Welcome to 2026. At Tiko Pro, we wish you a successful journey around the sun ahead. While many of us are already working on turning our New Year’s resolutions into reality, innovative European companies are entering a decisive phase of growth. The focus is shifting from exploration to execution, from promising ideas to scalable solutions ready for the market. In this context, access to the right type of funding and support remains a strategic factor in the new year.
For many European innovators, the challenge in 2026 is no longer about having ideas, but about choosing the right path to turn those ideas into growth. Moving from early validation to market readiness requires more than capital - it requires structure, timing, and the ability to reduce risk while scaling ambition. This is where the European Innovation Council (EIC) plays a decisive role. Through the EIC Accelerator and the EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges, companies can access targeted support for breakthrough innovation, whether by scaling market-ready technologies or by addressing strategic European priorities. Understanding how and when to engage with these instruments is becoming essential for companies aiming to lead in the European innovation ecosystem.
Understanding the Bigger Picture
As mentioned, at the heart of the journey to scale-up are two closely connected instruments: the EIC Accelerator and the EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges, which are the main focus of this article.
The EIC Accelerator and the EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges are not standalone programmes. Both instruments are part of the European Innovation Council, which operates under the Horizon Europe framework programme for research and innovation. Horizon Europe is the European Union’s flagship programme designed to support research, innovation, and technological development across Europe - a framework we already highlighted in one of our previous deep-dive articles.
Eligibility differs across the two instruments - some applicant types can apply to both, while others are eligible for only one. Start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises can apply under both the EIC Accelerator and the Advanced Innovation Challenges pilot. The EIC Accelerator is aimed at single start-ups and SMEs, as well as individuals intending to launch an SME, and it also allows small mid-caps to apply, although mid-caps are eligible for equity only. By contrast, the Advanced Innovation Challenges pilot is open not only to start-ups and SMEs, but also to research-performing organisations, such as universities and research or technology organisations, including teams, individual Principal Investigators, and inventors.
Within this framework, the EIC Accelerator and the Advanced Innovation Challenges serve as complementary instruments, offering different pathways to support breakthrough innovation. In the following sections, we will outline the key differences between these instruments, explain funding levels, clarify eligibility and project structure rules, and highlight what organisations should consider when choosing the most suitable path forward.
Targeted Innovation Challenges in 2026
While the EIC Accelerator and the Advanced Innovation Challenges are similar in many ways, they differ in several key aspects, which we explore below.
The EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges are implemented as a pilot instrument, meaning they are being tested as a new, challenge-driven way of supporting breakthrough innovation before potentially becoming a permanent part of the EIC portfolio. As a pilot, the instrument allows the European Innovation Council to experiment with targeted topics, funding models, and implementation approaches. Funding is provided in the form of grants, with individual projects typically receiving up to around EUR 2.5 million, although the exact budget, project duration, and expected outcomes are defined separately for each challenge call. This flexibility allows the EIC to tailor support to highly complex, high-risk innovations while assessing how effectively this approach accelerates transformative impact.
The 2026 pilot of the Advanced Innovation Challenges features two targeted challenge topics designed to accelerate particularly complex deep-tech innovations:
These challenges reflect the EIC’s approach of supporting high-risk, high-reward technologies in areas with strong research foundations but limited commercial uptake, with each challenge defining its own scope, objectives, and funding conditions.
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💡TikoBits: EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges Opportunities in 2026
The Advanced Innovation Challenges follow a two-stage funding model.
- Stage 1 focuses on preparing and benchmarking breakthrough solutions and exploring their feasibility and viability. It provides a lump-sum grant of 300,000 euros for projects lasting up to nine months, with the submission deadline set for 26 February 2026.
- Successful applicants are then invited to Stage 2, which supports the further development of the most promising solutions and their testing in real-world environments, including user involvement. Stage 2 offers lump-sum funding of up to 2.5 million euros for projects lasting up to 2.5 years, with an indicative submission deadline of 18 June 2027.
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The EIC Accelerator supports innovations that are close to market deployment and ready for scale-up through two schemes – Accelerator Open and Accelerator Challenges. The Accelerator Open scheme is open to proposals in any field of technology or application, while the Accelerator Challenges is focused on predefined challenge topics that address strategic European priorities with major potential impact. For 2026, these challenges include Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Systems, focusing on sustainable and circular energy technologies; Alternative Concepts and Key Enabling Technologies for Fusion Power Plants, aimed at advancing fusion energy commercialisation; Biotech for Regenerating Agricultural Soils, to boost soil health and agricultural sustainability; Boosting the European Critical Raw Materials value chain, strengthening supply chains for strategic materials; and Deep Tech for Climate Adaptation, supporting solutions that help society adapt to climate risks. These challenge areas channel targeted support to innovations that align with key EU objectives and require breakthrough technology solutions.
EIC Accelerator offers a lump-sum grant of up to 2.5 million euros for innovation activities typically addressing Technology Readiness Levels 6 to 8, with projects expected to be completed within 24 months. This grant-only option is available to start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises with clear scale-up potential. Importantly, EIC Accelerator grant funding can be awarded only once per company during the Horizon Europe programme period from 2021 to 2027, making strategic timing and preparation particularly critical.
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💡TikoBits: EIC Accelerator Open Opportunities in 2026
The EIC Accelerator Open call continues in 2026 as a bottom-up funding opportunity for startups and SMEs, supporting innovations in any technology field with no predefined topic. The programme includes six cut-off dates for full proposal submissions during the year – 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 3 November 2026 – allowing companies to apply when they are ready.
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Together, the EIC Accelerator and the Advanced Innovation Challenges provide targeted support for bringing advanced technologies forward, combining market-driven scale-up with challenge-focused innovation in areas of strategic importance for Europe.
Choosing the Right Path and Timing
Both the EIC Accelerator and the Advanced Innovation Challenges support the development of advanced, high-impact technologies through a mix of open and challenge-driven funding. Choosing the right path depends on how well an innovation aligns with the scope and objectives of each instrument, making timing and strategic positioning essential.
At Tiko Pro, we support companies throughout this decision-making process. We help assess readiness, define the most suitable funding path, and align technological, business, and strategic elements with EIC expectations. Our support goes beyond proposal preparation and includes shaping the project logic, structuring activities and budgets, and positioning the innovation for long-term growth. With experience across European innovation instruments, including Horizon Europe and the EIC, we work with companies to turn strong ideas into well-prepared, competitive proposals - at the right time and for the right programme.