Second call for Innovation Fund projects: the Commission will invest €100 million in small-scale innovative clean technologies

Today, the European Commission launches the second call for projects of the Innovation Fund, one of the world’s largest funding programmes for the deployment of innovative low-carbon technologies.

The new call makes available a grant of €100 million for small-scale projects, with a capital expenditure between €2.5 million and €7.5 million, on renewable energy, energy-intensive industries, including substitutes, energy storage and carbon capture, use and use. storage. It has a strong focus on innovation, aiming to encourage pioneering customers. For example, a provider of an innovative technology and a customer who wants to purchase and implement it can join and apply together.

Our aim is to boost Europe’s green recovery by helping companies bring their clean technology innovations to market, creating future-proof local jobs and paving the way to climate neutrality.

Director-General of DG Climate Action Mauro Petriccione said: “The need for innovation and clean energy technologies has never been greater. We need them to reach our goals and become climate neutral by 2050. We need them to modernize our economy and remain competitive and create green jobs. And we have many innovators in Europe who deserve to be supported to bring their ideas and projects to market. With this call for proposals we are giving an opportunity to small clean technology projects to scale, contribute to Europe’s green recovery and play their part in the green transition.”

The call is open for projects located in all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. The funds can be used in cooperation with other public funding initiatives, such as state aid or other EU funding programmes, as well as in combination with private investments.

Projects will be evaluated according to their potential to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, innovation potential, financial and technical maturity, and potential for expansion and profitability. The application process has only one stage and the selection procedure will be simpler.

Next steps

Projects can be submitted through the EU tenders and funding portal, where more details on the general procedure are available. The deadline for applications is March 10, 2021.

Applicants will be informed about the results of the evaluation and invited to the preparation of the grant in August 2021. Grants will be awarded on an indicative basis in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In the meantime, the Commission will continue its active engagement with stakeholders with targeted webinars to facilitate the application process and answer applicants’ questions while the call is open.

Background

The Innovation Fund aims to create the right financial incentives for companies and public authorities to now invest in the next generation of low-carbon technologies and give EU companies an edge to become global technology leaders.

For the period 2020-2030, the Innovation Fund will allocate around €10 billion from the auction of allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System, in addition to the undisbursed revenue of the Innovation Fund’s predecessor, the NER 300 programme.

The Innovation Fund will be implemented by the Networks and Innovation Executive Agency (INEA).

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