Grants for implementation of innovative decarbonization technologies
The Innovation Fund is the EU's climate policy fund, focused on energy and industry. Its goal is to bring solutions to market that decarbonize EU industry and support its transition to climate neutrality. It prioritizes first-of-a-kind, highly innovative projects that demonstrate technologies capable of achieving significant emission reductions. The fund supports technologies, business models, and processes that are not yet commercially available but represent breakthrough solutions or are sufficiently mature for demonstration at a pre-commercial scale.
Project requirements
Projects demonstrating highly innovative technologies, process models or products that are sufficiently mature and have significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, e.g.:
- Innovations in low-carbon technologies and processes;
- Waste heat recovery and energy efficiency improvements within industrial processes and energy systems;
- Environemnt safe carbon capture and its geological storage;
- Development of products that replace carbon-intensive ones;
- Innovative technologies for renewable energy and energy storage;
- Construction and operation of production facilities for production of specific components for:
- Renewable energy: facilities producing components for photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, onshore and offshore wind power, ocean power, geothermal, solar thermal and other renewable energy systems, including their connection to the electricity/heat grid.
- Electrolyzers and fuel cells: production of electrolyzers and fuel cells for the production and consumption of hydrogen.
- Energy storage solutions: manufacture of batteries and other storage solutions for stationary and mobile use.
- Development and production of heat pumps.
Eligible applicants: Individual private or public entities and consortia of several private and/or public entities
Deadline for application: 24 April 2025
Budget per project:
- Large-scale projects – above EUR 100 mln.;
- Middle-scale projects – above EUR 20 mln. and up to EUR 100 mln.;
- Small-scale projects – above EUR 2,5 mln. and up to EUR 20 mln.;
- Clean manufacturing and pilot projects – above EUR 2,5 mln..
Size of the grant: Up to 60 % of the eligible project costs.
Project evaluation criteria
- Degree of innovation;
- Greenhouse gas emission avoidance potential;
- Project maturity (technical, financial, operational);
- Scalability;
- Cost efficiency.
Examples of projects, financed by the Innovation Fund:
