Innovation Programmes
Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator ‒ Call 3
Continue innovating and scale-up your SME
The Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator is part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs. The partnership is co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.
The Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator is designed to help startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have completed, or are about to complete, a Eurostars-3-funded project to continue growing and developing. The scheme enables you to skip the first step (short proposal) and move directly to the second step (full proposal) of the EIC Accelerator.
Countries
About this call
EIC Accelerator
The EIC Accelerator supports startups, SMEs, and small mid-caps to scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones. The programme provides a unique combination of grant and investment funding, along with coaching, mentoring, and access to investors and corporates. Run by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), the programme focuses on deep tech innovation and patient capital. In 2025, 634 million euro has been allocated to the EIC Accelerator.
Eureka Network has partnered with EISMEA to create the Fast Track as part of the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs.
Fast Track advantages
The Fast Track has several important advantages:
- By skipping the first step of the EIC Accelerator application, you will compete against fewer companies.
- Eureka’s expert evaluators will review your project and provide you with detailed feedback.
- You may pitch your project to an EIC expert panel, facilitating your preparation for the formal EIC Accelerator pitch.
- You will receive a no-risk evaluation of your project idea, gaining an extra shot to the EIC Accelerator.
Who can apply
To apply, your company must meet several eligibility criteria:
- Be a legal entity established in an EU Member State, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Türkiye or the United Kingdom.
- Be a single startup, SME or a small mid-cap.
- Have successfully completed a Eurostars-3 project in the 2 years preceding the Fast Track submission deadline or be in a Eurostars-3 project finishing, at most, 6 months after the Fast Track submission deadline. A Eurostars-3 project is a project approved after applying to a Eurostars-3 call for projects with a deadline on or after 4 November 2021.
- Have an innovative business concept resulting from your Eurostars-3 project.
- Possess or have rights to the intellectual property your innovation is based on.
- Have submitted complete documentation as requested in the application phase.
Timeline
- Call opens: 18 August 2025, 09:00 CET
- Submission deadline: 12 September 2025, 14:00 CET
Country information
Austria 🇦🇹
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The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Belgium (Brussels) 🇧🇪
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Innoviris may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Belgium (Flanders) 🇧🇪
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Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Belgium (Wallonia) 🇧🇪
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Service Public de Wallonie (SPW)-Research may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Bulgaria 🇧🇬
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Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Croatia 🇭🇷
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The Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Cyprus 🇨🇾
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The Research Innovation Foundation (RIF) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
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The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (MŠMT) and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Denmark 🇩🇰
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The Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Estonia 🇪🇪
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Enterprise Estonia (EAS) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Finland 🇫🇮
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Business Finland may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
France 🇫🇷
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Bpifrance may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Germany 🇩🇪
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The Project Management Agency (DLR) on behalf of Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Greece 🇬🇷
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The General Secretariat for Research and Technology may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Hungary 🇭🇺
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The National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Iceland 🇮🇸
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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce through the Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannìs) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Ireland 🇮🇪
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Enterprise Ireland may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Israel 🇮🇱
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The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Italy 🇮🇹
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The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) and the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Latvia 🇱🇻
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The Latvian Council of Science (LZP) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Lithuania 🇱🇹
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The Research Council of Lithuania may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Luxembourg 🇱🇺
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Luxinnovation may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Malta 🇲🇹
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Malta Enterprise may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
The Netherlands 🇳🇱
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The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Norway 🇳🇴
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The Research Council of Norway (RCN) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Poland 🇵🇱
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The National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Portugal 🇵🇹
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The Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Romania 🇷🇴
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The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Slovakia 🇸🇰
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The Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic (MESRS SR) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Slovenia 🇸🇮
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The Ministry of the Higher Education, Science and Innovation may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Spain 🇪🇸
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The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Sweden 🇸🇪
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Vinnova (Sweden’s Innovation Agency) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Switzerland 🇨🇭
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Innosuisse (the Swiss Innovation Agency) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
Türkiye 🇹🇷
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The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
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Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) may be able to provide additional information and support, especially for companies that have passed the Fast Track selection process.
How to apply
Application process
- Create an account on our application portal and select the open call you want to apply to.
- Complete an application form, containing 6 sections, and a pitch deck of up to 10 slides that briefly present the company and solution in English.
- The highest scoring applicants will be invited to pitch their business idea to a panel of 3 experts from the EIC expert pool.
- After the conclusion of the pitching sessions, the panel will make a GO/NO GO decision on each application.
- EISMEA will invite the awardees to submit a full proposal to the EIC Accelerator to one of the cut-off dates in the following 12 months.
How applications are evaluated
Applications are remotely evaluated on the basis of:
- Excellence
- Novelty and breakthrough nature of the innovation: Is the proposed innovation highly novel, deep tech breakthrough compared to existing solutions?
- Technology Readiness Level: Is there sufficient demonstration that the innovation has completed all aspects of TRL 5 (validation in a relevant environment for the application of the technology) and therefore the innovation is currently at TRL 6?
- Timing: Is the innovation at the cutting edge of new market, societal or technological trends?
- Impact
- Competitiveness and demand: Is the innovation better than what the competition proposes, and is the solution bringing sufficient added value to trigger demand from potential customers?
- Market development: Does the innovation have the potential to develop new markets or significantly transform existing ones?
- Broader impact: Will the innovation, if successfully commercialised achieve positive societal, economic, environmental or climate impacts?
Online pitching sessions are evaluated based on the same criteria. The final selection
is determined by the panel:
- If the panel believes that the overall idea is outstanding, and it has potential to become an excellent project with high impact in the market, the company receives a GO.
- If the panel believes that the idea requires significant improvement before it can have an impact on the market, the company receives NO GO.
The maximum number of Fast Track applicants who can be awarded access to the EIC Accelerator full proposal stage in this call is 20.
More information
Events
We held a briefing webinar for applicants on 18 August. You can register to watch a recording via this link.
