EU’s Innovation Fund

Funding for

innovative net-zero technologies for climate neutrality

Grant amount

EUR 20-100+ million

Deadline

9 April

Answer

Q4 2024

Apply for EU’s Innovation Fund grants (small, medium or large-scale) if you need capital for the last scaling up before commercialization. And receive up to 60% of CAPEX.

The Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programmes (around EUR 40 billion of support over 2020-2030) for the commercial demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, aiming to bring to the market industrial solutions to decarbonize Europe and support its transition to climate neutrality.

In the most recent application round, 1st Mile wrote a small-scale application that has been selected for Innovation Fund funding, so we know exactly what it takes to secure grants from the Innovation Fund!

Open call

The Innovation Fund’s 2023 call which is open for submission until 9 April 2024 has a budget of EUR 4.8 billion

This call for small, medium and large-scale applications focus on:

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

But the 2023 calls also include cleantech components manufacturing and many others – read the call document

Application writing

The application for a grant is quite comprehensive (about 300 pages) and must among others contain:

  • general information
  • technical description
  • work plan, work packages, timing
  • budget
  • feasibility study
  • GHG emission avoidance calculation

Small, medium or large-scale applications?

Small-scale: Capital expenditure above EUR 2.5 million and up to EUR 20 million.

Medium-scale: Capital expenditure above EUR 20 million and up to EUR 100 million.

Large-scale: Capital expenditure above EUR 100 million.

Award criteria

The award criteria for this call are as follows:

  • Degree of innovation
  • GHG emission avoidance potential (reduction of greenhouse gasses)
  • Project maturity (technical, financial and operational)
  • Replicability
  • Cost efficiency

An application will receive points for each criteria and based on the total score and the available budget, the proposal will be granted or rejected.