Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The Innovation Fund program that helps reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
“Large-scale” projects are projects with a capital expenditure of over € 7.5 million.
“Small scale” projects are projects with a total capital cost of less than € 7.5 million.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
These topics aim to support and advance innovative low-carbon technologies and processes to significantly mitigate climate change in sectors listed in Annex I and Annex III to the EU ETS Directive 2003/87/EC, promoting sustainable development and technological leadership within Europe.
- INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-GENERAL-SSP –General decarbonisation – Small Scale Projects
- INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-GENERAL-MSP – General decarbonisation – Medium Scale Projects
- INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-GENERAL-LSP – General decarbonisation – Large Scale Projects
Detailed Call Description
The following activities are in scope under this topic:
- Innovation in Low-Carbon Technologies and Processes: activities that support innovation in low-carbon technologies and processes in sectors listed in Annex I and Annex III to the EU ETS Directive 2003/87, including projects focusing on the utilization of waste heat and improvements in electrification and energy efficiency within industrial processes and energy systems; activities involving environmentally safe carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) that significantly mitigate climate change, development of products that substitute carbonintensive ones produced in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive.
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): activities supporting the construction and operation of projects focused on the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of CO2 (CCS).
- Innovative Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Technologies: activities supporting the construction and operation of innovative renewable energy and energy storage technologies.
Carbon capture and utilisation can be funded if the capture of CO2 occurs within one of the activities listed in Annex I of the EU ETS Directive, or if the utilisation of CO2 results in products substituting carbon-intensive ones from the sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive, even if carbon is captured outside the activities of Annex I. Hydrogen use in industry (i.e. hydrogen use as an energy carrier, reducing agent, or feedstock) and hydrogen production projects with a demonstrated sufficient degree of innovation can be funded under these topics. Projects installing and operating mature electrolyser technologies for production of RFNBO hydrogen, without additional relevant innovation in the use of the produced hydrogen, are strongly encouraged to apply to the Innovation Fund auction call for RFNBO Hydrogen.
In the maritime and aviation transport sector, support can be provided to, for example, breakthrough innovative technologies and infrastructure, including energy efficiency, sustainable alternative fuels, electrification, and zero emission propulsion technologies such as wind technologies, including innovative infrastructure in the maritime sector, particularly for EU container transhipment ports. Production and installation of new or retrofitted innovative technology (e.g. energy system, engine or equipment) into a ship or plane is eligible for funding provided that the manufacturing and/or installation is done in EU/EEA. For EU ETS Annex III sectors, support can be provided to innovative low-carbon activities, including renewable energy integration, energy-efficiency, zeroemission vehicles, alternative fuels, process optimisation and waste heat recovery.
Projects should contribute to building industrial capacity, technology leadership, supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy within the EU/EEA.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The grant will be a lump sum grant. This means that it will reimburse a fixed amount, based on a lump sum. The amount will be fixed by the granting authority on the basis of the relevant costs of the project calculated in accordance with the Guidance on the relevant cost methodology and a fixed funding rate of 60% (or lower requested grant amount, if any).
- INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-GENERAL-LSP: €100.000.000
- INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-GENERAL-MSP: €20000.000 – €100.000000
- INNOVFUND-2024-NZT-GENERAL-SSP: €2500.000 – €20.000000
Thematic Categories
- Energy
- Environment and Climate Change
- Other Thematic Category
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- International Organisations
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
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.
Eligible activities:
Applications will only be considered eligible if their content corresponds wholly (or at least in part) to the topic description for which they are submitted.
Eligible activities are the ones set out in section 2 above.
The following activities are not considered as eligible for funding under this call:
- manufacturing of battery cells, that can be used in electric vehicles (also as part of integrated projects)
- projects focused on services, including software, that primarily aim to improve the efficient use of products listed under Annex I and Annex III of the EU ETS.
This exclusion doesn’t concern mobility projects where the activity directly decreases the climate impacts:
ship or plane building or refurbishment outside of the EU/EEA Projects must comply with EU policy interests and priorities (such as environment, social, security, industrial and trade policy, etc). Projects must also respect EU values and European Commission policy regarding reputational matters (e.g. activities involving capacity building, policy support, awareness raising, communication, dissemination, etc).
Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
Geographic location (target countries):
- 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 (see list here) on a regular basis (at least 15% of their calls on ports over two years); or must call ports under the jurisdiction of an EU Member State or EEA country (see list here) on a regular basis (at least 30% of their calls on ports over two 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 (e.g. renewable alternative fuel bunkering infrastructures in ports, including container transhipment ports), the ports must be under the jurisdiction of an EU Member States or an EEA country (see list here).
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment
Address: 28th of October Avenue 20-22, 2414 Engomi, Nicosia
Mrs. Maria Loizou
Telephone: +357 22408955
Email: mloizou@environment.moa.gov.cy
Website: www.moa.gov.cy
Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
Address: 29 Vyronos Avenue, 1096 Nicosia
Ms. Elena Poulli
Telephone: +357 22691921
Email: epoulli@research.org.cy, epoulli@dmrid.gov.cy
Website: www.dmrid.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
- For individual questions on the Portal Submission System, please contact the IT Helpdesk Contact Form.
- Non-IT related questions should be sent to the Contact Innovation Fund (INNOVFUND).