Deadline Date: December 17, 2026
The European Commission has launched the European Innovation Council (EIC) Work Programme 2026 to strengthen the EU’s capacity for breakthrough technologies and innovative companies supporting the green and digital transition.
The EIC was established to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and companies, to achieve the green and digital transition. The EIC Board provides strategic advice for the EIC Work Programme for the period 2021–27 and has recommended six strategic goals with associated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): To be the investor of choice for those with visionary ideas; To crowd in EUR 30–50 billion investment into European deep tech; To pull through high-risk technologies in critical areas for society and open strategic autonomy; To increase the number of European unicorns and scale-ups; To catalyse innovation impacts from European public research and innovation; and To achieve operational excellence.
Grant component below EUR 2.5 million is available for innovation activities (TRL 6 to 8), while an investment component ranging from EUR 1 million up to EUR 10 million supports scaling up and other activities. A grant-only and investment-only component may be provided under certain conditions.
A major simplification and acceleration of the EIC Accelerator evaluation process has been introduced with more frequent proposal batching and enhanced due diligence at the application stage for faster investment decisions. Updates to the EIC STEP Scaleup call reflect lessons from its 2025 implementation, while Business Acceleration Services have been reinforced for internationalisation and corporate engagement, in line with the Startup and Scaleup Strategy. The Work Programme also supports a regular Gender and Diversity Innovation Index, following successful pilot projects, and introduces updates to the Plug-In scheme after completion of its pilot phase (2023–25).
Eligible applicants to the EIC Accelerator include single companies classified as SMEs established in a Member State or Associated Country, small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) in exceptional scale-up cases, or natural/legal persons intending to establish or invest in such companies. Applicants from non-associated third countries may also apply if they commit to establishing an SME within the EU or an Associated Country before proposal submission or agreement signing.
For more information, visit European Commission.
