EIC aims to support top-class innovators, entrepreneurs, small companies and scientists with bright ideas and the ambition to scale up internationally. It wants to bring together programme Horizon 2020 parts that provide funding, advice and networking opportunities for those at cutting edge of innovation.
New statement on future approach to support innovative European solutions was presented by the Advisory Board of experienced innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors.
Now is the time to:
- encourage visionary and game changing innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors,
- direct resources to high-impact ideas, ventures and investments,
- lead on major innovation opportunities coming from deep-tech in the coming years.
New vision follows the success of existing funding scheme and wants to further support general principles of equal opportunity, picking up high-risk/high-impact ideas, strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations and investing in the best teams and companies to push the innovative ideas forward to the market.
Main goals and inspirations are generating rapid impact through integration of two highly successful existing programms Pathfinder and Accelerator. The EIC will be unique in combining an advanced science-and-technology research programme with an accelerator programme for start-ups and SMEs, and for integrating traditional grant support together with a dedicated fund for equity investment, building therefore ONE innovation community.
According to the statement, so far, every euro of EIC support for a start-up or SME has triggered follow-on investments of €2.4. EIC also wants to provide high class mentoring and advice to successful applicants, from the early research phase to demonstration and scale-up.
(Source: https://ec.europa.eu/)