Details
- Status
- Closed
- Publication date
- 23 November 2023
- Opening date
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Deadline date
- 9 April 2024, 17:00 (CEST)
- Department
- Directorate-General for Climate Action
Description
Objective:
The objective of this topic is to support highly innovative, disruptive or breakthrough technologies in deep decarbonisation needed for achieving the climate neutrality goal.
Scope:
The following activities can be funded under this topic:
Construction and operation of pilot projects that focus on validating, testing and optimising highly innovative, deep decarbonisation solutions in all sectors eligible for Innovation Fund support.
Pilot projects can thus concern: sectors listed in Annex I and Annex III to the EU ETS Directive 2003/87, including environmentally safe carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) that contributes substantially to mitigating climate change, as well as products substituting carbon-intensive ones produced in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive or construction and operation of innovative energy storage or construction and operation of CO2 storage solutions or construction and operation renewable energy installations (in photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, onshore and offshore wind power, ocean energy, geothermal, solar thermal, and others), including innovative systems aspects such as connection to the electricity/heat grid.
In this topic, a higher degree of innovation is expected than in the other topics. Consequently, the activities that can be funded are those that tackle technical risks linked to the innovative technologies and solutions, e.g. optimising process and operational parameters of the innovation, and/or improving the characteristics of the final products produced. Pilot projects should prove an innovative, deep decarbonisation or net carbon removal technology or solution in an operational environment, but are not expected yet to reach large scale demonstration or commercial production. Nevertheless, the project can entail limited production/operation for testing purposes, including delivery to/from potential customers for validation. Typically, these projects would have a limited life-time (3 to 5 years). If the project is successful, the proposed technology should move to the next stage of large-scale demonstration or first-of-a-kind commercial production.
Only projects with a total capital expenditure above EUR 2 500 000 are eligible under this topic.
The maximum amount of Innovation Fund grant for an individual project under this topic is limited to EUR 40 million.