Are you an EIC Awardee or a Seal of Excellence holder seeking specialised support to scale your innovation? The EIC ACCESS+ Open Call offers co-financing of up to EUR 60 000 to help you access expert services through the EIC Service Catalogue. Read on to see if your company qualifies, how to apply and make the most of this opportunity!
🎥 Watch the video guide: How to apply for EIC ACCESS+
About EIC ACCESS+
EIC ACCESS+ is an initiative under the EIC Business Acceleration Services aimed at supporting deep-tech innovators—start-ups, SMEs, and research teams—with tailored assistance to tackle their most pressing scaling and go-to-market challenges.
By facilitating access to the EIC Service Catalogue, a curated platform of specialised partners, EIC ACCESS+ enables beneficiaries to leverage veted business and innovation services with co-financing of up to 50% of service costs, capped at EUR 60 000 per applicant.
Who can apply?
The call is open to:
- EIC Awardees from the EIC Pathfinder, Transition, and Accelerator schemes (under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe)
- Seal of Excellence holders under Horizon Europe
- Spin-offs from EIC Awardees, with documented confirmation from the original project coordinator
To be eligible, applicants must be legal entities established in EU Member States or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.
📝 Check the full eligibility details on the EIC ACCESS+ website.
Service packages
Applicants may choose from four service packages, each addressing different innovation needs:
1. Research package
- Access to Infrastructure and R&D support
- Prototyping and Proof of Concept (PoC)
Maximum co-funding: EUR 60 000
2. Business acceleration
- Acceleration, incubation and venture building
- Business planning
- Matchmaking and internationalisation
Maximum co-funding: EUR 30 000
3. Skills improvement
- Coaching and mentoring
- HR and talent development
Maximum co-funding: EUR 10 000
4. Access to funds
- IP strategy and legal support
- Due diligence
- Support fundraising
Maximum co-funding: EUR 30 000
All services must be sourced from providers listed in the EIC Service Catalogue.
How does it work?
- The maximum grant amount is EUR 60 000 per beneficiary, covering a maximum of 50% of the cost.
- Applications can be submitted before 31 May 2026.
- Use of the services must be completed by 30 June 2026.
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis every two weeks by a dedicated selection committee.
- Grants up to EUR 10 000 are paid in a single instalment post-completion.
- Grants above EUR 10 000 are disbursed in two instalments: 50% pre-financing and 50% upon service conclusion.
- Approximately 180 companies will be supported over the course of the call.
- A short impact report and satisfaction survey are required at the end of service delivery.
How to apply
- Check eligibility and select your service(s) from the EIC Service Catalogue. For more guidance on this step, access the article on how to choose a service provider.
- Create a profile on the EIC ACCESS+ Community Hub.
- Complete and submit the online application form, detailing your service needs, objectives, and expected impact.
⏳ Applications are timestamped and prioritised on a first-come, first-served basis, so do not delay! Apply now at eicaccessplus.eu/funding
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.