The Innovation Fund 2024 – Net Zero Technologies – Pilot Projects is a call within the EU's Innovation Fund targeting the development and trial of innovative technologies that aim to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This call supports pilot projects that demonstrate new technologies in real-world environments, advancing the EU’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by promoting scalable and sustainable solutions.
Programme name
Innovation Fund 2024 Net Zero Technologies – Pilot Projects (INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-PILOTS)
Objective(s) and scope
The objective of this topic is to support highly innovative, disruptive or breakthrough technologies that enable deep decarbonisation needed for achieving climate neutrality.
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, and products substituting carbon-intensive ones produced in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive.
- Construction and operation of innovative energy storage systems.
- Development of CO2 storage solutions.
- Renewable energy installations, in photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, onshore and offshore wind power, ocean energy, geothermal, solar thermal, and other renewable energy technologies, including innovative systems for grid connection (electricity/heat).
A higher degree of innovation is expected than in the other topics under this call. Funded activities should address technical risks associated with the demonstration of innovative technologies and solutions, such as optimising technology processes and operational parameters and/or improving the characteristics of the final products.
Pilot projects should demonstrate 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, limited production or operation for testing purposes, including delivery to/from potential customers for validation is expected. These projects typically have a limited lifetime of 3 to 5 years. If successful, the technology should progress to large-scale demonstration or first-of-a-kind commercial production.
Deep decarbonisation technology means technology that has the potential to be fully compatible with a 2050 climate neutrality objective. The pilot installation should have a very low level of residual emissions or result in net carbon removals. See more details in the minimum requirements under the GHG emission avoidance criterion.
Projects should contribute to building industrial capacity, technology leadership, supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy within the EU/EEA.
Financing value
The maximum amount for an individual project under this topic is EUR 40 million. The total indicative budget for this call of Clean-tech Manufacturing is EUR 200 million.
Eligibility criteria (if available)
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies);
- be established in one of the eligible countries: any country in the world.
Projects must be located in EU Member States or EEA countries (i.e. Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein). Projects may also be located in Northern Ireland on the condition that they concern the generation, transmission, distribution or supply of electricity.
For maritime sector projects:
- when the projects concern investments on ships, those ships must carry a flag of an EU Member States or an EEA country and call ports under the jurisdiction of an EU Member State or EEA country on regular basis (at least 15%), or must call ports under the jurisdiction of an EU Member State or EEA country on a regular basis (at least 30% over 2 years); or perform service or support activities in ports under the jurisdiction of an EU Member State or EEA country;
- when the projects concern investments in ports infrastructure, the ports must be under the jurisdiction of an EU Member States or an EEA country.
For Pilot projects, only projects with a capital expenditure above EUR 2.5 million are eligible. Capital expenditure means all project costs (as defined in the Guidance on the relevant cost methodology).
Further information on eligibility criteria
The eligibility of other entities is detailed in Section 13 of Call Document
Technology readiness level (TRL)
Pilot projects should demonstrate 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.
Medium TRLs (i.e. 5-7): Prototype validation
