EIC ACCESS+ Open Call is now officially closed
July 23, 2026
The EIC ACCESS+ Open Call is now closed and is no longer accepting applications. The full grant budget of EUR 3.45 million has been committed to EIC-backed innovators for access to specialised expertise, infrastructure and business support through the EIC Service Catalogue.
Twenty months after its launch on 1 November 2024, the EIC ACCESS+ Open Call has closed after enabling 233 eligible organisations to receive grants covering up to 50% of the cost of services provided by EIC Ecosystem Partners. Beneficiaries could access one or several services, with cumulative financial support of up to EUR 60 000 per organisation or project.
The closure marks the successful completion of the application phase. The EIC ACCESS+ team will continue to work with approved beneficiaries through service implementation and reporting while showcasing selected results and success stories from across the supported portfolio.
A look at the numbers
Since its launch, the EIC ACCESS+ Open call has received over 300 completed applications, of which 233 have been approved for funding. Out of the supported organisations, 35% were women-founded and 59% women-led. Through the open call, 90 EIC Ecosystem Partners were contracted for their services. Overall service satisfaction rate from the beneficiaries who have already finished the service implementation is 4.4/5.
The most requested services included fundraising (23.7%), business planning (13.8%), IP support (15.5%), internationalisation (14.7%) and matchmaking (14.2%), underlining the importance of complementing financial support for innovation with access to business expertise, market knowledge, intellectual property assistance, investment readiness and specialised technical infrastructure.
The programme also encouraged international collaboration, with 65% of the applicants choosing to work with the EIC Ecosystem Partners located in a different country.
Coming up next: A new initiative by the EIC Business Acceleration Services in 2027
The closure of the EIC ACCESS+ Open Call does not mark the end of this type of support for EIC-backed innovators. The EIC Business Acceleration Services (EIC BAS) is expected to continue providing financial support to EIC Awardees to access specialised services from EIC Ecosystem Partners, through a new project to be announced at the beginning of 2027.
Eligible applicants are expected to include EIC Awardees, Seal of Excellence holders, and awardees selected through calls under the H2020 EIC Pilot (2018–2020), as well as those from the EIC Pre-Accelerator call under the WIDERA Work Programme. The maximum grant amount per beneficiary or project is expected to remain at EUR 60 000. More details will be available on the EIC Community once the new programme is announced. Read more here.
About the EIC Service Catalogue
The EIC Service Catalogue, part of the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme, connects EIC beneficiaries with specialised sector-focused services provided by trusted partners, including accelerators, incubators, research institutions, and training organisations. This searchable platform ensures tailored support is readily accessible, effectively addressing the diverse scaling needs of Europe’s innovators.
About the European Innovation Council (EIC)
The European Innovation Council supports breakthrough innovations and high-risk, high-impact technologies with the potential to create new markets and strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness. Through the EIC Pathfinder, EIC Transition and EIC Accelerator programmes, as well as its Business Acceleration Services, the EIC combines financial support with access to coaching, expertise, investors, and corporates.
