EIC Accelerator 2026 - Short proposal

EIC Accelerator 2026 - Short proposal is a funding call from European Commission – Horizon Europe that closes 17 December 2026. Funding: Grant component below EUR 2.5 million; EUR 1–10 million equity investment. Eligibility: Single start-ups and SMEs (incl. spin-outs) in EU Member States or associated countries, or individuals planning to set one up; small mid-caps for equity only; UK applicants grant-only (EIC Accelerator page). Short proposals any time; full proposals need a GO.

Funder: European Commission – Horizon Europe
Deadline: 17 Dec 2026 (63 days)
Status: Open
Amount: Grant component below EUR 2.5 million; EUR 1–10 million equity investment
Region / eligibility: EU Member States & Horizon Europe associated countries
Career stage: established / PI, industry / SME
Fields: chemistry
Reference: HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01
Official call: EU Funding & Tenders listing

Eligibility in plain language

Single start-ups and SMEs (incl. spin-outs) in EU Member States or associated countries, or individuals planning to set one up; small mid-caps for equity only; UK applicants grant-only (EIC Accelerator page). Short proposals any time; full proposals need a GO.

Who should apply

Synthetic, physical and analytical chemists — best fit for PIs and research groups or companies and SMEs.

Summary from source

Scope: The EIC Accelerator supports companies (principally SMEs, including start-ups) to scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones. The EIC Accelerator provides a unique combination of grant and investment funding and Business Acceleration Services (see Section VII of EIC Work Programme 2026). The EIC Accelerator focuses in particular on innovations building on scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’). Such innovations often struggle to attract financing because the risks and time period involved are too high. Funding and support from the EIC Accelerator is designed to enable such innovators to attract the full investment amounts needed for scale up in a shorter timeframe. The EIC Accelerator su…

Raw eligibility text

General conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout To be an eligible applicant to EIC Accelerator, you must apply as one of the following eligible entities: a single company classified as a SME, and established within a Member State or an Associated Country (see Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026); or a single company classified as a small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established in a Member State or an Associated Country, but only for exceptional cases for rapid scale up purposes; or one or more natural persons (including individual entrepreneurs) or legal entities, which are either: a. from a Member State or an Associated Country intending to establish an SME or small mid-cap (as defined above) in a Member State or Associated Country by the time of signing the EIC Accelerator grant agreement or, in case the equity only is awarded, at the latest at the date of signature of the agreement on its investment component; b. intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap established in a Member State or an Associated Country and may submit a proposal on behalf of that SME or small mid-cap, provided that a prior agreement exists with the company. The grant agreement and/or the investment agreement will be signed with the beneficiary/final recipient of funding company only; or c. from a non-associated third country intending to establish an SME (including start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or an Associated Country. Your compan