Webinar

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The European Innovation Council
Francesco Matteucci
Antonio Marco Pantaleo
EIC Programme Managers

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The European Innovation
Council – why?

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What’s holding back European innovation?
Innovation
performance
• Strong research performance not translated into innovation
• Lack of breakthrough/ disruptive innovations that create
new markets
Innovation funding
Financing gaps (2 “valleys of death”) in
• Transition from lab to enterprise
• Scaling up for high-risk innovative start-ups
Innovation ecosystem
• Many national & local ecosystems, but fragmented at
European level
• Need to include all regions and all talent (especially female)
We need to overcome European Paradox – perceived failure of EU countries to
translate scientific advances into marketable innovations.

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Experience from the EIC pilot
phase (2018-2020)

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The new European Innovation
Council

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Europe’s most ambitious innovation initiative
• €10 billion programme to identify, develop and scale up
breakthrough technologies and disruptive innovations in Europe
• Unique in the world to combine research on emerging
technologies with Accelerator for startups, SMEs and scaleups
• EIC Fund largest VC deep-tech investor in Europe (over €3 billion)
• Innovator-centric steered by Board of leading innovators
• Pro-active approach with flexible funding
• Enhances the European innovation ecosystem

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Part of the Innovative Europe pillar of Horizon Europe

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• Open to all innovators, in any field, at any time
• Complemented by targeted funding on strategic challenges
• Highly competitive for Europe’s high potential innovators
One stop shop for
breakthrough, deep-tech,
market-creating innovators
• Pathfinder for advanced research on emerging technologies
• Transition from lab to commercial setting
• Accelerator & EIC Fund to scale up innovations by start-ups & SMEs
Agile funding from idea to
investment
• Access to Business Acceleration Services (coaches, mentors,
corporates, investors & knowledge partners)
• EIC Programme Managers to develop visions for breakthroughs,
manage portfolios, and connect to ecosystems
• Crowding in other investors (VC, corporates, etc.)
Building ecosystems and
comunities
What is the EIC?

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EIC Advisory Board vision statement (June 2020)
1. EIC to pioneer a European approach to global innovation challenges:
• Unique in combining advanced technological research (DARPA like) with innovation accelerator
• Hallmark of excellence for innovators (like ERC for researchers)
• Overcome system biases, e.g. in terms of high risk, gender, regions
2. EIC to crowd in private investors:
• Filling market gaps for financing high risk/ high impact ideas
• 3-5 euro for every euro allocated by EIC
• Generating impacts from other EU and national programmes
3. EIC as funder & investor of choice for visionary ideas
• Targeting deep-tech, interdisciplinarity, high risk to achieve high impact
• Simple, fast applications focusing on the innovator
• High class mentoring and advice, as well as funding

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EIC main instruments and characteristics
Pathfinder
• Early stage research on breakthrough technologies
• Grants up to €3/4 million
• Successor of FET (Open & Proactive)
Transition
• Technology maturation from proof of concept to validation
• Business & market readiness
• Grants up to €2.5 million
Accelerator
• Development & scale up of deep-tech/ disruptive innovations by startups/ SMEs
• Blended finance (grants up to €2.5 million; equity investment up to €15 million)
• Successor of SME instrument

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EIC main instruments
Pathfinder
For advanced research on breakthrough / game-changing
technologies
Transition For transforming research results into innovation opportunities
Accelerator
For individual companies to develop and scale up breakthrough
innovations with high risk and high impact
Two funding schemes for the main instruments
Open No topic prescription
Challenges Selected challenges

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EIC
Pathfinder

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EIC Pathfinder
For advanced research to underpin breakthrough / game-changing technologies
• Mainly open (“bottom up”), but also Pathfinder challenges (for
emerging health, energy and digital technologies)
• Mainly collaborative (3 or more partners)
• Proactive management of portfolios of projects by EIC
Programme Managers
• Additional 50k follow up grants to test feasibility and interact
across portfolios

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EIC
Pathfinder
Challenges
What is it?

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What is it?
EIC Pathfinder Challenges aim to build on new, cutting-
edge directions in science and technology to disrupt a
field and a market or create new opportunities by realising
innovative technological solutions grounded in high-
risk/high-gain research and development.

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Pathfinder Challenge Guides
• The Challenge Guide are documents that will provide more information
about the specific objectives of the challenge, e.g.:
- a detailed assessment of the state of the art and related (existing) projects in the field
- technical information to underpin the objectives
- potential societal, economic, environmental impacts if the objectives are achieved
- as well as relevant references.
• The Challenge Guides will be published when the call opens (15 June 2021)
on the EIC website and the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal.

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Topics for 2021
Pathfinder Challenges Programme Managers
1. Awareness inside Walter VAN DE VELDE (Acting)
2. Tools to measure & stimulate
activity in brain tissue
Enrique CLAVEROL-TINTURE
3. Emerging Technologies in Cell &
Gene Therapy
Iordanis (Danos) ARZIMANOGLOU
4. Novel routes to green hydrogen
production
Francesco MATTEUCCI
Antonio Marco PANTALEO
5. Engineered living materials Barbara GERRATANA (Acting)

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Novel routes to green hydrogen production (1/2)
• Goal: to develop novel processes and technologies to produce Green H2,
at different scales (from small to large) and with higher flexibility, entirely
based on renewable sources and on the use of toxic free, non-critical raw
materials. It focuses on the potential of new biological, chemical and physical
routes for Green H2 production adopting process circularity, possibly including
the co-production of decarbonized chemicals and the integration with existing
technologies at system and process level.
• Target: to support the development of innovative technologies and platforms
for Green H2 production, including both centralized and or on-demand
generation (i.e. at the premises of the end users and for onsite consumption).

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Novel routes to green hydrogen production (2/2)
Outcome: a proof of concept or lab-scale validated innovative Green H2 production
technology by biological, chemical or physical routes without the deployment of fossil fuels,
potentially including the use of salt or waste water, organic wastes or the co-production of
decarbonized chemicals.
Strong recommendations:
• Multidisciplinary and cross sectorial approaches are particularly welcome.
• Proposers are strongly encouraged to consider the recovery and recycling of by-products
and wastes (life cycle thinking and circular approach).
• The use of toxic-free and non-critical raw materials is requested and the projects should
include a full life cycle analysis of the proposed solutions and their impact on Europe’s
decarbonisation goals.
Check the WP for the specific conditions for this challenge, as well as the Challenge Guide

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EIC
Transition

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EIC Transition
For transforming research results into innovation opportunities
• New funding scheme to bridge gap between research phase (proof of concept)
and innovation application
• Mainly open (“bottom up”), but also Transition challenges (for medtech,
energy storage)
• Single applicants or small collaborations (max. 5 partners)
• In first phase, only for follow up to results from EIC Pathfinder and ERC Proof
of Concept

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Why Transition
• European innovation paradox
- A leader in producing top scientific knowledge
- Lagging behind in turning scientific knowledge into innovation and new products.
• Funding gap to mature technologies/ innovations at early/ concept stage (first
“valley of death”)
• Need to find specific application for a technology with a viable business case
• Not just funding: also venture building (building team, knowledge, networks,
partnerships)

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EIC
Transition
Challenges

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Energy harvesting and storage technologies
• Innovative technologies and systems combining energy harvesting and
storage, which are efficient, clean, high energy density and low-cost,
integrated for stationary or mobile applications.
• Innovative concepts and techniques for the combined harvesting and
storage of solar energy (in the form of heat or solar fuels), geothermal or
waste heat, including topics such as long-term thermal storage, cooling and
cryogenic storage, building integrated solutions, thermo-electricity, advanced
heat transfer, power to heat to power, and thermo-mechanical energy storage
and conversion
• Advanced materials and devices for electro-chemical storage (other than
Li-Ion batteries), at utility scale, mobile or distributed/micro scale level, also
integrated to PV/wind energy systems or for other intermittent sources.

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EIC
Accellerator

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EIC Accelerator
For startups & SMEs to develop and scale up innovations with high risk and
high impact
• For individual companies (startups, SMEs, in exceptional cases small mid caps
(up to 500 employees)
• Continuously open for applications (also from individuals intending to start a
company and investors intend to support a company)
• Mainly open (“bottom up”) but also Accelerator challenges in Green Deal,
Strategic Digital & Health Technologies
• Mainly blended finance (grant + investment), but options for “grant only” and
“grant first” (with investment follow up)

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The EIC Fund
Dedicated Venture capital fund – owned by European
Commission
Bridges equity funding gap at early stage (seed, first
rounds)
Crowds in other investors, provides investment
opportunities for VCs and other Funds
Manages equity investments in startups & SMEs selected by EIC Accelerator

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EIC Pathfinder
EIC Transition
activities
EIC
Accelerator
& equity
Explore
EIC BAS
• Access to advice, coaches,
experts
• Access to corporates, investors,
knowledge partners
• Access to innovation
ecosystem, events & peers
Exploit
Scale
up
Business Acceleration Services

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© European Union, 2021
Reuse of this document is allowed, provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated (Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International license). For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the EU, permission may need to be sought
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@EUeic
#Eueic

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EIC Accelerator: a four-step evaluation process
1
• You have a disruptive / deep tech idea with a potential to scale up
• Tell us your story with short application at any time
2
• You prepare a full application with your business plan
• We will help you with a dedicated AI tool and free coaching
4
• You pitch your innovation to a Jury of experienced investors/ entrepreneurs
• If selected, you will sign the grant and start due diligence for the equity
3
• You submit your full proposal at one of the regular cut-off dates
• Your application will be assessed by expert evaluators matched to your field

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Short application: your idea
You will:
• Fill a questionnaire on the EIC AI-based IT platform illustrating
your innovation
• Submit a 10-slide presentation and a 3-minute video pitch
STEP
01

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Continuously open
Short application: evaluation process
4 Experts
No GO
from 3+
experts
GO
from 2+
experts
STEP
02
You fill in Form
+ Answer Questions
+ 10 slide Presentation
+ 3 min. Video
STEP
01
1 Resubmission
possible STEP
01
Feedback

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Full proposal: your business plan
Up to one year from your GO at Step 1
You will:
• Prepare a business plan with the help of an EIC business coach
(not mandatory)
• Draft and finalise your full proposal supported by the EIC AI-based
platform
STEP
02
You prepare your
business plan and
proposal with a
(optional) coach and
AI tool
STEP
03

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Full proposal: remote evaluation process
2 Cut-Offs in 2021
(June and October)
1 Resubmission
possible
3 Experts 3 GOs
1+ No GO
STEP
04
STEP
03
Full
Proposal
STEP
03
Feedback

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Jury Interview: pitch your innovation
You will:
• Pitch your innovation to the EIC Jury Members composed of
serial entrepreneurs, innovation specialists, senior investors
• Answer questions from the EIC Jury Members and other
participants (EIC Programme Managers, EIC Fund members)
STEP
04

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Jury interview
2 Cut-Offs in 2021
(June and October)
1 Resubmission
possible
Jury of
up to 6
members
GO
No GO
STEP
04
STEP
03
Feedback
Business
Acceleration
Services
Grant
funding
EIC Fund due
diligence
Seal of
Excellence
Business
Acceleration
Services