Authors: Gayle Kimberley, Nicole Sciberras Debono & Nina Fauser
Following the end of the European Innovation Fund’s (‘EIF’) first call for proposals for large-scale projects, a second call will be released, focusing on projects of a smaller scale. To have a better picture of what projects the EU Commission is looking to fund, click on the link here to watch the video
With around €10 billion worth of support over 2020-2030, the Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programmes for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, aiming to bring industrial solutions to the market with the intention of decarbonising Europe. It is one of the key strategies in helping the EU reach its climate goals under the European Green Deal.
The EIF contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by focusing on:
- Innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy intensive industries (steel, cement, glass, chemicals, paper, etc.), including products substituting carbon intensive ones;
- Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU);
- Construction and operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS);
- Innovative renewable energy generation; and
- Energy storage.
The second call for proposals under the EIF will be launched on 1st December 2020 and will close on 10th March 2021. This call will cater for small-scale projects in renewable energy, energy-intensive industries, energy storage, and carbon capture, use and storage. Small-scale projects are defined as projects with a capital expenditure of up to €7.5 million.
Funding such projects will contribute to Europe’s green recovery by helping businesses invest in clean energy and clean industry to boost economic growth, create local jobs, and give a competitive advantage to the European industry.
In anticipation of the second call for proposals, the European Commission held a virtual conference this morning, discussing how small clean tech innovative technologies can be brought to the market with the help of European Union funding. The virtual conference explored how the call for small-scale projects under the Innovation Fund could such projects take off and reach the market. During the conference, it was stated that the funding available for the small-scale projects call will be divided into two:
- €100 million worth of grants; and
- Project Development Assistance (‘PDA’). Projects which are not considered to be mature enough under this call, but which have the potential to reach maturity in future calls, will be eligible for PDA.
If you have a project where the capital costs do not exceed €7.5 million, which bring innovative green technology to the market, you might be eligible to apply for the second call of small-scale projects.
Here at Ewropa, having assisted clients in applying for the large-scale Innovation Fund Call, we have extensive experience with EIF applications. Ewropa’s team will take care of carrying out all the necessary research, liaising with external bodies and implementing the application process from A-Z. We recommend that you keep checking Ewropa’s website, LinkedIn and Facebook pages for further announcements on the EIF call for proposals. If you already have a project in mind which you would like to discuss, get in touch by contacting us on info@ewropa.mt