Enhancing synergies between the EIC and Startup Europe
European Comission
Scope :
To support scaling up of companies in Europe, the EIC is seeking to build synergies with the wider European startup ecosystem via a second wave of actions under the Commission’s Startup Europe initiative. The actions will act as a catalyst to fulfil the potential of European startups, in delivering market-ready applications and technology solutions that can contribute to the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of EU industry in key technology areas and value chains.
Actions will reinforce the activities of the European Innovation Council by targeting digital and deep tech startups that have received support from EIC to support their scale up in Europe. The actions can support also deep tech startups not yet been supported by the EIC, including startups that have already received private investment or EU funding (e.g. under Horizon Europe or the Digital Europe Programme), and raise their awareness of the opportunities on offer from the EIC. It is foreseen that the targeted startup communities will contribute to development of applications that foster climate-neutrality, digital and circular economy, clean industry and user-centric technology development, while also encouraging inclusiveness, and incorporating European social and ethical values.
Connecting local digital and deep tech startup ecosystems and supporting crossborder acceleration activities for startups. Among the startups ecosystems to be connected, specific attention will be given to including of ecosystems in Widening countries.
Actions should also ensure the integration of startups with the Digital Europe Programme (for example from European Digital Innovation Hubs), the non-EIC parts of Horizon Europe (for example leveraging the Innovation Radar intelligence) and national programmes targeting startups. Actions should be published on the Startup Europe one-stop-shop and where relevant in the EIC Community, raise broad awareness of support for startups, while knowledge generated by the project(s) should contribute to EIC Business Acceleration Services and the general activities of the EIC Forum. Special attention will be given to support digital and deep tech startups and scaleups, wherever they are situated in Europe, to access innovation procurement opportunities (public or corporate procurers).
For more details, including the expected outcome and impact, see the EIC Work Programme 2022.
- Admissibility conditions:
Proposals must be submitted before the call deadline.
Proposals must be submitted electronically directly via the Funding & Tender Opportunities portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the call topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section); or indirectly via the EIC Community Platform where applicants will be redirected to the Portal. Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be readable, accessible, printable and complete (contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents) and must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Electronic Submission System.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the Submission System and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The page limits and sections subject to limits will be clearly shown in the application templates and must be respected. Excess pages will be automatically made invisible, and will not be taken into consideration by the evaluators.
In no circumstances can the same costs be financed twice by the budget (article 191 of the Financial Regulation). Applicants will be asked at a later stage for further documents (for legal entity validation, financial capacity check, bank account validation, etc.).
- Eligible countries:
In order to be eligible for funding, the applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries :
Member States (including overseas countries and territories or OCTs
Eligible non-EU countries, including Associated Countries
- Other eligibility conditions:
Eligible entities: Startup ecosystem builders, business angel organisations, venture capital entities, accelerators, incubators, startup associations
Applications for Coordination and Support actions may be submitted by one or more legal entities, which may be established in a Member State, Associated Country, or in exceptional cases and if provided for in the specific call conditions, in another third country.
Concerning eligible associated countries and third countries, please see Annex 3 of the EIC Work Programme 2022 (EIC WP 2022).
- Financial and operational capacity and exclusion:
Financial capacity
The financial capacity check will be done on the basis of the documents you will be requested to upload in the Participant Register during grant preparation (e.g. profit and loss account and balance sheet, business plan, audit report produced by an approved external auditor, certifying the accounts for the last closed financial year, etc.). The analysis will be based on neutral financial indicators, but will also take into account other aspects, such as dependency on EU funding and deficit and revenue in previous years.
The check will normally only be done for the coordinator and if the requested grant amount is more than EUR 500 000, except for:
public bodies (entities established as public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations, and
cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low-value grant).
For more information, see Rules on Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment .
Operational capacity
This assessment of operational capacity will be carried out during the evaluation of the award criterion ‘quality and efficiency of the implementation’, on the basis of the competence and experience of the applicants and their project teams, including its operational resources (human, technical and other) or, exceptionally, the measures proposed to obtain it by the time of the implementation of the tasks.
If the evaluation of this award criterion leads a score above the applicable threshold, then the applicants are considered to have sufficient operational capacity.
Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempted from the operational capacity check.
Exclusion
Applicants that are subject to EU administrative sanctions (i.e. exclusion) or are in one of the following exclusion situations banning them from receiving EU grants can NOT participate:
- bankruptcy, winding up, affairs administered by the courts, arrangement with creditors, suspended business activities or other similar procedures (including procedures for persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts),
- they are in breach of social security or tax obligations (including if done by persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts),
- they are guilty of grave professional misconduct (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant),
- they are guilty of fraud, corruption, having links to a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes (including terrorism financing), child labour or human trafficking (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant),
- they have shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations under an EU procurement contract, grant agreement or grant decision (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant),
- they are guilty of irregularities within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Regulation No 2988/95 (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant), or
- they have created under a different jurisdiction an entity with the intent to circumvent fiscal, social or other legal obligations in the country of origin or created another entity with this purpose (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant).
Applicants will also be refused if it turns out that:
- during the award procedure they misrepresented information required as a condition for participating or failed to supply that information, or
- they were previously involved in the preparation of the call and this entails a distortion of competition that cannot be remedied otherwise (conflict of interest).
For more information on the rules for exclusion, please see Articles 136 ans 141 of the EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046 .
- Evaluation and award:
See Annex 2. D. of EIC Work Programme 2022 (EIC WP 2022) .
- Specific conditions:
Indicative budget:
EUR 6 million for 3-4 Coordination and Support Actions with a duration of 2 years (2023-2024).
This action may include financial support to third parties (FSTP). To the contrary of the previous call, the use of the FSTP scheme is optional. In case applicants opt for using the FSTP scheme, at least 75% of the total proposed budget must be allocated to it.
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE CSA)
[ Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
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](https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/guidance-document-horizon-eic-2022-startupeu01-en.pdf)[ NEW: Guidance document for applicants](https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/guidance-document-horizon-eic-2022-startupeu01-en.pdf)
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 3. Research Infrastructures
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 4. Health
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 5. Culture, creativity and inclusive society
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 6. Civil Security for Society
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 10. European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE)
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 12. Missions
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual