EU Innovation Fund - general decarbonisation calls
Innovation Fund (general decarbonisation calls)
Usually opens in December and April
Projected from the months this call usually opens — not a date the funder has confirmed.
Projected from the pattern of past calls — confirm on the funder's page before planning around it.
Grants cover up to 60% of the relevant costs (additional capital and operating expenditure versus a conventional plant). Projects are grouped by capital expenditure size: small-scale (below EUR 20m capex), medium-scale (EUR 20-100m) and large-scale (above EUR 100m). Individual awards have ranged from a few million to over EUR 200 million.
You must co-fund 40%. Work out the cash you need
European Commission (DG CLIMA / CINEA), financed by EU ETS revenues
public · supranational
Deadline: One call a year — One main call per year, typically opening in Q4 and closing in Q1-Q2 of the following year, with separate budget envelopes per capex band.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Major bid — written case, budget, possibly partners.
You fund 40% yourself.
Who can apply
- Sectors: climate, energy, manufacturing
- Stage: growth
- Locally registered entity required
Projects must be located in an EU Member State (or Norway/Iceland). Applicants can be any legal entity including SMEs and start-ups, but projects must be first-of-a-kind commercial-scale demonstrations of innovative low-carbon technology.
How to apply
- Check the capex band your project falls into
- Register on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal
- Prepare the single-stage application: GHG avoidance calculation, degree of innovation, maturity, scalability and cost efficiency
- Submit before the call deadline
- Evaluation and, for selected projects, grant agreement with CINEA
What you will need
- Application form Part A and Part B
- GHG emission avoidance calculation
- Financial model and business plan
- Evidence of permits and site control (if applicable)
Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work
Source. https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-funding-climate-action/innovation-fund_en · not human-checked
Verified on 14 August 2026
Source: climate.ec.europa.eu
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