ACCEND Scale Up Accelerator

Applications have now closed.

Frequently asked questions

Programme Information

  • ACCEND aims to accelerate European deep tech scale ups with tailored support, cross-border access, and pathways to scale across areas including access to finance, procurement, piloting and global growth. Benefits include: 

    ACCEND Guides:  

    Each participating company will be allocated a Guide to create a tailored “ACCEND journey”, informed by company need and the pan-European ACCEND Service Catalogue. The Guide will also provide ongoing support throughout the programme.  

    The ACCEND Service Catalogue:

    The ACCEND Cross-border Service Catalogue has been designed to help deep tech scaleups navigate the European innovation ecosystem and access a range of tools, services and connections to support growth including:  

    1. Access to Finance (A2F) 

    • Investor Matchmaking: The Service Catalogue will provide information on and access to investors, venture capital firms and EU financial instruments 

    • Diverse funding opportunities: Signposting to grants, loans, equity, and blended finance, including flagship EU programs like the EIC Accelerator and InvestEU. 

    • Support in investment readiness: Expert guidance in preparing investment materials (pitch decks, business plans, financial projections). 

    2. Support for Internationalization (Global Growth Coaching – GGC) 

    Tailored mentorship for going global: Expert coaching in expanding into foreign markets, tailored to specific sectors and geographies. 

    • Legal and regulatory advisory: Assistance with IP protection, international taxation, and compliance with EU market regulations. 

    • Participation in cross-border acceleration programs: Access to international accelerators and coaching cohorts to fast-track growth. 

    3. Piloting and Validation (Piloting in Living Labs and Testbeds – PILOT) 

    • Access to real-life testing environments: Test your product or solution in Living Labs and testbeds across Europe – in sectors such as smart cities, mobility, healthcare, or energy. 

    • Technical and user feedback: Receive structured input from end users, technical experts, and public sector stakeholders. 

    • Faster technology validation: Support in reaching higher TRL (Technology Readiness Level), accelerating commercialization. 

    4. Public Procurement & Innovation (Procurement of Innovation – PPI) 

    • Training in public procurement: Learn how to navigate public tenders, legal requirements, and evaluation criteria. 

    • Access to innovation calls: Get notified about relevant open calls for innovative public procurement across EU regions. 

    • Support in proposal writing and compliance: Receive assistance in drafting compelling bids and meeting formal conditions. 

    5. Time and Resource Efficiency

    • Access to a curated suite of tools and services: Pitch templates, funding databases, FAQ repositories, regulatory updates, and calendars of key events. 

    • One-stop shop model: All key services are consolidated into a single access point, reducing administrative burden and time spent searching for opportunities. 

    6. Credibility and Recognition 

    Enhanced reputation and trust: Being included in a vetted European catalogue increases trust among potential investors, clients, and public buyers. 

    • Opportunity to be featured as a success story: Gain additional visibility and PR value through promotional materials, testimonials, and EU-wide showcases. 

  • While the programme does not directly provide access to finance, it does offer the opportunity for matchmaking with potential investors and signposting to other financing opportunities.  

  • While the programme does not provide direct procurement contracts, it equips your company to access them more effectively. You will benefit from tailored guidance, signposting to relevant procurement platforms and frameworks, participation in pitching events with potential buyers, and matchmaking with public procurement opportunities across partner regions. Training sessions also help you understand regional processes to ease market entry. Please note that tender writing and company-specific lead generation fall outside the scope of this service. 

  • The ACCEND programme will be delivered wholly online and will consist of tailored workshops and online trainings to prepare your venture for investor matchmaking sessions and opportunities to pilot the solution through testbeds and public procurement channels. 

    1. Fully online format: 

      a.) The entire program is delivered digitally, ensuring participation from scaleups across Europe without travel costs. 

      b.) Core activities are hosted on virtual platforms 

    2. Cohort-based delivery 

      a.) Scaleups join in cohorts (2 cohorts) each lasting several months. 

      b.) Each cohort follows a tailor made journey through selected pillars of – Access to Finance, Piloting in test beds, Public Procurement for innovation and Global Growth Coaching 

    3. Dedicated Guides help you through your journey 

      a.) Each participating scaleup has a assigned guide who works as a mentor, connector and one point of contact. The guide helps the scaleup to navigate and make most of the programme. 

  • Each programme will run for five months. The level of participant engagement will be dependent on the tailored journey co-created with your ACCEND Guide.  

    • Cohort 2 recruitment opens: 11 February 2026

    • Online information session: 10 March 2026

    • Applications close : 15 April 2026 

    • Decisions communicated to applicants: 27 April January 2026 

    • Programme – cohort 1: February 2026 - July 2026

    • Programme – cohort 2: 18 May 2026 – Nov 2026 

  • The time commitment varies depending on the services each company chooses to engage with. Since ACCEND is designed around tailored growth paths, the intensity will differ: some companies may primarily join workshops and mentoring sessions, while others may also pursue investor matchmaking, piloting opportunities, or procurement pathways. 

    On average, participants can expect a flexible commitment of a few hours per week, but the exact time required will depend on the company’s selected activities and how actively they wish to leverage the programme’s services. 

  • ACCEND organised sessions will be delivered in English; other providers may deliver sessions in their native language – check the Service Catalogue for further details.

  • There are no costs associated in joining the ACCEND programme. 

  • Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.  

Eligibility

  • ACCEND is designed for scaleup companies with products and services relevant to Smart Cities, Net Zero Cities and Regenerative Cities.

    • Smart Cities - looking at key aspects of a city, such as built environment, mobility, circular economy, education, social services, wellbeing and health care. 

    • Net Zero Cities – looking at clean tech and other solutions for “net zero cities”. 

    • Regenerative Cities -  including Deep Tech solutions capable of helping to reduce environmental degradation, halting and reversing the decline of biodiversity and better managing natural resources.

    Both cohorts will focus across the full range of themes.

  • Applicants should:

    • Have a technology base in advanced science or engineering, likely operating at TRL 6–9, although there is scope for companies at an earlier TRL to apply

    • Ideally be generating revenue (including through paid pilots) OR have raised pre-seed investment or significant grant funding.

    • Be seeking to scale their innovations into international markets, often requiring significant capital and aiming for international growth.

    The focus is on scaleups but there is some flexibility - particularly for founders who face systemic challenges, such as female founders. The unique nature of our individual guide approach means we can provide benefit to founders at both earlier and scaling stages.

  • Applicants must be headquartered in a European Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country  

  • We consider companies female founded if they have been founded or co-founded by women. At least one woman on the founding team and holding a top-level management position (CEO, CTO or equivalent). Women should hold at least 25% of the shares of the company. 

The Application Process

  • Complete the online application form and include a link to a short pitch video. Selection will be made by the ACCEND partners and results will be announced by the end of April 2026.  

  • The application form cannot be saved, but it is possible to download a copy of the application to help prepare answers. It must be submitted online; there is no paper based submission option.  

  • A short description of your company, traction and where you need support.

  • 25-30 companies will be selected for each cohort.  

  • We collect this (optional) question to help us measure and improve diversity in the ACCEND accelerator. We are aiming for a diverse cohort, with an ambition to get around 30% of the pilot cohorts from female-founded companies. Deep tech in Europe has a well-documented gender gap: only about 17% of deep-tech startups founded since 2010 include at least one woman founder (peaking at ~24% in 2022), women represented only around 14% of founders in 2022, and startups with women founders have historically received just about 11.4% of total deep-tech funding. Tracking applicant demographics lets us assess whether our outreach is reaching underrepresented founders and whether we’re meeting our 30% female-founded cohort target. We only use this information in aggregate for monitoring and reporting; it may be used as tie-breaker for choosing between identically-scoring applications. It’s optional and you can select “prefer not to say.”  

Information Session

Are you a deep-tech scale-up ready to level up?

Don’t miss this exclusive info session with our partners at 28Digital, where we break down everything you need to know about the ACCEND Accelerator Programme.

In this session, you’ll discover:

  • How to navigate the application process

  • The tailored support designed specifically for deep-tech innovators

  • How our cross-border ecosystem can help you scale faster and smarter

Whether you’re looking to expand internationally, secure expert mentorship, or accelerate your market entry, this programme could be the catalyst for your business needs.

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