EU Innovation Fund 2020-21

OBJETIVES

The goal is to help businesses invest in clean energy and industry to boost economic growth, create local future-proof jobs and reinforce European technological leadership on a global scale.

This is done through calls for large and small-scale projects focusing on:

• innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy-intensive industries, including products substituting carbon-intensive ones
• carbon capture and utilisation (CCU)
• construction and operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS)
• innovative renewable energy generation
• energy storage

ADDRESSED TO

Single applicants (companies) or consortia.

• Open to small-scale projects from all eligible sectors: energy-intensive industries, including CCUS, renewable energy, energy storage, substitute products and cross-cutting projects

WHAT WILL BE FUNDED

The first call for small-scale projects will fund innovative projects in clean energy and industry to support the deployment of key technologies needed to reach climate neutrality and contribute to Europe’s green recovery.

The Innovation Fund focuses on highly innovative technologies and big flagship projects within Europe that can bring on significant emission reductions. It is about sharing the risk with project promoters to help with the demonstration of first-of-a-kind highly innovative projects.

At the same time, the projects need to be sufficiently mature in terms of planning, business model as well as financial and legal structure.

The fund supports cross-cutting projects on innovative low-carbon solutions that lead to emission reductions in multiple sectors, for example, through industrial symbiosis.

AMOUNT

The Innovation Fund will support up to 60% of the additional capital and operational costs of small-scale projects.

The grants will be disbursed in a flexible way based on project financing needs, taking into account the milestones achieved during the project lifetime.

Up to 40% of the grants can be given based on pre-defined milestones before the whole project is fully up and running.

APPLICATIONS

The application process is simplified and has only one stage:

• Full application, where projects are assessed on all the selection criteria, as specified below.

The first call for proposals for small-scale projects is open until 10 March 2021.

Projects can apply via the EU Funding and Tenders portal.