Second EU Innovation Fund call in innovative small-scale clean technologies

The new call makes available grant funding of €100 million for small-scale projects, with a capital expenditure between €2.5 and 7.5 million

• in renewable energy, 
• energy-intensive industries, including substitute products, 
• energy storage, 
• and carbon capture, use and storage. 

It has a strong focus on innovation, aiming to encourage pioneer customers. For example, a supplier of an innovative technology and a customer willing to buy and implement it can team up and apply together.

Our goal is to give a boost to Europe's green recovery by supporting companies in bringing their clean tech innovations to the market, creating local future-proof jobs and paving the way to climate neutrality.

The call is open for projects located in all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. The funds can be used in cooperation with other public funding initiatives, such as State aid or other EU funding programmes, as well as combined with private investments.

Projects will be evaluated according to their potential to avoid greenhouse gases emissions, innovation potential, financial and technical maturity, and potential for scaling up and cost efficiency. 

• The application process has only one stage and the selection procedure will be simpler (compared with the fist call).
• Projects can apply via the EU Funding and Tenders portal where more details on the overall procedure are available. 
• The deadline for submission of applications is 10 March 2021.

Applicants will be informed about the results of the evaluation and invited for the grant preparation in August 2021. The grants will be awarded indicatively in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In the meantime, the Commission will continue its active engagement with stakeholders with dedicated webinars to facilitate the application process and answer applicants' questions while the call is open.