Organiser
European Innovation Council & Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA)

Budget

Lump sum from €300K to €500K to support early stage development of future technologies. 70 % of eligible cost of the project. The remaining 30% should be co-funded by the beneficiary through its own resources. Grant for maximum 2 years. Total budget EUR 20 million.

Key dates and deadline

Deadline model single-stage Opening date 12 June 2025 Deadline date 18 November 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Details

The pilot EIC Pre-Accelerator call is a joint scheme between the European Innovation Council and the Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA) programme. It is funded under the WIDERA Work Programme 2025. The aim of the call is to boost the innovation potential of early-stage deep-tech startups in widening countries by enhancing their business, investor, and technology readiness to secure funding from different sources. The objective is to raise the readiness of high potential deep-tech startups in widening countries to a level where they will: be successful in applying and attracting the EIC Accelerator funding and/or manage to secure other private investment and/or attract successfully national and regional funding (e.g. through national Seal of Excellence programmes).

Eligibility

Mono-beneficiary (SME or small mid-cap) from Horizon Europe widening countries which; - have high-impact innovation that could create new markets or disrupt existing ones (technology validated in the lab – at least TRL 4); - possess the necessary Intellectual Property Rights to ensure freedom to operate and adequate protection of the idea; - have a clear vision on the intended pathway to market (milestones together with concrete and verifiable KPIs to assess progress towards the market); - have the ambition and commitments to scale up.

Additional information

Extensive support - Free access to tailored Business Acceleration Services to improve investor readiness (coaching, one-to-one services) and outreach (participation to bootcamps and pitching sessions) - Access to the Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator scheme - Seals of Excellence to be awarded, accompanied by free access to BAS.

How to apply?

https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-pre-accelerator_en