Innovation Fund 2025 Net Zero Technologies - Pilot projects

The Innovation Fund 2025 Net Zero Technologies call, identified as INNOVFUND-2025-NZT, is an EU funding opportunity aimed at supporting projects that contribute to net-zero technologies. It operates under the Innovation Fund program and utilizes INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants. The call was opened for submissions on December 4, 2025, with a final submission deadline set for April 23, 2026. The total budget allocated for this initiative is €2.9 billion.

The opportunity encompasses various topics, including general projects, clean technology manufacturing, and pilot projects. Eligible applicants include legal entities from around the world, such as startups, SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, and universities, capable of deploying innovative net-zero technologies. While consortiums are encouraged, they are not mandatory; individual entities can apply if they have sufficient operational and financial capacity.

Each individual project can receive a maximum grant of €40 million, but grants cannot cover more than 60% of the project’s total eligible costs, requiring applicants to secure at least 40% in co-funding from other sources. Pilot projects should focus on the demonstration and validation phase of technologies that enable deep decarbonization, targeting sectors such as carbon capture, green hydrogen production, and circular economy innovations.

Applications are to be developed in detail, including necessary annexes, feasibility studies, business plans, and greenhouse gas emission calculations, and must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The application procedure is a single-stage process, and success rates from previous funding calls are currently unavailable.

The project applications should align with EU regulations and policies and are expected to provide significant emissions reduction contributions, thereby supporting the EU's climate neutrality objectives by 2050. Additional support documents, guidelines for application preparation, and contact information for assistance are provided to help applicants navigate the submission process efficiently.

The Innovation Fund 2025 Net Zero Technologies call (INNOVFUND-2025-NZT) is an EU funding opportunity under the Innovation Fund (INNOVFUND) program. It supports projects that contribute to net-zero technologies. The call uses the InnovFund-LS INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants type of action and the INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grant [InnovFund-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is open for submission as of December 4, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is April 23, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. It is a single-stage submission model.

The total budget for the call in 2025 is 2,900,000,000 EUR.

The call includes the following topics: INNOVFUND-2025-NZT-GENERAL-MSP InnovFund-LS INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants, INNOVFUND-2025-NZT-GENERAL-LSP InnovFund-LS INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants, INNOVFUND-2025-NZT-CLEAN-TECH-MANUFACTURING InnovFund-LS INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants, INNOVFUND-2025-NZT-GENERAL-SSP InnovFund-LS INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants, and INNOVFUND-2025-NZT-PILOTS InnovFund-LS INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants.

The admissibility conditions regarding proposal page limit and layout are described in section 5 of the call document. Eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document. Other eligible conditions are described in section 6 of the call document. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are described in sections 8 and 11 of the call document. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in sections 8 and 9 of the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document. The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

Applicants must use the forms provided inside the Submission System (under "Part B templates") for submission.

The following documents are available: Call document, Methodology for calculation of GHG emission avoidance, Methodology for calculation of relevant costs, Application form and templates, Application form, Detailed budget table/relevant cost calculator (‘financial information file’), GHG emission avoidance calculators (including examples) for renewable electricity and heating, energy storage, energy intensive industries (EII), and mobility. Applicants must choose the calculator that corresponds to their project. Other documents include a Feasibility study, Business plan, Participant information, Timetable/Gantt chart, Extended Part C form (for statistical data collection), and Knowledge Sharing report template. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) and the INNOVFUND Lump Sum MGA are also available.

The legal basis for this call for proposals is Decision C(2025)7674 and Annex. Additional legal documents include the Decision on lump sums for the Innovation Fund, INNOVFUND Legal Framework, INNOVFUND Regulation 2019/856, ETS Directive 2003/87, and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Additional documents include Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

To access the Electronic Submission Service, applicants should click the submission button next to the relevant type of action and model grant agreement. To access existing draft proposals, applicants can log in to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page.

For help, applicants can contact the InnovFund helpdesk for questions related to the call documentation, application, and evaluation process, or the IT Helpdesk for technical questions. The Online Manual provides a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

In summary, this is a call for proposals under the EU Innovation Fund, specifically targeting net-zero technologies. It offers lump-sum grants for various project sizes and technology areas, including general projects, clean technology manufacturing, and pilot projects. The call provides substantial funding, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline in April 2026. Applicants need to carefully review the call documents, eligibility criteria, and submission guidelines available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Several support services are available to assist applicants throughout the process. The call aims to support innovative projects that significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emission avoidance and the transition to a climate-neutral economy.

Eligible Applicant Types: The document does not explicitly list the eligible applicant types. However, given that it is part of the Innovation Fund and mentions legal entity validation, LEAR appointment, and financial capacity assessment, it can be inferred that eligible applicants could include a range of entities such as startups, SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, universities, and other organizations capable of undertaking innovation projects. The specific eligibility criteria will be detailed in section 6 of the call document.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically "INNOVFUND Lump Sum Grants".

Consortium Requirement: The document does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. This information is likely detailed in the call document, specifically in sections 5 and 6.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The document refers to the Innovation Fund and EU regulations, suggesting that the geographic eligibility includes at least EU member states. Further details on eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document.

Target Sector: The program targets "Net Zero Technologies" and "Clean Tech Manufacturing". This includes projects related to GHG emission avoidance, renewable electricity and heating, energy storage, energy-intensive industries (EII), and mobility.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the program is an EU initiative, so EU member states are implicitly included.

Project Stage: The call includes topics such as "PILOTS", suggesting that the expected maturity of the project should be at the pilot or demonstration stage. The presence of feasibility study and business plan templates also suggests that projects in earlier stages of development might be considered.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the call is EUR 2,900,000,000. However, the funding range for individual projects is not specified in the provided text.

Application Type: The application type is an "open call" with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals under the Innovation Fund 2025 Net Zero Technologies (INNOVFUND-2025-NZT), offering lump sum grants for projects contributing to net-zero emissions and clean technology manufacturing. The call is structured around a single-stage submission process with a deadline of April 23, 2026. The total budget allocated to this call is EUR 2.9 billion. The call encompasses several topics, including general projects of medium, large and small scale, clean tech manufacturing, and pilot projects.

Applicants need to prepare their proposals following the guidelines described in the call document, including admissibility conditions, eligible countries, and financial and operational capacity. The application must be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal, using the provided templates and forms. Applicants must also provide a detailed budget table and, if applicable, GHG emission avoidance calculators.

The legal framework for this call is based on several EU decisions, regulations, and directives, including Decision C(2025)7674, INNOVFUND Regulation 2019/856, ETS Directive 2003/87, and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509. Additional documents, such as the Rules for Legal Entity Validation and the EU Grants AGA, are also available for reference.

For support, applicants can contact the InnovFund helpdesk for call-specific questions or the IT Helpdesk for technical issues. An online manual is also available to guide applicants through the Portal processes.