Previous calls
IF23 Call
The Innovation Fund’s fourth call for Net-Zero Technologies (IF23 Call) was launched on 23 November 2023. When the call closed on 9 April 2024, 337 applications had been received from 27 countries.
Altogether, these projects could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 1.4 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent over their first ten years of operation.
| Event | Timing (expected) |
|---|---|
| Opening of the call | 23 November 2023 |
| Deadline to submit applications | 9 April 2024 - 17:00 CET |
| Publication of call results | Q4 2024 |
| Grants award and Project Development Assistance | Q1 2025 |
With a budget of €4 billion raised from the auctioning of EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) allowances, the IF23 Call covered 5 topics:
- General decarbonisation (large-scale) - €1.7 billion available for projects with CAPEX (capital expenditure) above €100 million
- General decarbonisation (medium-scale) - €500 million available for projects with CAPEX between €20 million and €100 million
- General decarbonisation (small-scale) - €200 million available for projects with CAPEX between €2.5 million and €20 million
- Cleantech manufacturing - €1.4 billion available for projects with CAPEX above €2.5 million focusing on component manufacturing for renewable energy, energy storage, heat pumps and hydrogen production
- Pilot - €200 million available for projects with CAPEX above €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.
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.
Innovation Fund Auctions fall under the framework of the European Hydrogen bank (EHB) which establishes a financing and coordination platform to secure cost-efficient and renewable hydrogen throughout the EU.
To learn more about the results of the IF23 Auction, as well as IF auctions in general, please visit the following pages:
| Event | Timing (expected) |
|---|---|
| Opening of the auction | 23 November 2023 |
| Deadline to submit applications | 8 February 2024 – 17:00 CET |
| Publication of auction results | 30 April 2024 |
| Grants award | Q4 2025 |
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.