Launch of the third call for proposals for EU action grants supporting innovative small-scale clean tech projects

The experiences of the second call

During the evaluation of the second call, 17 successful projects were selected, the total amount of grants awarded is EUR 62 million. The selected projects presented innovative solutions in many sectors, such as glass production, green hydrogen production and wind energy, some of which are described in the attached leaflet.

The European Investment Bank wishes to grant project development assistance to some of the rejected proposals, which, although have not yet reached the level of maturity necessary to receive support, but contain promising solutions. This opportunity will be available in the third call as well.

A positive change in the award criteria of the new call is that for projects that use a significant amount of electricity, the commitment to use electricity from additional renewable energy sources can be considered as a bonus point.

Important elements of the third call

• Total available call budget: EUR 100 million
• Project eligible under this call: CAPEX costs must range between EUR 2.5 million - 7.5 million
• The aid intensity is up to 60%
• Projects should represent breakthrough solutions or be sufficiently mature to be ready for demonstration at pre-commercial scale
• Applications may be submitted individually or by consortium
• The application process consists of only one round
• It has a simplified selection process compared to a similar tender for large projects (cost over €7.5 million)
• The default operating period is 3 years after entry into operation

Activities that can be funded

• Innovative use of renewable energy and production of related devices
• Innovative renewable energy storage solutions and storage manufacturing plants
• Carbon dioxide capture and storage
• Increasing the efficiency of energy-intensive industries and developing substitute products

Which projects are worth applying for?

The purpose of the Innovation Fund is to support projects that

• result in the avoidance of significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions
• present highly innovative solutions
• must have high market and growth potential

The projects contribute to the green recovery of the EU economy by supporting businesses investing in clean energy and industry to help boost economic growth, create local jobs, and give the industry a competitive edge within the EU.

When and what must be submitted?

The submission deadline is 19 September 2023. The submitted application must contain the presentation of the following aspects:

• Degree of innovation
• GHG emission avoidance potential
• Technical, financial, and operational maturity
  
• Scalability
• Cost efficiency

Entities considering an innovative sustainability project that may fall within the scope of the call should consider the possibility of applying, for which Deloitte experts are at your disposal.

For further information about the call, please feel free to contact our experts and read our summary here.