Deadline: 23-Mar-22
The European Commission (EC) is inviting proposals for European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Challenge: Technologies for Open Strategic Autonomy.
Scope
This EIC Accelerator Challenge identifies the following set of key strategic areas and corresponding specific objectives for which highly innovative start-ups and SMEs are invited to propose new technologies, pioneering solutions and breakthrough innovations:
- Components, technologies and systems for the pharmaceutical industry to ensure security of supply including through synthetic biology and novel manufacturing technologies;
- Strategic healthcare technologies building on Europe’s research strengths in cell and gene therapies, including ribonucleic acid (RNA) based therapies to ensure EU leadership;
- Sustainable and innovative approaches, including circular approaches to critical raw materials (CRM) for new sources of supply/extraction, processing, use, recovery or replacement aimed at improving efficiency use, so reducing EU dependency on external providers, and to build EU capacity at all stages of the raw materials value chains;
- New applications of quantum technologies on the ground and in space building on Europe’s research strengths including the Quantum Flagship to put EU at the forefront of the second quantum revolution and leader in the deployment of such technologies as well as to support the EU Secure Connectivity initiative;
- Edge computing applications including new business models to foster EU leading role in their development;
- Innovative applications making use of data and signals from EU space infrastructures (Galileo, Copernicus, etc.) to ensure more prominent exploitation of newly available functionalities creating opportunities for breakthrough innovations across multiple downstream sectors;
- Development of space technologies, including those needing in-orbit demonstration (IOD) / in-orbit validation (IOV) services, for space transportation, telecommunications, satellite navigation, earth and ocean observation, space surveillance and tracking as well as on-orbit services, in support of EU competitiveness and non-dependence;
- Critical security technologies for secure communication, data security and protection of borders (while respecting fundamental human rights and freedoms such as the rights to privacy and data protection) to ensure safeguarding of EU and citizens’ interests.
- Technologies for innovative financial and payment infrastructures and services supporting the development of pan-European payment solutions, as enabler for the digitalization of Europe’s economy.
Funding Information
Applications to this EIC Accelerator Challenge may request an investment component of above EUR 15 million in duly justified cases.
Expected Impacts
- The expected impact of this Challenge is a significant reduction of the European dependency on other regions for deep-tech innovations and services of EU key strategic interest, and consequently strengthening of European competitiveness, security and open strategic autonomy.
- This EIC Accelerator Challenge targets highly innovative SMEs (including start-ups, spinouts) and small midcaps from any sector provided that they are developing innovative solutions within key strategic areas, in order to be ahead of the evolution of the related technologies and capture the competitive advantages they can yield, accelerating their deployment and adoption within value chains.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to apply you must meet one of the following eligibility conditions:
- A single company classified as a SME and established within a Member State or an Associated Country;
- A single company classified as a ‘Small mid-cap’ (up to 500 employees) established in a Member State or an Associated Country, but your application can only be for rapid scale up purposes (e.g. Technology Readiness Level 9) and only for the investment component;
- One or more natural persons (including individual entrepreneurs) or legal entities, which are either:
- from a Member State or an Associated Country (for Associated Countries other than EEA, this possibility will be subject to the related association agreements) intending to establish an SME or small mid-cap in a Member State or Associated Country by the time of signing the Accelerator contract or, in the case blended finance is awarded, at the latest when agreeing on its investment component;
- intending to invest in an SME or small mid-cap in a Member State or an Associated Country and who may submit a proposal on behalf of that SME or small mid-cap, provided that a prior agreement exist with the company. The contract will be signed with the beneficiary company only;
- from a non-associated third country intending to establish an SME (including start-ups) or to relocate an existing SME to a Member State or an Associated Country, by the time of submitting a full application. Your company must prove its effective establishment in a Member State or an Associated Country. The Commission may set specific conditions and milestones in the contract to ensure that the interest of the Union is met.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3sP3D0B