
EIC support goes far beyond funding. It provides to the EIC top-notch innovators with access to a range of tailor-made high-quality Business Acceleration Services (BAS) helping the scaling up and commercialization of the EIC innovations.
Business Acceleration Services
Under Horizon Europe, at the EIC we strive to ensure that financial support is only the beginning of your journey as an EIC beneficiary, with mechanisms available to bring your innovations to the market and grow your business. As an EIC-supported startup or innovator, you can benefit from access to a range of tailor-made EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS) available at any stage of development of your activities and of the EIC research and innovation cycle.
Who can benefit from these services?
- EIC Awardees from the EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument included), EIC Transition and EIC Pathfinder (FET Active and FET Open included) funding schemes
- Women TechEU awardees (implemented under the ‘European Innovation Ecosystems)
- Members of the EIC Scaling Club
- As an EIC Accelerator applicant invited to prepare a full proposal (successfully passed Step 1), you can benefit from 3 days of remote coaching, and get support with the preparation of the full proposal (Step 2 application).
- Some of the services are also available to companies receiving the Seal of Excellence (under Horizon Europe) as well as to innovators and companies coming from other European or national initiatives that have entered into a specific agreement with the EIC.
The EIC BAS have no expiration date. Even if your project has ended, you are eligible to apply to our services.
EIC Community platform
Our Business Acceleration Services are either developed directly by the EIC or provided through the EIC Ecosystem Partners, and you can access them through the EIC Community Platform. This innovation hub gathers all researchers and entrepreneurs supported by the EIC and connects them with coaches, national contact points, corporates, investors, procurers, EIC staff and other stakeholders with the potential to elevate their business.

Access global partners and innovation ecosystems and apply to Business Acceleration Services. Visit the platform and get started today with your EU Login credentials.
What services are available?
The EIC Business Acceleration Services are structured around three main pillars providing you with access to all that is needed to boost your growth:
- Contracts
- Contacts
- Skills
A. Contracts
Your presence at the EIC is your gateway to matching activities with large corporations, investors, procurers and business partners. In 2021-2024 alone, our programmes led to a total of 230 deals, EUR 362M of investment rounds facilitated through investor outreach and pitching, and 391 FTEs expected from deals signed at trade fairs.
Discover our programmes providing you with access to contracts and boost your business:
- EIC Corporate Partnership Programme: Scale up your business by establishing valuable business collaborations with the largest corporations in Europe
- EIC Innovation Procurement Programme: Elevate your business by accessing procurement markets of leading public and private sector buyers in Europe and at a global level with three initiatives:
- EIC International Trade Fairs Programme: Promote your commercialisation strategy in foreign markets and leverage business opportunities at the most popular trade fairs across the world.
- EIC Investor Readiness and Outreach Programme: Get access to the necessary tools and knowledge to attract investors and scale your ventures.
- EIC Scaling Club: Join an exclusive community of 100+ European high-growth deep-tech champions and their partners.
- InnoNext (Next Generation Innovation Talents): Take your innovations beyond the invention stages and develop your entrepreneurial mindset.
- EIC Soft-landing programme: Expand your business into some of the most innovative hubs in the world supported by local experts and without taking your attention away from their main operations at home.
B. Contacts
As an EIC-supported researcher, innovator or entrepreneur, you can benefit from access to a wide ecosystem network comprising:
- 1,000+ corporates, investors and public buyers
- 600+ coaches and mentors
- 170+ Ecosystem partners
- 100+ experts across areas such as intellectual property, regulation and venture building
Discover our programmes providing you with access to contacts:
- EIC Community Platform: Join an extensive innovation network and establish yourself on the European and global market by connecting with peers and business partners.
EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme: Access specialised sector-focused services offered by EIC Partners.
C. Skills
As an EIC-supported researcher, innovator or entrepreneurs, you can enjoy access to tailor-made coaching, mentoring, expertise and training delivered by specialised providers and adapted to your innovation stage.
Discover our programmes to advance your business skills and take over leadership positions:
- EIC Coaching Programme: Receive coaching and training tailored to your specific needs, starting as early as the stage of proposal preparation (step 2).
- EIC Community Programme: Connect with partners and boost your skills with peer-learning workshops and tailor-made training activities.
- EIC Tech to Market Programme: Accelerate your science-startup project and transition from lab to market through specialised support and Design Thinking methodologies.
- EIC Women Leadership Programme: Strengthen your entrepreneurial skills and expand your network among female leaders with the support of a personal mentor and business coach.
Work with us
The European Innovation Council is open for new collaborations with other business enablers. Check our open calls:
If you are a corporate:
If you are public or private buyer:
If you are an accelerator, incubator, scale-up and/or growth consultant, or a research and training organisation:
If you are an expert, mentor or analyst that want to work with early-stage ventures:
If you are a venture capital fund, corporate venture arm (CVCs), private equity fund, impact fund, angel investor, family office or another type of investor:
Calendar
January
- CES 2025, Las Vegas (USA), 7-11 January
- EIC ACCESS + Info Session #2: Choosing the right EIC Service Catalogue provider, 21 January, online
- EIC Service Catalogue: Ask me anything session on internationalisation and commercialisation to the USA and Asia, online, 28 January
- Science for Industry (S4i), Madrid (Spain), 29-30 January
February
- EIC Winter School, online, 7 and 14 February
- EIC Multi-Corporate Day with Alaian, online, 12 February
- EIC ePitching on Cancer Prevention and Care, online, 25 February
March
- EIC International Trade Fairs: Mobile World Congress, Barcelona (Spain), 3-6 March
- Hello Tomorrow Global Summit, Paris (France), 13-14 March
April
- EIC Community training on artificial intelligence and tools for innovation (side event to the EIC Summit), Brussels (Belgium), 1 April
- Investor Day on Climate Tech, Brussels (Belgium), 2 April
- EIC Summit, Brussels (Belgium), 2-3 April
- EIC Corporate Day with OMV Petrom, Bucharest (Romania), 9-10 April
- GITEX Africa, Marrakech (Morocco), 14-16 April
- EIC Corporate Day with Eurofins, Niefern-Öschelbronn (Germany), 15-16 April
- EIC Corporate Day with Unilever Foundry, Liverpool (UK), 29-30 April
May
- EIC Corporate Day with Thales, Torino (Italy), 20-21 May
- GITEX Europe, Berlin (Germany), 21-23 May
June
- EIC Multi-Corporate Day with Ferrovial, Sacyr, Acciona and Vinci, Madrid (Spain), 3-4 June
- EIC Corporate Day with Clariane, France, 12-13 June
- BIO 2025, Boston (USA), 16-19 June
- EIC Corporate Day with ABB, Bergamo (Italy), 23-24 June
July
- EIC Multi-Corporate Day All4Zero, Madrid (Spain), July (date to be announced)
October
- EIC Corporate Day with P&G and Innovation Roundtable, Brussels (Belgium), 7-8 October
- GITEX Global, Dubai (UAE), 13-17 October
- EIC Corporate Day with Bayer (location and date to be announced)
September
- EIC Corporate Day with B. Braun, Germany, September (date to be announced)
- EIC Corporate Day with Zurich Insurance, September (date to be announced)
November
- Web Summit, Lisbon (Portugal), 10-13 November
- MEDICA, Düsseldorf (Germany), 17-20 November
- Slush, Helsinki (Finland), 19-20 November
- EIC Multi-Corporate Day with Ab InBev and Cargill (location and date to be announced)
Find out more on the EIC Community Platform.
EIC BAS Newsletter
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.
EIC News

- News article
Check out the new batch of companies selected following the EIC Accelerator October 2024 cut-off.
- 2 min read

- News article
Six projects are in the final stage of the fourth edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards.
- 2 min read

- News article
The European Commission is proud to unveil the semi-finalists for the prestigious 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators
- 4 min read