Pre-commitment

This call targets companies raising significant funding rounds and you must demonstrate an initial market interest such that the EIC investment acts as a catalyst for larger funding rounds. You will therefore need to demonstrate that the company already has a pre-commitment for an equity investment which meets the following elements:

 The pre-commitment comes from a single qualified investor201 subject to KYC by the EIC Fund or the EIF. The pre-committed investor may be an existing investor in the company and does not necessarily need to be the investor who intends to lead the investment round.

 The pre-commitment represents at least 20% of the total target funding round you are aiming to raise. Moreover, the portion of the pre-commitment corresponding to at least 20% of the funding round must be fully uninvested as of the date of the pre-commitment letter. Syndicated pre-commitments, as long as no entity’s individual contribution is equal or above the 20% threshold, will be deemed ineligible.

The following entities are eligible to apply:

 A single company classified as a SME or small mid-cap (up to 499 employees) established in the Union, in Ukraine or in an EEA member associated to Horizon Europe202 (see Annex 2). The company may have a holding entity for the purposes of the investment, and this holding company must also be established in a Member State, Ukraine or in an EEA member associated to Horizon Europe.

 An investor may submit a proposal on behalf of an eligible SME or small midcap as defined above, provided that a prior agreement exists with the company. The investment agreement will be signed with the selected SME or small mid-cap.

The applicable admissibility and eligibility conditions are detailed in Annex 2 unless otherwise stated in this call.

Guarantees

Should the applicant consider to be directly or indirectly controlled by a third country other than Ukraine or an EEA member associated to Horizon Europe or by legal entities of such a third country then the following steps should be taken:

 Carry out the self-assessment to determine whether they are indeed directly or indirectly controlled by a third country other than Ukraine or an EEA member associated to Horizon Europe or by legal entities of such a third country.

If applicants find this is the case, then applicants should submit guarantees at the time of application in accordance with the national procedures of the Member State or the EEA member associated to Horizon Europe in which the legal entity is established.

 If such guarantees are not submitted at application stage, applicants will be requested to provide them if invited to an interview with the EIC Jury (failure to submit guarantees within two weeks from the end of the interview session will result in applications being deemed as non-eligible). Guidelines concerning the submission of guarantees are available on the Funding & Tender Portal.

 If you did not complete a self-assessment and it is found during the investment due diligence process that your company is directly or indirectly controlled by a third country other than Ukraine or an EEA member associated to Horizon Europe or by legal entities of such a third country, then you will be requested to provide guarantees within two weeks of the date of the request (failure to submit guarantees will result in applications being deemed as non-eligible).

Such guarantees must provide assurances that the participation of the legal entity does not contravene the security and defence interests of the Union and its Member States, as established within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union, including respect for the principle of good neighbourly relations