At Hannover Messe, the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group announced more than €2.4 billion in new financing aimed at strengthening Europe’s energy resilience and advancing cutting-edge innovation. The operations, backed by the InvestEU programme, focus on boosting energy security, modernising power grids, and accelerating investment in strategic technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and space-related innovation.
The financing package includes five operations with Commerzbank, akf bank, Turbine Capital, Atlantic Bridge, and Obloo, designed to mobilise large-scale investment across Europe. These initiatives will support the modernisation of electricity grids in Germany and other EU countries, expand financing for SMEs investing in robotics and automation, and channel capital into early-stage deep tech companies emerging from European universities and research centres.
A significant portion of the support targets energy infrastructure, including a guarantee scheme with Commerzbank expected to unlock up to €2 billion for grid expansion and digitalisation. This is intended to strengthen supply chains for critical grid components and enable wider adoption of electrification technologies such as heat pumps and electric mobility, improving both energy security and system reliability.
On the innovation side, EIF-backed investments will support specialised funds focused on deep tech and technology transfer across Europe. These include financing for robotics and AI adoption among German SMEs, early-stage deep tech ventures in Sweden, university spin-outs across Ireland and Europe, and advanced computing and AI-driven technologies in Italy. Together, these investments aim to close the financing gap in high-risk innovation sectors and accelerate the commercialisation of European research.
Overall, the EIB Group’s initiative reflects a broader strategy to reinforce Europe’s technological sovereignty and industrial competitiveness. By combining energy infrastructure investment with support for deep tech innovation, the programme seeks to reduce energy risks, strengthen supply chains, and ensure that Europe remains competitive in critical future technologies amid global geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
