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Call key data
Innovation Fund 2023 Net Zero Technologies – Pilots
Funding Program
Innovation Fund
Call number
INNOVFUND-2023-NZT-PILOTS
deadlines
Opening
23.11.2023
Deadline
09.04.2024 17:00
Funding rate
60%
Call budget
€ 200,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
min. € 2,500,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The objective of this topic is to support highly innovative, disruptive or breakthrough technologies in deep decarbonisation needed for achieving the climate neutrality goal.
Call objectives
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.
Deep decarbonisation technology means technology that has the potential to be fully compatible with a 2050 climate neutrality objective. The pilot installation itself 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 in this topic should contribute to building industrial capacity, technology leadership, supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy within the EU.
Under this topic, projects demonstrating the ability to reach financial close within two years and entry into operation within four years after grant agreement signature may receive a higher score under the project maturity criterion.
The maximum amount of Innovation Fund grant for an individual project under this topic is limited to EUR 40 million.
Only projects, which at the time of grant application have not reached start of works, can be funded.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
No
Project Partnership
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.
Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
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.
other eligibility criteria
Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self- employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees
for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. Please note that if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise they cannot claim part of the grant).
The project must:
- reach financial close within four years after grant signature (maximum time to financial close):
- operate at least (minimum GHG emission avoidance monitoring period) 3 years after entry into operation
Project duration may range between 3 and 15 years, from grant signature to the final payment. Projects of longer duration may be accepted in duly justified cases. Extensions are possible, if duly justified and through an amendment.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
between 3 and 15 years
Additional Information
Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the Topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:
- Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
- Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
- Part C (to be filled in directly online) containing additional project data
- mandatory annexes and supporting documents (templates available to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed, assembled and re-uploaded):
- detailed budget table/relevant cost calculator (‘financial information file’)
- participant information (including CVs and previous projects, if any)
- timetable/Gantt chart
- GHG emission avoidance calculator
- feasibility study — including at least: project description (background information, objectives, resource and feedstock availability and yield potential, expected project outputs, innovation); location analysis and strategic overlook (site, site plans, stakeholders involvement and acceptance); technical maturity assessment (technology readiness, technology process, suppliers of technology, feasibility of achieving project outputs); GHG avoidance and key consumptions figures; environmental and socio-economic impacts and mitigation measures; techno-economic feasibility; risks and mitigation measures (including heat map)
- business plan — including at least: executive summary; business proposition (product market, competitive environment, regulatory environment, business model and operating lifetime); main project counterparties (description of who they are and overview of key financials); diagram showing the relationship between the different project parties and the project including entities involved in the project, sponsors, shareholders, lenders, off-takers, suppliers, constructions contractors and other contractors, advisors, and insurers; products and services including assumptions on price, volumes, inflation used to derive project revenues; market analysis (market potential, trends, competitors’ overview, market uptake strategy...); SWOT or Porter 5 Forces analysis; financing plan: table with uses and sources (debt, equity, other), details of financing sources with key terms, projected financial close and main steps to achieve it; allocation of financing including InnovFund grant across the project milestones; budget CAPEX, OPEX underlying assumptions; economical and other assumptions; risks and mitigation (heat map) including sensitivity analysis; cash flow statements, profit and loss account and balance sheet for the last three years (consolidated or social accounts) of project shareholders and the entity carrying the project if it has existed for more than three years
- detailed financial model — applicant’s financial model sheet with detailed information on model assumptions and calculations to derive the financial projections (formulas, no hard coded figures, nor macros).
- for all topics except INNOVFUND-2023-NZT-GENERAL-SSP: knowledge sharing plan — including at least: communication activities; dissemination activities; plan to develop activities that go beyond mandatory knowledge sharing requirements
- support to project — documents indicating credible commitment for the project, including e.g. heads of terms, letters of interest or support, letters of approval from project funders, shareholders, board of directors or executive committee, suppliers, off-takers, construction/O&M companies, (if any)
- terms of supply — main terms of supply, construction and off-take agreements and other key commercial contracts for construction, operation phase, financing and its state of development (if any)
- due diligence reports (if any)
- permits, licences, authorisations (if any)
- other annexes
Your application must be readable, accessible and printable.
Proposals are limited to maximum 80 pages (part B). Feasibility study, business plan and knowledge sharing plan must not exceed 60 pages each.
Call documents
Call document Innovfund-2023-NZTCall document Innovfund-2023-NZT(756kB)
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