The European Union’s Innovation Fund is continuing to advance the deployment of net-zero technologies across Europe using revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Under the 2024 Call for Net-Zero Technologies (IF24 Call), 54 selected projects have signed their grant agreements, marking the start of the implementation phase for a new wave of decarbonisation initiatives. The projects will collectively receive €2.7 billion in funding, with individual grants ranging from €1.8 million to €216 million.
These projects span 17 countries and cover 17 industrial sectors, including refineries, cement and lime, manufacturing, renewable energy, and net-zero mobility solutions in maritime, aviation, and road transport. Once operational, they are expected to avoid around 210 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions during their first ten years.
In addition, six more projects from the IF24 reserve list have been invited to start grant agreement preparation, potentially receiving up to €491 million in funding. These projects, located across six Member States, cover sectors such as renewable energy component manufacturing, lithium refining for electric vehicle batteries, glass production, and chemical manufacturing. Together, they are projected to avoid around 20 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions in their first decade of operation.
Grant agreement preparation for the newly invited projects is expected to be completed by mid-2026. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will oversee the 54 newly signed projects, ensuring compliance with Innovation Fund requirements and supporting progress toward financial close and construction.
The next Innovation Fund Call for Net-Zero Technologies (IF25 NZT), launched on 4 December 2025 with a €2.9 billion budget, is open for applications until 23 April 2026. This call aims to further accelerate the deployment of innovative decarbonisation technologies across Europe.
The IF24 Call initially allocated €2.4 billion across five topics, attracting 359 applications, more than nine times the available budget. Following evaluation, 61 projects were selected to start grant agreement preparation. The Innovation Fund, one of the world’s largest programs supporting net-zero technologies, has an estimated €40 billion budget for 2020–2030 and has awarded around €15 billion to 250 projects, contributing significantly to Europe’s climate-neutral transition.
