Horizon Europe Programme

EIC Accelerator Full proposal
Application Form

Project proposal – Technical description (Part B) 

Version 1.4
02 June 2023

Structure of the Proposal 

The proposal contains two parts:

•	Part A of the proposal is generated by the IT system. It is based on the information entered by participants within the submission system in the Funding & Tenders Portal. Participants can update the information in the submission system at any time before final submission of the proposal.
  
•	Part B of the proposal is the narrative part that includes different sections covering the different evaluation criteria. Part B needs to be uploaded as a PDF document using the templates that can be downloaded in the submission system for the specific call or topic. The maximum page limit is 50 pages. The length indication for each heading is merely indicative (with the exception of the executive summary, which should not exceed 2 pages). At the time of submission, you can remove the sub-questions. Please keep the headings.

The electronic submission system is an online step-by-step guide through the preparation of your proposal. The submission process consists of 6 steps:

- Step 1: Logging in the Portal 
- Step 2: Select the call, topic and type of action in the Portal
- Step 3: Create a draft proposal: Title, acronym, summary, main organisation and contact details
- Step 4: Manage your parties and contact details: add your partner organisations and contact details. 
- Step 5: Edit and complete web forms for proposal part A and upload proposal part B
- Step 6: Submit the proposal

The structure of the part B is shown below and in the left column, you can see the main related evaluation criteria

	

Part B – Table of content	
Main evaluation criteria addressed	
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY	
PART 1 – BUSINESS CASE	
1	COMPANY DESCRIPTION	

EXCELLENCE	
2	THE PROBLEM/MARKET OPPORTUNITY		
3	THE INNOVATION: SOLUTION/ PRODUCT OR SERVICES (USP)		
4	MARKET ANALYSIS AND COMPETITION ANALYSIS	
IMPACT	
5	MARKETING AND SALES PLAN		
6	TEAM AND MANAGEMENT	
LEVEL OF RISK, IMPLEMENTATION AND NEED FOR UNION SUPPORT	
7	RISKS		
8	FINANCIAL PLAN		
PART 2 – EIC SPECIFIC INFORMATION	
9	IMPLEMENTATION PLAN	
LEVEL OF RISK, IMPLEMENTATION AND NEED FOR UNION SUPPORT	
10	HOW EU SUPPORT TAKES THE COMPANY TO THE NEXT VALUE POINT		
11	THE FUNDING REQUEST		
12	BROAD IMPACT	IMPACT	

Proposal template Part B: technical description
(for full proposals: single stage submission procedure and 2nd stage of a two-stage submission procedure)

Title of the Proposal
List of participants 
Participant No. *	Participant organisation name	Country	
1 (Coordinator)			
2 Affiliated entity(ies), if any			
* Please use the same participant numbering and name as that used in the administrative proposal forms. 

Which EIC topic do you want to apply for?
1. EIC Accelerator Open
2. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: Novel biomarker-based assays to guide personalised cancer treatment
3. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: Aerosol and surface decontamination for pandemic management
4. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: Energy storage
5. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: New European Bauhaus and Architecture, Engineering and Construction digitalisation for decarbonisation
6. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: Emerging semiconductor or quantum technology components
7. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: Novel technologies for resilient agriculture
8. EIC Accelerator Challenge 2023: Customer-driven, innovative space technologies and services

In case you opt for an EIC Challenge, describe how your application fits within the scope of the Challenge and how it will meet the expected outcomes and impacts

In case this application is a resubmission, 
-	summarise the main changes compared to the previous (rejected) full proposal which you submitted (max. 5000 characters)
-	provide your rebuttal (if any) to the experts’ comments to the previous (rejected) full proposal which you submitted (max. 10,000 characters)

Executive Summary – approx. 2 pages
•	Prepare an executive summary of maximum 2 pages. Only include publishable information here.
Part 1 – Business case
1.	Company description – approx. 3 pages

-	Explain the core mission and vision of your company. 
-	Describe the position of your company in the market. 
-	Explain who are the key partners and their expected contributions (e.g. a first lead customer, a university, potential user groups, partners for clinical trials, etc.).  
-	Describe the key assets of your company (e.g. offices, laboratories, access to production facilities). 
-	Highlight the top 3 to 5 clients or sell side partners and their share of revenues (if applicable), the top 3 to 5 suppliers and share of cost of goods sold (COGS) or operational expenses (OPEX), and the top 3 to 5 advisors (business, scientific, other) their role and their OPEX cost.

2.	The problem/market opportunity – approx.  3 pages

-	Describe the problem you have identified and explain why it is a problem and for whom.
-	Describe the unsatisfied need of potential customers. How is this addressed today and what are the shortcomings to current solutions?  
-	Specify the size of the addressable market
3.	The innovation: Solution/Product or Services (USP) – approx.  9 pages

-	Explain in simple terms and with graphs if needed, how your solution works, its main features and what key areas are still subject to improvements/innovation
-	Value proposition: explain what is unique and has breakthrough potential; how this addresses the problem; how it is better than existing solutions; and why now is the right time to bring it to the market.
-	Development stage: describe your technological achievements so far; specify which Technology Readiness Level this has attained; and describe to what extent your solution has been validated/certified and by whom. Please explain using a case study (test, pilot, PoC, etc.). For health companies, explain the specifics of what clinical trials you have conducted, if any, and to what level .
-	IP strategy: explain your strategy to protect your intellectual property.  List your key patents including their registration number and their status, mention key relevant scientific publications. Specify patents from others for which you have secured the right of use. Explain if you are combining patents and trade secrets. Explain how you ensure your freedom to operate and provide supporting documents (in annex).
4.	Market analysis and Competition analysis – approx. 5 pages

-	Describe the targeted market - Total Addressable Market (TAM); Serviceable Available Market (SAM); Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM); and market growth (Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)).  
-	Willingness to pay: explain why there is a willingness to pay from your targeted market customers. List POCs run with users and clients.
-	Competitors and threats: who are your competitors? what are their limitations compared to what is offered by your expected solution? 
-	Provide a SWOT analysis on these aspects. 
5.	Marketing and sales plan – approx. 4 pages

-	Business model: what will be your business model, including the revenue model: key activities, resources, customer relationship, channels, revenues, scalability, geographical market.
-	Describe your Go-to-Market Plan with milestones. What are the existing key barriers preventing market entry, and how can you overcome these barriers?
-	Commercialisation strategy: what is your marketing approach and pricing policy? (upload any letters of intent, if relevant).
-	Describe your dissemination & exploitation strategy and the potential for scaling up (turnover, licensing). 

6.	Team and management – approx. 2 pages
-	Present your team, including: the track record of the founders and key managers; available skills and experience; how you plan to ensure gender balance among your team members, including those in executive positions (at least CEO, CSO and CTO); missing skills identified (target recruitment); recruitment plans and employee retention plans designed to address the identified missing skills. 

Team Member (Name and Surname)	Gender (male/female/prefer not to say)	Founder (Y/N)	Position -
department	Key competences	Commitment (from 1% to 100%)	

 		 	 	 	 	

-	Governance: describe your board of directors, consultants and advisors, and explain their added value and defined role in the project.
-	Do you have an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in place to incentivise key non-founding members of your team? 

7.	Risks - approx. 3 pages
-	Describe the financial risks and those risks linked to the technology, the market, the competition, the team; and outline their likelihood, their expected effects and planned mitigation methods.
-	Legal and regulatory requirements to be fulfilled: describe the strategy for regulatory approvals and compliance; and what applicable EU legislation or standard might affect your project or, conversely, be affected by your projects?
8.	Financial Plan – approx. 2 pages
Provide the requested financial information according with the template in the Annex. Use this space to comment on the figures shown in the excel table.

Part 2 – EIC Specific information
9. Implementation Plan – approx. 12 pages, including tables

 Work plan and resources 
Please provide the following:
o	Brief presentation of the overall structure of the work plan. The work plan should be a narrative presenting the logical sequence of the work packages corresponding to the key project deliverables.
o	Timing of the different work packages and their components (Gantt chart or similar).
o	Detailed work description, including:
o	List of work packages (table 3.1a) for grant component, up to TRL 8 activities
WP Number	Type of WP	WP title	Objectives of the WP	Lead participant	PM
(Persons/ Month)	Start month	End month	Targeted TRL	
1	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
2	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
3	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
4	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

KEY
Type of WP: indicate the type of WP by choosing among the following categories: development/technological development, preparation to market activities, project management 

o	  List of work packages (table 3.1aa) for the investment component (TRL 9 and below, if necessary). 
WP Number	Type of WP	WP title	Objectives of the WP	Lead participant	Start month	End month	Targeted TRL	
1	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
2	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
3	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
4	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	

o	Description of each work package (table 3.1b) for both the grant and investment components.
•	For each work package: 
Work package number 		
Work package title		

Objectives 

Description of work packages: Please describe the work categorised as the tasks to be performed and indicate the estimated distribution of the effort among the tasks in terms of percentage (Example, task 1.1 15%, task 1.2 50%, task 1.3 35%).  Involvement of other participants (subcontractors, etc.). Deliverables and milestones linked to each WP are listed respectively in table 3.1c and 3.1d, therefore no need to repeat the information here.	

o	For Grant Work Packages: a list of deliverables (table 3.1c);
Deliverable number	Deliverable name	Short description	Related WP number	Lead participant	Type	Dissemination level	Delivery date (in months)	
1	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
2	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
3	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
4	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Only include those deliverables that you consider essential for effective project monitoring.
KEY 
Deliverable numbers in order of delivery dates. 
Please use the numbering convention <WP number>; <number of deliverables within that WP>. 
(For example, deliverable 4.2 would be the second deliverable from work package 4).

Type: 
Use one of the following codes: 
R:	Document, report (excluding the periodic and final reports) 
DEM:	Demonstrator, pilot, prototype, plan designs 
DEC:	Websites, patent filing, press & media activity, videos, etc.
DATA:    Data sets, microdata, etc.
DMP: 	Data management plan
ETHICS:	Deliverables related to ethics issues.  
SECURITY: Deliverables related to security issues
OTHER: Software, technical diagram, algorithms, models, etc.

Dissemination level: 
Use one of the following codes: 
PU – public, fully open (deliverables flagged as public will be automatically published on the corresponding project overview on the EU CORDIS website)
SEN – Sensitive, limited under the conditions of the Grant Agreement	
Classified R-UE/EU-R – EU RESTRICTED under the Commission Decision No2015/444
Classified C-UE/EU-C – EU CONFIDENTIAL under the Commission Decision No2015/444
Classified S-UE/EU-S – EU SECRET under the Commission Decision No2015/444

Delivery date
Measured in months from the project start date (month 1)	
o	a list of milestones (table 3.1d) for both grant and investment components;
Milestone number	Milestone name	Related WP	Due date (in months)	Means of verification and link to the objectives of the WP	
1	 	 	 	 	
2	 	 	 	 	
3	 	 	 	 	
KEY
Due date
Measured in months from the project start date (month 1)

Means of verification 
Show how you will confirm that the milestone has been attained. Refer to indicators if appropriate. For example: an existing laboratory prototype; software released and validated by a user group; field survey complete and data quality validated. Please also how the milestone will contribute to achieving the objective of the WP (including achievement of a specific TRL level). 
For Grant-First: 
Grant-first companies are eligible for a follow-on equity component, subject to reaching a milestone necessary for the EIC to assess deployment perspectives and capabilities.

Please foresee the following two types of milestones:

•	A “key technology milestone” (linked to the technology readiness): 
In your proposal for grant-first support, you should include a milestone at mid-term or, at the latest, 6 months before the end of the project that clearly shows that the innovation activities are well underway and indicating that the innovation has the potential for deployment. 
-	Name of the milestone: key technology milestone
-	Means of verification/Description of the milestone: [to be included by the applicant]

•	A “key co-investment milestone” (linked to investment readiness): 
In order to ensure the necessary flexibility to allow the EIC Fund to enter into an investment round whenever the opportunity for the company arises, we intend to introduce in your Contract a flexible milestone as key co-investment milestone. 
The expected due date will be at the mid-point of the project; however, the milestone may be achieved at any moment.  
-	Name of the milestone: key co-investment milestone – the interest of a potential strategic or lead investor to co-invest. 
-	Means of verification/Description of the milestone: the interest shown by a potential strategic or lead investor in co-investing in the company may be perceived as a deployment perspective, indicating commercial potential for the innovation. 
-	If the assessment on the achievement of the milestone attests that the potential strategic/lead investor has an immediate interest to invest (i.e. due diligence/negotiations/term sheet), the company will be invited to perform due diligence and enter negotiations to receive an EIC equity investment. Allocation of the equity investment is conditional to the due diligence assessment.
Note: This milestone can be linked to the Work Package on project management. 	

o	ONLY FOR GRANT WORK PACKAGES: a list of critical risks, relating to project implementation, that may hinder the achievement of the project’s key objectives. Detail any risk mitigation measures. You will be able to update the list of critical risks and mitigation measures as the project progresses (table 3.1e);
Description of risk (indicate level of (i) likelihood, and (ii) severity: Low/Medium/High)	Work package(s) involved	Proposed risk-mitigation measures	

			

Definition of critical risk 
A critical risk is a plausible event or issue that could have a strong negative impact on the ability of the project to achieve its objectives. 

Level of likelihood to occur: low/medium/high
Assessment of the probability that the risk will materialise, even after taking account of the mitigating measures put in place.

Level of severity: low/medium/high
The relative seriousness of the risk and the significance of its effect.	

o	A table showing the description and justifications of subcontracting costs (table 3.1g). Please note that core tasks of the project should not be subcontracted. 
	Cost (€)	Description of tasks and justification of the best value for money principle (i.e. criteria and/or procedure used for the selection of the subcontractors)	
Subcontracting 			

o	A table showing the justifications for ‘purchase costs’ (table 3.1h) where those costs exceed 15% of the personnel costs (according to the budget table in proposal part A). Please list cost items starting with the highest cost, with the remaining costs not exceeding 15% of personnel costs. 
	Cost (€)	Justification	
Travel and subsistence 			
Equipment 			
Other goods, works and services			
Remaining purchase costs (<15% of pers. Costs)			
Total			

o	If applicable, a table showing justifications for ‘other costs categories’ (table 3.1i).
	Cost (€)	Justification	
Internally invoiced goods and services			
…			

o	If applicable, a table showing in-kind contributions from third parties (table 3.1j, non-financial resources made available free of charge by third parties). Please note that in-kind contributions provided by third parties free of charge are declared as eligible direct costs in the corresponding cost category (i.e. personnel costs or purchase costs for equipment).
Third party name	Category	Cost (€)	Justification	
	Select between
Seconded personnel
Travel and subsistence
Equipment
Other goods, works and services
Internally invoiced goods and services 			

10. How EU support takes the company to the next value point – approx. 3 pages
-	Explain why you have not been able to raise sufficient investment to carry out the project, and why you need the support of the EIC. 
-	Are you in discussion currently, or planning to start a discussion, with private or public investors? If so, please explain.  
-	What is your overall funding strategy for the future? 
-	Elaborate on how the EIC funding will benefit the scalability of your innovation. 
-	Which exit strategy do you foresee including the timeline and expected return on investment? Explain the assumptions behind this. 
-	Are there any financing issues that could compromise the ability of a project partner to exploit the innovation? 
11. The EIC funding request – approx. 1 page
-	Which type of EIC funding are you requesting (i.e. grant only, grant first, blended). If you are requesting investment only, please provide PIC number of the previous grant received under H2020 SME Instrument/EIC Accelerator Pilot
-	Companies submitting a grant-only proposal must provide evidence that have sufficient financial means (e.g. revenue flow, existing investors or shareholders) to finance the deployment and scaling up of your innovation.

12. Broad impacts – approx. 1 page
-	Describe the societal, economic, environmental and/or climate impact of your proposal. 
-	Describe your company’s potential to create jobs each year for the next 5 years, including indirect jobs if applicable. 
-	Explain how your proposal contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ANNEXES TO PROPOSAL PART B 
Please upload the following documents. The annexes must be uploaded as separate documents in the submission system. For some of them, standard templates are published in the Horizon Europe Funding & Tenders portal: 

Mandatory
•	Pitch deck. There is no pre-defined template nor limit of slides, however, please keep in mind that you will have 10 minutes to present this pitch deck if you are invited to the face-to-face interviews. The pitch deck should be provided in PDF file format.
•	Financial Information. Please use the template provided with your company information. 
•	Mandatory data and consent. Please use the template provided
•	Results of the freedom to operate (FTO) analysis. If you do not have one, please upload a note of maximum 2 pages outlining your freedom to operate and providing as much information as possible on this issue. In cases where the FTO is not relevant (e.g. software), please upload a simple statement. 
•	Data management plan (DMP). If you do not have one, please upload a note of maximum 1 page describing the underlying issues (open access to data, access of public authorities in case of emergencies) and explaining how you would tackle the identified issues where needed.
•	CVs of key personnel. Please merge them all in one pdf document
•	Letters of intent. Please merge them all in one pdf document
Optional
•	10 pages maximum with any additional information you would like to add