Green Deal innovations for the Economic Recovery

The EIC Accelerator Challenges supports companies (principally start-ups and SMEs) to scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones in identified areas of strategic relevance. Like EIC Accelerator Open (Section II.3 of the EIC Work Programme 2021), the EIC Accelerator Challenges focus on innovations building on scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’).

The EIC Accelerator Challenges is open to innovations in the specific fields of technology or application described by the specific challenges in sections III.3.1 and III.3.2 of the EIC Work Programme 2021. However, innovations that harm the environment or social welfare or that are designed primarily for military applications will not be supported.

You should apply to the EIC Accelerator Challenge – Green Deal innovations for the Economic Recovery, if your project supports the Green Deal implementation by significantly contributing to at least one of the following sustainability goals:

• Increasing the EU’s climate mitigation and/or adaptation ambition;
• Supplying clean, affordable and secure energy;
• Transitioning of industry to a clean and/or circular economy (including waste prevention and/or recycling);
• Building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way;
• Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility;
• Transition to a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system;
• Preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity (including nature based solutions that provide co-benefits for climate adaptation and mitigation);
• Realising a zero pollution ambition and a toxic-free environment.

Within the Green Deal goals, specific priority is given to projects relating to key innovations for the green economic transition as identified in the Recovery Plan for Europe.^1,2 In that particular regard, at least 50% of the companies selected for the interview phase must have submitted proposals relating to one the following areas:

• Renewable energy, including renewable Hydrogen and energy storage
• Deep Renovation of buildings
• Low carbon industries
• Batteries and other energy storage systems

For further information, please see the EIC Work Programme 2021

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¹ Commission Staff Working Document on Identifying Europe's recovery needs, SWD (2020) 98 final, page 17
² Guidance to Member States on their national Recovery and Resilience Plans, SWD (2020) 205 final, page 18-19