We present cumulative data and statistics collected since the launch of the fully-fledged version of the EIC Accelerator in June 2021.
We present cumulative data and statistics collected since the launch of the fully-fledged version of the EIC Accelerator in June 2021.
I won’t comment on the obviously partial title (OP’s title, not the linked article’s) and on the fact that the article’s analyzes the investments done since 2021 (ie. when Israel didn’t kill people willy-nilly, not as much as it does now at least), but I would love to know why on earth the UK and (especially) Israel are included in the program.
I mean, the EIC Accelerator funds come from the EU (IIUC - does Israel actually contribute?)… even if one were to ignore the ongoing mass extermination of Gazaui, why would an EU institution invest in Israel?
[Edit: all is clear now, see my other reply]
Speaking from Israel, I’m just as confused as you are. My best guess: Israel’s reputation (before the war) as a “Start-Up Nation” was well earned, a lot of technology and innovation was happening here. Arguably still is (hard to tell with all the war stuff). So generally it made sense to invest in Israeli startups simply to advance technology in general.
But this is obviously an EU-centric program. All other countries listed are EU. So it’s still weird.
Because they invest in weaponry and surveillance tech. It’s the laboratory.
From the article linked by OP:
Weapons aren’t really part of this.
The program is said to be for Civilian purposes only, but a lot of these aspects fall under “dual use” and it is enough to “state” a Civilian purpose. In the context of Israel we know the government and affiliated institutions to be notorious liars.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/18/eu-horizon-funding-israel
Manufacturing, Digital, Space Tech and Robotics are strong candidates for military technology. In particular Digital probably contains “cyber”-security which means both offense and defense capabilities for military uses, AI for mass surveillance by the police can be used for surveillance and targeting of “hostile” Civilians in a military context. Space Tech probably contains technology usable for spy satellites and missile systems. Robotics probably contains controls and technology usable for military surveillance and combat drones. As for manufacturing, high-tech military equipment relies on high-tech production systems.
It wouldn’t matter, as the money that is saved is probably spent on weapons.
What are you talking about? The money doesn’t go to the Israeli government, it goes to the private companies or individuals who applied for the grant. Are you saying that every single person and organization in this country invests any spare cash they’ve got on weapons?
I don’t know the products involved in these programs as the article doesn’t mention anything about that, but the vast majority of Israel’s surveillance tech and related policies doesn’t come from Europe but from China:
How Chinese firm linked to repression of Uyghurs aids Israeli surveillance in West Bank Cameras made by Hikvision […] blanket the occupied West Bank.
Mass Surveillance Fuels Oppression of Uyghurs and Palestinians Israel, Like China, Has Weaponized Surveillance Technology to Suppress Peaceful Dissent
Even ‘leftist’ magazines have been reporting on the relationship between Chinese Surveillance and Israeli Settler Colonialism.
Ah yes aren’t we stupid, it’s all because of China.
Anything to deflect from our own responsibility, innit?
Some of the money went to IBM Israel:
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/03/21/israeli-researchers-companies-secure-over-1-1-billion-euros-in-eu-grants/
IBM Israel built the infrastructure for Lavender and other automated genocide systems
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/1/un-report-lists-companies-complicit-in-israels-genocide-who-are-they
I’m not fucking Chinese. I have a say on what WE do, not them.
Trying to parse your comment… Are you saying Europe invests in weaponry and surveillance, or Israel does? Is Israel the laboratory, as in, Europe is ‘using’ Israel to tests weapons?
I’m not really interested in this topic, but I don’t think the programs talked about here are in those industries. Will have to check.
It’s part of Horizon Europe, which has a whole bunch of non-EU members who also pay into it
Okay, I found the answer:
https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en
For Horizon Europe, the easiest list to find is on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon_Europe
In short, Israel is part of the program.
Yeah, Israel and UK contribute to the Horizon Europe’s budget, and are fully eligible to the grants under the program.
The program is managed by the European Commission. Thus, in theory, the countries outside the EU pay but have no influence on the decision-making bodies. This can be a big disadvantage in more politically loaded processes. I suspect (from my experience with the ERC) that the selection process under Horizon Europe is build very much to focus on evaluating each project separately, not providing equity by country. Israel and the UK get a lot of funds since from there come project that, if not good, are at the very least popular. Or rather: That the decision boards, usually filled with specialists from the respective fields, find to have the highest feasibility times impact (figuratively, as, to the best of my knowledge, no such value is calculated).
I see no conspiracy or a bypass to support Israel with extra money here. They were just good at writing grant proposal (or however you call it in the startup world), and they were allowed to be a part of EU’s research program as they have always been.
They benefit from it nevertheless. And it is high time to end the collaboration. It is already being discussed. And it is good to know it would hurt indeed - thanks for the research, OP’s sources!
https://efe.com/en/latest-news/2025-07-28/eu-suspension-israels-horizon-europe-gaza-attacks/
AFAIK the funding ultimately comes out of the Horizon Europe pot of which Israel is a fully paid up associated member. I also wonder how they’re defining which country a given grant goes to - lots of Israeli headquartered companies have extensive operations in EU countries.