Innovation Fund Large Scale Projects - Clean-tech manufacturing

Topic description

Objective:

The objective of this topic is to support projects on innovative clean-tech manufacturing of components for hydrogen production, renewable energy and energy storage in order to build industrial capacity, technology leadership, supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy on these decarbonisation technologies within the EU.

The following activities can be funded under this topic:

Construction of manufacturing facilities and their operation to produce specific components for:

1. renewable energy installations (in photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, on-shore and offshore wind power, ocean energy, geothermal, solar thermal, and others), including their connection to the electricity/heat grid;
2. electrolysers and fuel cells;
3. energy storage solutions for stationary and mobile use for intra-day and long duration storage;
4. heat pumps.

This topic is targeted at the innovation in manufacturing of components. Components, in line with GHG methodology guidance, are to be understood to include also final equipment such as wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, heat pumps or electrolysers.

As regards components, the topic is targeting those components that are a significant factor in the performance and/or cost of the final equipment. Activities relating to the recycling of critical materials to be used in the above equipment categories or components thereof may also be funded under this topic.

Equipment and components can be sold on the EU market and in third countries.

The topic seeks to enhance the Union’s innovation and technological leadership in clean tech manufacturing. Activities that can be funded include those where the main innovation lies in the product (e.g. achieving lower cost when fully mature, higher performance, more energy efficient, better system integration, higher durability, flexibility, reliability and/or convenience as compared to the state-of-the-art product) as well as in the production processes (e.g. higher use of recycled materials, less/improved/ more efficient use of critical materials, lower environmental/carbon footprint, improved automation and use of digital technologies, etc.). Innovation can concern one or several steps of the manufacturing process.

Excluded activities: use of innovative components (including the final equipment) in power/heat generation/energy storage/production of hydrogen.