The Innovation Fund stands as one of the world's most significant funding programs dedicated to demonstrating innovative low-carbon technologies. Implemented by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), it aims to bring breakthrough technologies to market in sectors such as energy-intensive industries, renewables, energy storage, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage. On 4 December 2025, the European Commission launched the Innovation Fund 2025 Net-Zero Technologies Call, allocating a budget of €2.9 billion to support projects with substantial potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the EU's climate neutrality objective.
Program Focus and Objectives
• Supported Areas: The call will support projects in electrification and hydrogen in industry and transport, energy efficiency and circular economy solutions, sustainable fuels and raw materials, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and renewable energy generation and storage.
• Strategic Alignment: Projects should align with the EU’s strategic goals, including the European Green Deal, the REPowerEU Plan, and the Net-Zero Industry Act.
• Project Maturity: Applicants should demonstrate that their projects are sufficiently mature in terms of planning, business model, and financial and legal structure to ensure timely implementation.
• Scalability and Innovation: Projects must show high potential for scalability and replication across the EU and exhibit a high degree of innovation that surpasses existing best available technologies.
Expected Impact
• Greenhouse Gas Reductions: Contribute to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors.
• Technology Deployment: Facilitate the deployment of innovative low-carbon technologies at scale.
• Economic Growth: Foster the creation of new green jobs and promote economic growth within the EU.
• Technological Leadership: Strengthen the EU’s technological leadership in the field of net-zero technologies.
• Climate Targets: Support the achievement of the EU’s climate and energy targets.
Eligibility Criteria
• Eligible Applicants: Applicants must be legal entities, whether private or public bodies, established in an EU Member State, Iceland, or Norway.
• Project Location: The project must be located within an EU Member State, Iceland, or Norway.
• Emission Reduction Potential: The project must demonstrate a significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Project Maturity and Innovation: The project must be sufficiently mature in its planning, business model, and financial structure, and must be innovative with a high degree of technological readiness.
• Capital Expenditure: The project must have a total capital expenditure exceeding EUR 2.5 million.
Funding and Financials
• Grant Coverage: The call provides grants covering up to 60% of the relevant project costs.
• Grant Amounts: The maximum grant amount per project is EUR 200 million, with a minimum grant amount of EUR 2.5 million.
• Payment Structure: The grant will be disbursed in instalments, contingent upon the achievement of predefined milestones and verified emission reductions.
• Grant Agreements: Agreements will be based on the standard EU grant agreement model, governed by EU law, and will include provisions for reporting, monitoring, and evaluation.
Application Details
• Status: Open
• Publication Date: 4 December 2025
• Opening Date: 4 December 2025
• Deadline Model: Single-stage
• Application Deadline: 23 April 2026, 17:00 (CEST)
• Application Portal: All information, documentation, call text, and application forms are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Support and Resources for Applicants
• Info Day: An online info day was organized by CINEA and DG CLIMA on 16 December to guide applicants on the process and award criteria. Recordings and presentations are available.
• Application Tutorials: CINEA has produced tutorials covering the application procedure, how to fill in PART C, the extra file for data collection (Extended PART C), and the Financial Information File (FIF), as well as an introduction to the Business Plan.
• GHG Methodology Tutorials: A series of videos provides an overview and guidance on GHG calculations for project categories including Main principles, Energy storage (ES), Energy intensive industry (EII), Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), Mobility (MOB), and Renewable energy sources (RES).
• GHG Calculation Examples: Videos are available explaining how to perform calculations for specific examples such as RES component manufacturing, ES reactive services, EII methanol production, and MOB aviation plus modal switch.
• Additional Materials: Templates and examples of GHG calculations are available to complement the tutorials. A “self-check questionnaire” is also provided to help promoters assess if their project fits the call's scope.
• Further Assistance: A Q&A document is available, and the Innovation Fund Helpdesk can be contacted for additional support at CINEA-INNOVATIONFUND-CALLS@ec.europa.eu.
This call represents a significant opportunity for innovators to secure funding for pioneering low-carbon technologies that can accelerate Europe's transition to a net-zero economy. Interested parties are encouraged to review the comprehensive information and official documentation on the Funding & Tenders Portal to prepare their submissions.