators on a first come, first served basis. If your short proposal is approved, you can submit your full proposal to any of the 2026 cut-offs: 

• 7 January 2026,
• 4 March 2026,
• 6 May 2026,
• 8 July 2026,
• 2 September 2026,
• 4 October 2026.

Applications can be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal, which

can also be accessed via the EIC website.

Find out more

Press release

European Innovation Council (EIC) work programme