Calls for proposals

The IF24 Auction and Calls are expected to launch on 3 December 2024.

IF23 Call

On 22 October 2024, the Innovation Fund selected 85 projects to receive €4.8 billion in grants. These projects plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 476 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent over ten years.

The 2023 Call for Net-Zero Technologies (IF23 Call) opened on 23 November 2023. When the call closed on 9 April 2024, we received 337 applications from 27 countries.

With a budget of EUR 4 billion raised from the auctioning of EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowances, the IF23 Call covered 5 topics:

• General decarbonisation (large-scale) - EUR 1.7 billion available for projects with CAPEX (capital expenditure) above EUR 100 million
• General decarbonisation (medium-scale) - EUR 500 million available for projects with CAPEX between EUR 20 million and EUR 100 million
• General decarbonisation (small-scale) - EUR 200 million available for projects with CAPEX between EUR 2.5 million and EUR 20 million
• Cleantech manufacturing - EUR 1.4 billion available for projects with CAPEX above EUR 2.5 million focusing on component manufacturing for renewable energy, energy storage, heat pumps and hydrogen production
• Pilot - EUR 200 million available for projects with CAPEX above EUR 2.5 million focusing on deep decarbonisation (i.e., technologies that can reduce relative GHG emissions by at least 75% compared to the reference scenario).

Before launching the IF23 Call, we consulted stakeholders on the scope of the topics above. We also conducted a survey to assess the industry’s interest and readiness to apply for funding for cleantech manufacturing and mid-sized pilot projects via the Innovation Fund. Find out more about the outcomes of our consultation and survey.

IF23 Auction for renewable hydrogen production

The first EU-wide auction (IF23 Auction) for the production of renewable or RFNBO hydrogen (renewable fuel of non-biological origin) was launched on 23 November 2023 and closed on 8 February 2024. The auction attracted 132 projects bids from 17 European countries.

After evaluation, seven renewable hydrogen projects were selected to receive nearly EUR 720 million in project support from the Innovation Fund. In October 2024, six out of seven projects signed their grant agreements, determining the total amount of support to be around EUR 694 million.

Unlike regular calls for grants, auctions are market-based instruments through which the Innovation Fund can provide financial support for the production of renewable hydrogen.

The domestic pillar of the European Hydrogen bank (EHB), which establishes a financing and coordination platform to secure cost-efficient and renewable hydrogen across the EU, is implemented under the framework of the Innovation Fund’s renewable hydrogen auctions.

To learn more about the results of the IF23 Auction, the upcoming IF24 Auction, as well as IF auctions in general, please visit the following pages:

• IF Competitive bidding
• IF24 Auction Terms & Conditions
• German State Aid for Hydrogen Production
• Germany Participating in Hydrogen Auctions-as-a-Service

In February 2023, we launched a market survey to prepare the IF23 Call and identify the market needs in terms of project pipeline. We presented the survey’s main results to the Innovation Fund Expert Group in March. In addition, we organised a stakeholder consultation in June on the new sectors eligible under the Innovation Fund, following the revision of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) Directive.

Prior to the IF23 Call

The Commission ran 3 large-scale calls and 3 small-scale calls between 2020 and 2023. You can find out more information about each of our previous calls by visiting the dedicated pages.

For more information about awarded projects, have a look at our Innovation Fund projects factsheets.