EIC COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS ACCELERATION SERVICES
Coaches undergo a rigorous selection process and are thoroughly vetted before being included in a list from which they can be chosen for coaching assignments. They must meet essential experience criteria that are published in the Call for Expression of Interest for EIC Coaches. For more information, please see the following link:
It is not possible for applicants or beneficiaries to propose a coach who is not already on the EIC Coaches list. This is because all coaches must undergo a selection process and have their expertise evaluated against specific criteria before being approved for inclusion in the list. The procedure for selecting a coach is as follows:
First, use the Coach Matching Tool to pick up to 6 coaches you think are a good fit. We will then email them to check if they are available. Link: https://eic.eismea.eu/mydashboard/mycoaching
Here are the next steps:
(Optional) You can have a short "chemistry call" with the coaches who are available to see if you work well together.
After the call (or even without one), you choose your final coach.
Your chosen coach will then write a coaching plan for you in our Casetracker system.
Once you approve the plan, our team at EISMEA will make the contract, and your coaching can begin.
If you need any help during this process, please email our Coaching team at EISMEA-COACHING
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EISMEA-COACHING[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).
Beneficiaries of the EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition programs who have signed a grant agreement are eligible for 12 days of coaching paid by EIC. In cases where a consortium implements the project, its members, in consultation with their project officer, will decide which beneficiary(ies) receive the coaching services.
Unlike the EIC Accelerator, applicants of the EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition programs do not receive EIC business coaching after passing the first step of evaluation to aid in preparing for subsequent proposal evaluations or interviews.
An EIC business coach, working through online interactions, will primarily evaluate your business goals and test your assumptions. They guide you in identifying areas for improvement, focusing on learning and resolving business development challenges. Coaching covers a wide range of topics based on your business needs, for example evaluating your value proposition and business model, enhancing strategy and investor 41 business case, . While this coaching support is not mandatory for proposal development, it is highly recommended. You will always remain fully responsible yourself for the content of your proposal. EIC coaching assignments cannot be used for proposal writing or other consultancy activities.
The business development coaching is available for various EIC target groups and will be tailor made to deliver the expected outcome. As an example:
- For EIC Accelerator applicants (full application stage) and Seal-of-Excellence and Sovereignty STEP seal holders, your objective may be to improve the value proposition and investor pitch.
- For EIC Pathfinder beneficiaries the objective may be to discover innovation opportunities and to provide insight in your entrepreneurship potential.
- For EIC Transition beneficiaries the objective may be to get to know the industry and to create a value proposition.
- For EIC Accelerator start-ups and scale-ups, your objective may be to improve your business plan, the strategy implementation and a faster market entry.
- In the EIC Women Leadership Programme, Coaching is offered to help you tackle potential glass ceiling issues.
For EIC Accelerator applicants, Seal-of-Excellence and Sovereignty STEP Seal holders, three days of coaching are offered. For the EIC beneficiaries financed under the EIC Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator Programmes, 96 coaching hours are offered in separate blocks of 24 coaching hours.
You will all receive an invitation to select a coach, as soon as you become eligible to the service.
To select a coach please use this link: https://eic.eismea.eu/mydashboard/mycoaching
Should you encounter any technical difficulties, feel free to reach out to EISMEA-COACHINGec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EISMEA-COACHING[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) for assistance.
Business Acceleration Services are tailored as much as possible to the EIC beneficiaries’ needs and aim to guarantee the best match possible with relevant business partners. This is why most offered EIC services will have a certain selection process based on specific criteria relevant to the specific event or service.
If this is the case, the criteria and the selection process are announced in the event publication and/or the registration website. If there are no selection criteria, the event may also be based on a ‘first come first serve’ basis or an unlimited attendance approach. Please check out any details in this regard in the event publication (on the EIC Community Platform or Calendar on the EIC website, EIC BAS section).
Please note as well that even if your grant or EIC funding is contractually finished, you are still eligible and invited to apply to the EIC BAS services.
You are entitled to three days of coaching to be used whenever you need them. You are only entitled to the coaching services once. Therefore, you may choose to use them directly after the short proposal to prepare your full proposal for the first time. You may also choose to apply for the full proposal without using a coach and should you be rejected; you can use the coach to prepare your resubmission. If you passed the short proposal evaluation, you may use this link to reach the coach selection dashboard: https://eic.eismea.eu/mydashboard/mycoaching.
Important: Please choose your coach and start your coaching at least 4 weeks before the deadline for your Stage 2 application.
Should you encounter any technical difficulties, feel free to reach out to eicsupport [dot] eismea [dot] eu (eic[at]support[dot]eismea[dot]eu) for assistance.
Business Acceleration Services form an integral part of the EIC calls and are offered for free (in-kind) to eligible EIC funded projects and companies, EIC Accelerator applicants invited to prepare a full proposal (successfully passed short proposal), Women Tech EU Awardees, Seal of Excellence as well as to innovators and companies coming from other European or national initiatives that have entered into a specific agreement with the EIC.
Nevertheless, if the event or service requires travel or accommodation those are to be taken care of by the attendee. If the grant is still ongoing, the beneficiary can support and deduct these costs from the grant. For the EIC funded companies and projects, there are possibilities to claim those costs under your current grant, please contact your project officer in this regard.
Regarding services from EIC ecosystem partners that are available through the searchable EIC Service Catalogue on the EIC Community Platform, some are offered for free as other would require financial compensation. Eligible EIC funded projects and companies can request a financial support to cover up to 50% of costs of EIC partners’ services through the EIC Access+ scheme., within a threshold of up to €60000.
EIC BAS Global Offer is presented and available via the EIC Community Platform. You will find there an open call section, an event/service agenda and information relevant to application/expression of interest to participate in each individual BAS. To access services from the EIC ecosystem partners, you can consult the searchable EIC Service catalogue also available through the EIC Community Platform. Access to some services, like specific expertise and advice, is triggered through the project review process or programme manager.
The EIC Community Platform is an exclusive, virtual business platform, where EIC innovators can connect and leverage potential business partnerships. It gathers all innovative companies and innovators funded under the European Innovation Council covering the EIC Accelerator, EIC Transition, EIC Pathfinder, Seal of Excellence and Sovereignty STEP seal holders and Women TechEU programs. 43
If you are... an EIC awardee, access a one-stop-shop to:
- If you already accepted our invitation to join the EIC Community Platform, log in with your ECAS credentials choosing Already a member on the home page.
- If you are not registered, choose Register on the home page and use your ECAS credentials to sign in.
- Create a personal and company profile;
- Use the powerful search engine to find like-minded companies;
- Promote your achievements: you can publish your own news or reach out to us via the Helpdesk (https://eic.eismea.eu/community/contact) to support you;
- Expand networks with EIC ecosystem partners and access their services through the EIC Service catalogue;
- Promote interesting other events to the EIC Community;
- Apply to our EIC Partner Calls and get access to special offers for the EIC Community;
To have access to these sections, you will be requested to log in using your EU Login username and password. If you do not have one, you can create your EU Login here. If you are funded by the European Innovation Council, it may be that your user profile has been already automatically registered. In this case, just log in with EU Login username and password and you are already in!
Not part of the internal EIC Network yet? Access the public side of the EIC Community Platform and find:
- The most relevant news, success stories, open calls and events promoted by the EIC Business Acceleration Services are available outside the platform;
- Spread the words: share the great news with your network: you can do it directly on your digital page.
The EIC Business Acceleration Services Newsletter is your go-to source for the latest updates on open calls for applications, inspiring success stories, exclusive interviews, partner calls and other engaging news.
To stay up to date, subscribe to the EIC Business Acceleration Services Newsletter here.
The EIC Pre-accelerator aims to increase the innovation potential of early-stage deep tech startups from Horizon Europe widening countries.
The grant funding is specifically focused on enabling these companies to develop their technology, business & investment readiness to levels that would allow them to successfully attract funding from EIC Accelerator or other sources.
In addition, the Pre-Accelerator call awardees will receive access to EIC Community platform and dedicated business acceleration training services such as 12 days of coaching, participation in bootcamps and pitching sessions.
The successful pre-accelerator companies will be also eligible for the EIC Accelerator Fast Track.
The Pre-Accelerator call was launched in June 2025 under the Horizon Europe widening work programme (WIDERA), and subject to decisions taken for said work programme.
Additional FAQs are available here: EIC Frequently asked questions - European Innovation Council