The EIC Accelerator Project Writing Camp, which aims to help innovative SMEs in Türkiye, especially those working in deep-tech fields, develop successful project proposals as coordinators, was successfully completed in İstanbul. The event stands out as an important step towards increasing Türkiye’s access to EU grants and investments and training qualified project coordinators in line with the goal of strengthening the country’s deep-tech entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The European Innovation Council (EIC), which operates under Horizon Europ, the world’s largest civilian R&D and innovation programme, and in which our country is also a stakeholder, aims to transform Europe’s innovation capacity by supporting the implementation of groundbreaking technologies with the potential to create a global impact. Placing Türkiye’s deep-tech ventures on the European stage stands out as a strategic goal in terms of national innovation policies. In this context, the Project Writing Camp, organized in İstanbul on 22–23 July 2025 under the “Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project,” was planned to help firms that have benefited from certain TÜBİTAK TEYDEB supports to succeed in their application processes to the European Innovation Council (EIC) calls. The camp aimed to equip participating ventures with the technical competence and hands-on project writing practice they need in the transition from national supports to international programmes. During this intensive two-day programme, both theoretical information was delivered and participants were given the opportunity to work directly on their own projects through practical sessions, with the goal of helping them structure their project ideas in line with the required standards.
The opening speeches of the Project Writing Camp were delivered by Erencan BAL, TÜBİTAK EIC National Contact Point, and İhsan KARATAYLI, Key Expert of the Technical Assistance Team. The training was conducted by two senior consultants specialized in the EIC Accelerator field, Elena Pérez and Isabel Millán.
In the first session of the event, the structure of the EIC Accelerator call, the application process, and the evaluation criteria were thoroughly addressed. The concept of high-impact deep-tech, funding options (grant, investment, and blended finance) were presented. Moreover, every step of the application process, from short and full proposal stages to jury interviews, was explained, along with practical tips for preparing a successful proposal based on the evaluation criteria such as “excellence,” “impact,” and “implementation capacity,” using concrete examples.
The next parts of the training were structured with a four-step methodology. In the first step, participants analyzed the official EIC project template and learned what the evaluators expect to see in each section. Then, practical guidance was given for each part, including short tips, writing techniques, and strategic frameworks. In the later stages of the programme, participants started to prepare their own draft projects, which included key messages and needed data such as market analysis, innovations, impact, team, and business plan. Thanks to the holistic training approach, each participant not only gained knowledge but also developed a structured project draft suitable for the template that could be used as a base for their own EIC Accelerator application.
The event was completed with one-on-one mentoring sessions, where each participant had the chance to get direct feedback from experts and improve their project proposals. In this way, the knowledge gained and the draft projects developed during the event were structured to directly support participants in the application process.
Within the scope of the Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project, project writing camps aiming to strengthen Türkiye’s research and innovation ecosystem are designed to increase the coordination capacity of ecosystem stakeholders. Through other special camps to be organized in the coming months, the project aims to support a larger number of potential participants. These activities are expected to increase startups’ access to EU funding sources in the short term and to strengthen Türkiye’s effectiveness and participation capacity in EU-funded projects in the long term.
