On 24 June 2025, EIC ACCESS+ hosted its second peer-learning workshop, bringing together EIC Ecosystem Partners and EIC-backed innovators for a dynamic exchange aimed at aligning the offers available in the EIC Service Catalogue with the EIC beneficiaries’ needs, and enhancing their visibility. This session built upon the outcomes of the first peer learning workshop held during the EIC Partners Day at the EIC Summit 2025, further deepening the collective reflection on how to bridge the gap between deep-tech innovators and the tailored support services they need to scale.
Collaborative dialogue and co-design
The workshop began with welcome remarks from Gisela Santos, Project Adviser at the EIC, and a short presentation from Tedora Aibu from the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme. Both emphasised the vital role of educational marketing in addressing the unique communication challenges within the deep-tech innovation community.
The session featured an insightful presentation outlining the core findings from previous discussions, underscoring the shift from traditional promotional strategies to an educational approach aimed at building trust and communicating the value of the services offered.
Following an introductory presentation by the EIC ACCESS+ team, the participants joined five working groups where they exchanged perspectives on service visibility and ways to strengthen interaction with between EIC beneficiaries and EIC Ecosystem Partners.
The group discussions focused on expressing critical needs, collaboration experiences, setting priorities for future thematic sessions, and identifying value-driven communication formats.
Towards a new series of knowledge-driven sessions
The concluding plenary brought together the contributions of all groups and sketched the next steps for a series of community-oriented knowledge sessions, which will engage interested EIC Service Providers.
As the EIC ACCESS+ Open Call continues to provide up to EUR 60 000 in co-financing for accessing services listed in the EIC Service Catalogue, it becomes increasingly vital that beneficiaries are well-informed, confident, and strategic in their service selection.
Workshops such as this one play a key role in reinforcing that objective, empowering both sides of the ecosystem to collaborate more effectively and move beyond transactional interactions towards meaningful, value-based partnerships.
The second EIC ACCESS+ Peer Learning Workshop reinforced the importance of moving beyond visibility as a goal and embracing value-centred, tailor-made and educational approaches to engagement. By fostering mutual understanding and collaboration, the EIC ACCESS+ initiative continues to bridge the gap between services and the deep-tech ventures they are meant to empower.
EIC ACCESS+: Supporting Europe’s deep-tech Innovators with co-financed access to specialised services
The EIC ACCESS+ project, an initiative of the EIC Business Acceleration Services, launched an open call offering up to EUR 60 000 in grants, covering up to 50% of the costs to access specialised services from the EIC Service Catalogue. The call is open until 31 May 2026.
Who can apply?
The open call is open to EIC Awardees (from the EIC Pathfinder, Transition, and Accelerator schemes) and Seal of Excellence holders (under the Horizon Europe Programme). The EIC Awardees from the EU countries or the Associate Countries are encouraged to apply. Check the eligibility criteria for the Open call on the EIC ACCESS+ website.
Learn how to apply for funding on the EIC ACCESS+ website or watch the guide🎥
Read the Open call launch details on the EIC Community.
About the EIC Service Catalogue
The EIC Service Catalogue is brought to you by the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme, part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services. This programme is creating a network of partner organisations to address one of the greatest challenges for EIC innovators: accessing specialised sector-focused services. By forging new strategic partnerships with key actors such as business accelerators, incubators, and research and training organisations, the EIC helps its innovators access their resources, facilities and expertise so that no individual need is left unaddressed. These offers are then listed in the EIC Service Catalogue, a searchable platform through which EIC beneficiaries and Seal of Excellence holders can explore the service offers from the EIC Partners.
For any questions or technical issues concerning the programme, please contact us through the EIC Community’s contact page with the subject ‘EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme’, or contact our helpdesk at eicpartnerships-helpdesk@eic-bas.eu.
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DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.