The Enhanced European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot aims to support top-class innovators, start-ups, small companies and researchers with bright ideas that are radically different from existing products, services or business models, are highly risky and have the potential to scale up internationally.
Set to last until 2020, Erasmus+ doesn’t just have opportunities for students. Merging seven prior programmes, it has opportunities for a wide variety of individuals and organisations.
The Enhanced European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot supports researchers and innovators developing high-risk, breakthrough innovations with the potential to create new markets and boost jobs, growth and prosperity in Europe. It pilots two new schemes:
- the EIC Pathfinder pilot (grant only), comprising FET-Open and FET-Proactive.
- the EIC Accelerator pilot (grant only and blended finance), building upon the SME Instrument
The Enhanced EIC pilot also includes other calls and actions such as Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) and the Horizon Prizes.
The Enhanced EIC Pilot Work Programme 2018-2020 under Horizon 2020 aims at facilitating that transition towards a fully-fledged EIC. The Work Programme contains three main novelties:
- Reformed and simplified funding instruments;
- A more flexible and pro-active approach to management (needed for high-risk projects and fast evolving technologies and markets); and,
- A revised governance in the form of an Advisory Board composed of high-level experts from across the European innovation community.
A total amount of around €3 billion will be provided throughout the period 2018-2020 to fund the most talented innovators and help their companies scale up and expand beyond European borders.
The Enhanced EIC pilot is able to support
- ideas from any area of technology or business sector, including novel combinations of technologies and business models
- all stages from feasibility to development to scale-up
- innovators from all EU Member States, from other countries associated to the EU Horizon 2020 programme, and to innovators from all parts of the world who establish their activities in Europe
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