The European Commission has announced the allocation of 2.9 billion euros for 61 innovative zero-emission technology projects within the framework of the EU Innovation Fund.
The grants follow the first zero-emission technology Competition (IF24 Call), launched in December 2024, aimed at strengthening Europe's technological leadership and accelerating the adoption of decarbonization solutions in industry. 359 applications took part in the IF24 competition, requesting a total of 21.7 billion euros.
Innovation Fund: 40 billion euros is the foundation of the transition funded by the EU ETS
The Innovation Fund, funded by the proceeds from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), supports large-scale investments in low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies that contribute to EU climate neutrality in 2050. The goal.
61 selected projects cover 19 industrial sectors in 18 EU countries, focusing on decarbonization in energy-intensive industries, renewable energy and energy storage, zero mobility and buildings, the production of environmentally friendly technologies and the management of industrial carbon emissions. Collectively, they are expected to be able to avoid 221 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions during their first decade of operation, which is comparable to the annual emissions of 9.9 million cars.
The project developers will now begin the stage of preparing a grant agreement with the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA) for the final approval of budgets, deadlines and results. Final contracts are expected in the first half of 2026.
