EU Innovation Fund

The European Commission is launching the third call for large-scale projects under the EU Innovation Fund. This call aims at commercial deployment of innovative low-carbon technologies, which will contribute to achieving goals set out in the European Green Deal and in the REPowerEU Plan. Budget for this call is EUR 3 billion and is divided into 4 separate topics.

Timetable and deadlines:

  • Call opening: 11/2022
  • Deadline for submission: 16th of March 2023 17:00 CET
  • Information on evaluation results: July-August 2023
  • GA signature: December 2023

The topics

  • General decarbonisation (budget: EUR 1 billion) – innovative projects in renewable energy, energy-intensive industries, energy storage or carbon capture, use, and storage, as well as products substituting carbon-intensive ones.
  • Innovative electrification in industry and hydrogen (budget: EUR 1 billion) – innovative projects in electrification methods to replace fossil fuel use in industry as well as renewable hydrogen production or hydrogen uptake in industry
  • Clean tech manufacturing (budget: EUR 0,7 billion) – innovative projects in manufacturing of components as well as final equipment for electrolysers and fuel cells, renewable energy storage and heat pumps
  • Mid-sized pilots (budget: EUR 0,3 billion) – highly innovative projects in disruptive or breakthrough technologies in deep decarbonisation in all eligible sectors of the Fund. Projects should prove the innovation in an operational environment but would not be expected to reach large-scale demonstration or commercial production.

Who can apply?

  • legal entity from any country of the world, however the proposal must relate to activities taking place in the EU member states, Norway or Iceland
  • Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to successfully implement the projects, as well as relevant know-how, qualifications, and resources
  • Only projects with a total capital expenditure above EUR 7 500 000 will be eligible

How long must the project endure?

The project must reach financial close within 4 years after grant signature. It must also operate at least 5 years after entry into operation, 3 years respectively (Mid-sized pilots). Project duration normally ranges between 3 and 15 years (longer if duly justified).

Form of grant

The grant will be calculated as 60 % of the eligible costs.

How does the application process work?

The application must be submitted through the electronic submission system, the whole process will be in the form of standard submission and evaluation procedure (one-stage submission + one-step evaluation). The main evaluation criterions will be:

  • Degree of innovation
  • GHG emission avoidance potential and Project maturity
  • Scalability and Cost efficiency

If you would like help with the preparation of your project and increase your chances of obtaining the grant, get in touch with us!