Breakthrough innovations for future mobility

The Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator 2025 call focuses on breakthrough innovations for future mobility. This initiative is part of the EIC Accelerator funding scheme with a total budget allocation of 634 million euros for various topics, including this specific one. It aims to support deep-tech innovations intended to reduce mobility-related emissions. The funding per project ranges from 500,000 euros to 17.5 million euros, catering to startups and SMEs as primary eligible applicants.

The program emphasizes a single applicant structure, allowing submissions from individual entities without requiring consortia, though collaboration is possible. Eligible applicants can come from EU member states and associated countries, while non-EU/non-associated countries have specified provisions for participating. The challenge specifically targets projects at stages six to eight of the technology readiness scale for grants, while the investment component requires projects at stage nine.

The application process is competitive and involves multiple cut-off dates, specifically on March 12, 2025, and October 1, 2025. It consists of three stages: a short proposal, a full proposal, and an interview phase. The support provided includes both monetary grants and advisory services, aimed at fostering business scaling and market readiness.

Success rates for this call are not explicitly stated but are expected to be low due to competition. Co-funding is not necessary for grants, whereas investments may involve private co-investors. The nature of support extends beyond financial assistance to include business coaching and access to innovation ecosystems.

The overarching goal of this call is to fund initiatives that can significantly disrupt existing markets and align with broader EU sustainability and emissions reduction targets. Applicants are encouraged to review comprehensive guidelines available through Horizon Europe's resources to ensure they meet all proposal requirements and criteria.

The Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator 2025 call, specifically topic HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02-CHALLENGES-05, focuses on breakthrough innovations for future mobility. This call is part of the broader Horizon Europe program and falls under the EIC Accelerator funding scheme. The type of action is HORIZON-EIC-ACC, signifying a Horizon EIC Accelerator project. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) used will be the HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

The call employs a multiple cut-off deadline model. The planned opening date for submissions is 26 November 2024. There are two deadline dates: 12 March 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time and 01 October 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The total budget allocated to this topic and other related topics (HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02-CHALLENGES-04, HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02-CHALLENGES-02, HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02-OPEN-01, HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02-CHALLENGES-03, HORIZON-EIC-2025-ACCELERATOR-02-CHALLENGES-01) for the year 2025 is 634,000,000 EUR. The expected EU contribution per project ranges from 500,000 EUR to 17,500,000 EUR. The indicative number of grants to be awarded across all listed topics is 15 for the first topic and 15, 15, 65, 15, 15 for the remaining topics.

The general admissibility conditions require that the proposal page limit and layout adhere to Annexes A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Notably, some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific funding provisions for their participants, as outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are also described in Annex B.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. The award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D. The submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including standard application forms for HE RIA, IA, CSA, RI, PCP, PPI, COFUND, FPA, MSCA DN, MSCA PF, MSCA SE, MSCA COFUND, ERC STG, ERC COG, ERC ADG, ERC POC, ERC SYG, EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES, EIC PATHFINDER OPEN, and EIC TRANSITION.

Evaluation form templates, which will be adapted as necessary, include standard evaluation forms for HE RIA, IA, CSA, PCP PPI, COFUND, FPA, MSCA, EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES, EIC PATHFINDER OPEN, EIC TRANSITION, and EIC Accelerator (stage 1 and stage 2).

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA. Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 sections on General Introduction, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Research Infrastructures, Health, Culture, creativity and inclusive society, Civil Security for Society, Digital, Industry and Space, Climate, Energy and Mobility, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area, Missions, and General Annexes. Further references are made to the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the portal. The submission system is planned to open on 26 November 2024.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses common questions, and the Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance and assistance, and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical questions, and the European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. The CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks advise on standardisation. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles and responsibilities of researchers. A Partner Search tool is available to help find partner organizations.

In summary, this Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator call aims to fund breakthrough innovations in future mobility. It provides substantial funding, ranging from 500,000 EUR to 17,500,000 EUR, to projects that can demonstrate significant potential. The application process involves a detailed proposal, adherence to specific guidelines, and potential collaboration with partners. The call is structured with multiple cut-off dates to allow for flexibility in submission. Applicants should consult all provided guidance and resources to ensure a complete and compliant application.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that it is part of the EIC Accelerator program, it is highly likely that SMEs and startups are the primary target applicants. The program also supports projects from a single applicant.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to allow for single applicants, although the possibility of consortia is not explicitly excluded. The partner search announcements section suggests that collaboration is possible, but not mandatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The call "Breakthrough innovations for future mobility" indicates a focus on the transport and mobility sector. However, the presence of an "OPEN" topic suggests that the program is also open to projects from other sectors. The EIC Accelerator supports a wide range of DeepTech innovations.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions EU member states and associated countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The EIC Accelerator program typically targets projects that are at the late development, demonstration, or commercialization stage, aiming to scale up breakthrough innovations.

Funding Amount: The funding range is between 500,000 EUR and 17,500,000 EUR. The total budget for the topics is 634,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with multiple cut-off dates.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves a full application, as indicated by "EIC Accelerator 2025 - Full application". The evaluation form templates also suggest a two-stage process for the EIC Accelerator, with stage 1 being a short proposal and stage 2 being a full proposal.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is listed as 15, 15, 15, 65, 15, and 15 for the six topics, respectively. The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but can be estimated based on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator call for proposals targeting breakthrough innovations, particularly in future mobility, but also open to other sectors. The call is structured around several topics with a total budget of 634 million EUR. Projects can receive between 500,000 EUR and 17,500,000 EUR in funding as a lump sum grant. The call is open to applicants from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-associated countries. The application process involves a full proposal submission with multiple cut-off dates in March and October 2025. The EIC Accelerator supports projects at a relatively mature stage, aiming for scale-up and commercialization. Applicants can search for partners to collaborate with, but single applicants are also eligible. The call provides access to various support resources, including an online manual, a program guide, and national contact points. The application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. The legal and financial aspects of the grants are detailed in the General Annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme.