Program Description

The purpose of this call for proposals is to enable the companies selected under it to “skip” the European short-proposal stage and submit a full proposal directly to the next stage of the Accelerator Programme, thereby shortening the route to one of the world’s most significant and competitive funding opportunities for breakthrough innovation. 

Applications under this call for proposals shall be submitted through the Hebrew website of the Innovation Authority and pursuant to the rules and regulations it stipulates. 

Target applicants include: 

• Industrial corporations, as defined in the Procedure, that previously carried out or are currently carrying out a research and development programme approved under the Round A track of the Startup Fund of the Israel Innovation Authority (the “Authority”)  (as detailed in the eligibility conditions), and that developed under that programme, or on the basis of its results, an innovative product or service that, on the submission date, is ready for demonstration in a relevant environment—Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. 
• The application will contribute to expanding the applicant’s activities with various entities in European Union Member States, such as pilot sites, customers, investors, R&D partners, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors or another relevant entity, and is expected to support the applicant’s economic growth in Israel.

Criteria

Eligibility Criteria 

The eligibility conditions set out below are cumulative. They must be met on the application submission date and throughout the programme implementation period. Failure to meet even single one of the following eligibility conditions may result in the disqualification of the entire application or the cancellation of an approved programme: 

• The applicant is currently carrying out, or previously carried out, research and development under a programme approved pursuant to Startup Fund for companies in Round A stage, provided that no more than five years have elapsed since the end of the approved programme’s implementation period. 
• Before the application was submitted, the innovation that is the subject of the application had completed all aspects of Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL 5)—validation in an environment relevant to the application of the technology. 
• The application describes a product or service based on results achieved under a programme approved and implemented, or currently being implemented, pursuant to one or more of the benefit tracks listed above. 
• The applicant is not a restricted account holder and is not subject to receivership, a stay of proceedings, liquidation or similar proceedings. 
• The applicant and its controlling shareholders comply with the requirements of the Regulations for the Encouragement of Research and Development in Industry (Conditioning of Approvals—Minimum Wage), 5771–2011. 
• Additional provisions and conditions under the EU Guidelines and the Plug-In mechanism (as defined in the Procedure), as updated from time to time, where prescribed, including: 
• Compliance with the definition of an SME (“Small and Medium-sized Enterprise”), as defined under European Union rules; 
• The applicant has not exceeded the permitted number of submissions to the programme (for further information, see page 87 of the EU Guidelines); 
• The applicant has not concurrently submitted an application to the EIC STEP Scale Up programme (for further information, see page 74 of the EU Guidelines). 

Evaluating Criteria 

• The extent to which the application will contribute to activities with entities in European Union Member States and support the applicant’s economic growth in Israel, including through entry into EU markets. 
• The degree of technological and functional innovation of the product, including its complexity and depth, the programme’s technological challenges and its technological feasibility. 
• The applicant’s business and economic growth potential following successful completion of the programme, including the business potential, market size and/or growth rate, competitive advantage (including the strength of the intellectual property) and market validation performed. 
• The applicant’s capabilities to complete the programme successfully, including managerial, technological/engineering and business/marketing capabilities, as well as achievements to date. 
• Additional provisions and criteria under the Accelerator Programme or the Plug-In mechanism, including any subsequent amendments or updates where applicable, including the evaluation criteria for a short proposal set out on pages 85–87 of the EU Guidelines: 
  • EXCELLENCE 
    • Innovation – Deep tech and breakthrough nature: Is the proposed innovation deep tech in nature stemming from cutting-edge scientific or technological advances; does it represent a significant improvement in cost or performance compared to existing or alternative solutions?
    • Technology Readiness Level – TRL: Is there sufficient demonstration that the innovation has completed all aspects of TRL 5 (validation in a relevant environment for the application of the technology)?
    • Intellectual Property: Does the innovation have adequate IP protection and a sound IP strategy to enter the market to be addressed? 
  • IMPACT
    • Market Opportunity: What and how big is the total market addressed? What is the realistic expectation of the share of the total market? Where relevant, this includes addressable demand across civilian and defence end users where a credible business case exists in both. 
  • LEVEL OF RISK, IMPLEMENTATION AND NEED FOR UNION SUPPORT 
    • Team Capability: Does the company have the necessary team in terms of skills and competences to develop the innovation and scale the company? Have any skills/competence gaps been identified, including adequate gender balance, with a credible plan to fill the gaps? 
    • Risk Level of the Investment and Leverage Effect: Has the company demonstrated early traction with investors? Is the financing requirement to be internationally competitive significantly higher than the amount that market actors can finance alone? 

Application Process

Application Evaluation Process 

The application will be reviewed by professional evaluators of the Israel Innovation Authority. The decision on granting the benefit will be made by the Committee (as defined in the Procedure) and considered in accordance with the eligibility conditions and evaluation criteria set out in the Procedure, including the evaluation criteria for a short proposal under the EU Guidelines, and taking into account the quota allocated to Israel under the Plug-In mechanism. 

It should be noted that, under the provisions of the Plug-In mechanism, double funding from the Accelerator Programme is prohibited in respect of identical R&D content that has previously received funding from a government entity. 

Why Apply? 

Success under this call for proposals gives the selected companies a direct route to the full-proposal stage, bypassing the short-proposal stage of the Accelerator Programme. This takes them directly to the full proposal stage of one of the world’s most prestigious funding programmes for breakthrough innovation. 

In addition to this “fast track” to participation in the programme, companies approved under this call for proposals will benefit from: 

• Eligibility for three days of business coaching (for further information, see pages 125–128 of the EU Guidelines). For the avoidance of doubt, this service is subject to a decision by the programme administration. The Israel Innovation Authority is not a party to this matter and is not responsible for ensuring that the benefit is provided or that eligibility for it is approved. 
• Eligibility to apply under the individual route of Benefit Track 37, if a relevant call for proposals is opened (similarly to an applicant that successfully passed the short-proposal stage through the standard submission process). The Authority does not undertake to publish a relevant call for proposals under the individual route of Benefit Track 37 or to approve the application. 
• An application that is not approved under this call for proposals will not count toward the number of rejections under the Accelerator Programme and will not adversely affect eligibility for a future submission to the Accelerator Programme. 

Submission Deadline 

Applications may be submitted until 26 October 2026 at 12:00 noon. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted. 

How to Submit an Application 

1. Read the Procedure and the relevant Israel Innovation Authority procedures carefully and verify compliance with the eligibility conditions set out in the Procedure and on this page. Follow the instructions set out in the Procedure and on this page. 
2. Read the EU Guidelines carefully, in particular pages 71–90 and Annex 4 on page 200. 
3. Read the Access2EIC guide for completing a short proposal—Short Proposal Annotated Template—carefully. 
4. If you do not already have a user account for this submission, create an account on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. 
5. If the company is not registered on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before this submission and does not have a PIC number, register the company on the Portal and obtain a PIC number. 
6. The application must be submitted online through the Innovation Authority’s Hebrew website’s Personal Area: 
7. Register for or log in to the Personal Area. 
8. In the “Actions” menu, select “Submit a General Application” under company-level actions. 
9. Under application type, select: Plug-In Application. 
10. Complete the online application form and attach the Submission Form and the additional documents in the “Add Attachments” section of the online application form. 
11. For updates, follow this call-for-proposals page and comply with the instructions published on it. 
12. Nothing in this notice constitutes a commitment to approve any application submitted under this process. 

Forms and Documents to Be Submitted: 

• One Submission Form comprising two parts, with a combined maximum length of 16 pages, in accordance with the instructions set out in the form: 
• A form modelled on the Accelerator Programme short-proposal template. 
• Annex I – Additional information required by the Israel Innovation Authority. 
• Annex II – A pitch deck of up to 10 slides, in English and in PDF format, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Submission Form. 
• Letters of intent from European entities with which you intend to establish a business relationship may, and preferably should, be attached. Such entities may include pilot sites, customers, investors, R&D partners, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors or another relevant entity. 
• If you have previously submitted a proposal to the EIC Accelerator Programme from 2021 onward, attach the Evaluation Summary Reports received for those previous submissions. 

Important Information 

• All matters described herein—including the submission and review of applications, decisions to approve or reject applications, the granting of benefits, and the obligations and rights of a benefit recipient, including in relation to know-how and intellectual property, reporting and royalty payments—shall be governed by the provisions of the Innovation Law, the Procedure and the Israel Innovation Authority’s procedures. 
• The Israel Innovation Authority will review only complete and valid applications submitted by the deadline together with all required documents. 
• Companies wishing to receive confirmation that their application has been successfully received are requested to submit it as early as possible and not wait until the deadline. 
• An application submitted only in part or without all required documents will not be reviewed and will be returned to the applicant.