The European Council announced on Tuesday 7 June that 74 innovative companies from 18 states had been selected to benefit from the first wave of support from the European Innovation Council Accelerator (EIC Accelerator) for the year 2022.
The EIC is the European programme dedicated to innovation established under Horizon Europe.
The European Commission announced that 1,093 start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises from 35 states applied for this first selection before 23 March 2022. 266 companies were selected by a remote jury. An independent jury of investors and entrepreneurs then selected 74 innovative companies.
€382 million in funding will be made available to these 74 companies. The funds will be available in the form of grants covering eligible costs during the innovation phase and in the form of investments (direct interest or quasi-equity). Each of the 74 selected companies will be eligible for grants and/or equity investments of up to €17.5 million.
Among the 266 companies, those that have not been selected for Accelerator funding will nevertheless be able to benefit from support in their search for funding and will be awarded a seal of excellence.
The next deadlines for innovative firms wishing to access Accelerator funding in 2022 are 15 June and 5 October. (Original version in French by Emilie Vanderhulst)