Can a company from outside the EU apply to the EIC Accelerator?

Yes, but not as a company registered in Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan or the United States. According to the EIC Work Programme 2026, a company from a non-associated country can send the short proposal from abroad, but it must prove it is established in an EU member state or an associated country when it submits the full proposal.

This guide is for a founder whose company is registered outside Europe and who is looking at the EIC Accelerator. That is the European Union's programme for startups and small companies with breakthrough technology, run by the European Innovation Council, the EIC, as part of Horizon Europe, the EU research programme.

The short version: the EIC funds a European company, not a foreign one. A foreign founder can start the process before that European company exists, but not finish it.

Who can apply to the EIC Accelerator?

According to the EIC Work Programme 2026, the applicant is a single small or medium-sized company established in an EU member state or in a country associated to the programme. People who plan to set up such a company can apply as well. A company from any other country takes part by setting up, or moving, a company into one of those countries.

Somewhat larger companies, with up to 499 employees, can only receive an investment, or in exceptional cases a mix of grant and investment. People applying before their company exists have to establish it by the time the grant agreement is signed.

Source: European Commission, EIC Work Programme 2026, page 73

What does a company from outside the EU have to do?

Set up, or move, a company into an EU member state or an associated country. According to the EIC Work Programme 2026, it can submit the short proposal as a foreign company, but it must prove that the European company is actually established when it submits the full proposal. It also has to use the same registration number in the EU funding portal for both steps.

That makes the timing tight. The short proposal can be sent at any time, and the EIC says it gives a result in about 4 to 6 weeks. The European company has to exist before the next step, so founders usually start the entity work early rather than wait for that result. For the Dutch route, see how to set up a Dutch BV from abroad.

The Commission can also add conditions and milestones to the contract to protect the interest of the Union.

Sources:
European Commission, EIC Work Programme 2026, pages 73 and 77
EIC, Guide for applicants, Work Programme 2026, page 10

Which countries count as associated?

Only countries associated to the part of Horizon Europe that includes the EIC. According to the EIC Work Programme 2026, those include Norway, Iceland, Israel, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, among others, and the European Commission's current country list adds Switzerland. Korea, Japan, Canada and New Zealand are associated only to the collaborative research part, called Pillar II.

For the founders this site writes for, that means:

• Türkiye is associated to the whole programme, so a company established in Türkiye can apply from there.
• Korea and Japan are associated to Pillar II only, and they are not on the list of countries whose companies can receive EIC funding.
• Singapore, Taiwan and the United States are not associated to Horizon Europe at all.

Associations change: Japan's took effect for the EU budget of 2026 onwards. The European Commission keeps the list up to date.

Sources:
European Commission, List of participating countries in Horizon Europe, version 4.0
European Commission, EIC Work Programme 2026, page 176

Does foreign ownership matter once the company is in Europe?

Usually not for the application itself. According to the EIC Work Programme 2026, limits on control by owners from non-associated countries can apply to grant-only projects, but only in exceptional cases; in 2026 that is the challenge on critical raw materials. The limits do not apply to the investment part, where the EIC Fund checks each company before it invests.

The investment side has its own conditions:

• The EIC Fund makes sure the companies it backs keep most of their value, including their intellectual property, in the EU or the associated countries.
• Investments in artificial intelligence, quantum, semiconductors and biotechnology come with specific safeguards in the investment agreement.
• A company has to inform the EU agency if it plans to transfer intellectual property from an EIC project to a company in a non-associated country.

For a group with a parent in Seoul or Tokyo, the question is where the technology is owned and developed. Founders usually settle that with an adviser before the full proposal.

Source: European Commission, EIC Work Programme 2026, pages 16, 17, 76 and 175

What does the EIC Accelerator give?

According to the EIC Work Programme 2026, a grant of up to EUR 2.5 million, an investment of EUR 1 million to EUR 10 million from the EIC Fund, or both together. The grant covers up to 70% of the eligible costs, and the company pays the rest from its own resources. The investment comes as shares in the company.

The EIC's guide for applicants sets the investment at no more than 25% of the voting shares. When and how often the EIC takes proposals, and how many succeed, is in EIC Accelerator cut-offs and odds in 2026.

Sources:
European Commission, EIC Work Programme 2026, pages 74 to 76
EIC, Guide for applicants, Work Programme 2026, page 13

Where the EIC fits in a move to Europe

The EIC makes the company decision part of the funding decision. In its 2026 impact report, the EIC counts EUR 3.5 of additional capital for every euro invested by the EIC Fund, and a relocation rate of 1%, which it reads as companies staying in Europe. The same question comes back with private investors: see do you need an EU company to raise money from European investors. Why deep tech lands differently is in the deep-tech landing gap.

Source: EIC, EIC Impact Report 2026, 4 June 2026

Sources

1. European Commission, EIC Work Programme 2026, as amended on 17 June 2026 (PDF), checked 11 September 2026
2. European Commission, List of participating countries in Horizon Europe, version 4.0 of 31 July 2026 (PDF), checked 11 September 2026
3. EIC, EIC Accelerator guide for applicants, Work Programme 2026 (PDF), checked 11 September 2026
4. EIC, Frequently asked questions on the EIC Accelerator, checked 11 September 2026
5. EIC, EIC Impact Report 2026: Europe strengthens its position as a global deep-tech scaling hub, checked 11 September 2026

Checked on 11 September 2026. This page is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Rules change: check the official source, or ask an adviser, before you act on it.