The EIC Accelerator for a startup from outside the EU: established in the Netherlands by step 2
The EIC Accelerator of the European Innovation Council (EIC) funds startups and small companies with a grant and equity. A company from outside the EU can apply after it relocates to an EU country. This page explains when the company must be established, what counts, and how a Dutch company fits.
Ask about your situationYes. A startup from the United States can file step 1, the short application, from the United States. By step 2, the full proposal, the company must prove its effective establishment in an EU member state or in a country associated to Horizon Europe (EIC Work Programme 2026, topic HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01).
The applicant is a single small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): fewer than 250 staff and a turnover up to €50 million or a balance sheet up to €43 million, counted with linked companies in full and partner companies in proportion. A Dutch company of a large group counts as large.
The Accelerator offers a grant below €2.5 million and an investment of €1 million to €10 million through the EIC Fund. The EIC invests in the applicant company. A Dutch BV at the top of the group, with the intellectual property and the contracts, receives it directly.
The next cut-off for full proposals in 2026 is 4 November 2026. The dates for 2027 follow in the EIC Work Programme 2027.
Who can apply
The EIC Work Programme 2026 accepts these applicants for the Accelerator (topic HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01):
- a single company classified as an SME, established in an EU member state or an associated country;
- a small mid-cap company with up to 499 employees, in exceptional cases for rapid scale-up, for the investment only;
- founders from a member state or an associated country who will establish an SME by the time of signing the grant agreement;
- investors that apply on behalf of a company, with its agreement;
- applicants from a third country outside the associated countries that intend to establish an SME or to relocate an existing SME. They prove the effective establishment of the company in a member state or an associated country at the time of submission of the full proposal.
The Accelerator page of the EIC adds that applicants from third countries may relocate their company to become eligible, and that the relocation comes before the full application (step 2).
The associated countries
Countries associated to Horizon Europe in September 2026 (list of 16 September 2026): Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Egypt, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Morocco has transitional arrangements and is treated as associated. Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Korea are associated for Pillar II of Horizon Europe only, and the EIC is part of Pillar III. For the United Kingdom, transitional arrangements apply from the 2026 budget: UK companies are treated as associated for the EIC Fund, with investment decisions conditional on the amendment of the UK association agreement. The United States is outside the list.
The steps and the dates
Step 1 is the short application: a form, a pitch deck and a video, which you can submit at any time. Step 2 is the full proposal at a cut-off date. Step 3 is an interview with a jury. Step 4 is the agreements and the due diligence.
The 2026 cut-offs for full proposals are 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November. The dates for 2027 follow in the EIC Work Programme 2027.
The funding and its conditions
The grant component is below €2.5 million. The investment component, through the EIC Fund, is €1 million to €10 million in equity. For scale-ups, STEP Scale Up, part of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, invests €10 million to €30 million. The 2026 budget is €414 million for the open call and €220 million for the challenges.
Some parts have conditions on control and ownership. In the challenge on critical raw materials, grant-only actions are open only to companies controlled from eligible countries, and applicants sign a declaration on ownership and control. Investments of the EIC Fund in STEP Scale Up, semiconductors, AI, quantum and biotech have economic security safeguards. Transfers of funded intellectual property to countries outside the associated countries are notified to the EIC.
What effective establishment means in practice
The work programme names effective establishment as the test and leaves the details to the evaluation. Plan for a company that is clearly established in the Netherlands: registered here, with its management, staff or operations here, and with the intellectual property and the contracts in its name.
The EIC invests in the applicant company. A flip, in which the Dutch company becomes the parent of the group through a share exchange, puts the investment at the top of the group. A Dutch subsidiary of a US parent receives the investment in the subsidiary.
The EIC FAQ warns that a later change of ownership that questions the award decision can be a ground to end the grant agreement. Plan the ownership of the group before the full proposal.
Moving the founders
For American founders, the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) allows residence in the Netherlands with an investment of at least €4,500 in their own company. See the DAFT requirements for 2026. Founders from other countries use the other Dutch residence permits, such as the permit for highly skilled migrants or the permit for startups.
Sources: European Innovation Council, EIC Work Programme 2026 (amended on 17 June 2026), EIC Accelerator and the FAQ on the Accelerator; Funding and Tenders Portal, topic HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-01; European Commission, list of countries associated to Horizon Europe (16 September 2026); Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC on the definition of SMEs. Checked on 25 September 2026.
Who does what
Holdwise sets up and manages the Dutch company that applies. Grant writers and lawyers do the specialist work. You keep one contact for the company.
Your company
- The innovation, the team and the application
- The choice for the group: a flip or a subsidiary
- The grant writer for the proposal
The Dutch base
- Sets up the Dutch BV by power of attorney, with the notary
- The flip: the Dutch company as the new parent, with the notary and tax advice
- Registration with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), VAT number, bank account and payroll
- Bookkeeping and annual accounts that the EIC can audit
Grant, law, residence
- Grant writer for the EIC application
- US counsel for the share exchange
- Immigration adviser for the residence permits of the founders
Step by step
From a startup abroad to an EIC applicant established in the Netherlands.
- The plan. You share your product, your team and your funding plan. Holdwise answers in writing which set-up fits: a new Dutch company, a flip or a subsidiary.
- Step 1 of the EIC. The short application, which you can file from abroad.
- The company. The notary sets up the Dutch BV by power of attorney, usually within one week once all documents are complete.
- The establishment. Management, staff or operations in the Netherlands, and the intellectual property and the contracts in the name of the Dutch company.
- Step 2 of the EIC. The full proposal at a cut-off date, with proof of the effective establishment.
- After the award. Agreements and due diligence, then bookkeeping and reporting in the Dutch company.
Related guides
More for founders who move their company to the Netherlands.
Common questions
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