Newsletter of the National Contact
Point EIC Accelerator for the EU-programme Horizon Europe (NKS EIC
Accelerator) Nr. 08 / 2025
Latest news
Pre-publication of the EIC Work Programme
2026
A draft version of the EIC Work Programme for 2026 has
been pre-published and is available in the European Commission's
comitology register. This version is provisional. Adoption of the work
programme is planned for autumn 2025.
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and
Energy launches stakeholder process for the federal government's new
startup and scaleup strategy
On 12 August 2025, the Federal Ministry for Economic
Affairs and Energy (BMWE) launched the stakeholder process for the
development of the federal government's new start-up and scale-up
strategy. Until 8 September 2025, proposals for specific measures to
strengthen the start-up ecosystem can be submitted via a survey. The
start-up community is the main target group.
Become an EIC programme manager and help shape
the future of innovation in Europe
The European Innovation Council and SME Executive Agency
(EISMEA) has launched a call for expressions of interest to recruit up to
six new EIC Programme Managers. Experts are particularly sought in the
fields of space, semiconductors and quantum physics, agri-food, renewable
energy and construction, but also in all areas of research and innovation
in general. EIC programme managers lead ground-breaking initiatives in
emerging deep-tech areas and work with researchers and innovators in
Europe. Applications close on 26 September 2025.
EIC expands support for Ukrainian tech SMEs
and start-ups
The European Innovation Council (EIC) has announced €20
million in funding for Ukrainian high-tech start-ups and SMEs as part of
ongoing efforts to strengthen Ukraine's innovation capacity amid Russia's
military invasion. The initiative aims to accelerate the development of
transformative technologies and better integrate Ukrainian innovators into
European markets. Applications can be submitted until 26 November
2025.
Innowwide: Call for proposals 2025
This year's call for proposals of the Eureka funding
programme Innowwide opens on 25 September 2025. Innowwide supports SMEs
and start-ups from all sectors to develop an international target market.
The programme is funded by the European Commission as part of the European
Partnership on Innovative SMEs under Horizon Europe.
The deadline for applications is 25 November
2025. An information webinar for interested applicants will take
place on 23 September 2025. Companies from Germany can also find further
information and contacts for advice at innowwide.de.
Good to know
We provide feedback
Teams working on a proposal for the EIC Accelerator: Send us
your draft proposals, pitch decks and videos for a proposal check! We will
give you feedback on potential improvements and compare them with the
evaluation criteria.
Dates
European Research and Innovation Days
2025
September 16 and 17 in Brussels
The sixth edition of the European Research and Innovation
Days will take place in Brussels on September 16 and 17, 2025. This
European Commission event will bring together policymakers, researchers,
business leaders, and other innovation stakeholders to discuss how
research and innovation can boost Europe's competitiveness,
sustainability, and industrial leadership.
Online session: “EIC Accelerator – Funding for
groundbreaking innovations”
Tuesday, September 16, 2025; 12:00–1:30
p.m.
The EIC Accelerator supports innovative companies with
grants and equity of up to €12.5 million. The compact online session
offered by EEN Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein an supported by NCP EIC
Accelerator provides
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an introduction to the program and the application
process
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an overview of upcoming calls for proposals
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practical insights from the company
Infiniteroots
Mittelstand-Digital Congress on 13 November
2025 in Berlin
13 November 2025 in Berlin
The congress for SMEs is dedicated to key issues relating
to AI and cyber security. The congress aims to inform SMEs from all
sectors about AI and cybersecurity and support them in putting their
knowledge into practice.
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