Innovation Fund — Heat Auction (INNOVFUND-AUC-HEAT)
Connects research teams and institutions for Innovation Fund Heat Auction in climate technology, energy systems, and manufacturing.
Eligibility · EU member states
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The IF25 Heat Auction (INNOVFUND-2025-AUC-HEAT) is the first-ever Innovation Fund Heat Auction, introduced in the IF25 call cycle alongside the third Hydrogen Bank auction. It is administered by CINEA under the EU Innovation Fund, which is financed by EU Emissions Trading System revenues. The auction provides a production premium per unit of decarbonised industrial heat, awarded through competitive bidding: participants submit a price in euros per tonne of CO2 abated, bids are ranked by price from lowest to highest, and available budget is allocated until the €1 billion envelope is exhausted. The auction opened on 4 December 2025 with a deadline of 19 February 2026 at 17:00 CET. Results were expected in Q2 2026 with grant agreements targeted for Q3 2026.
Eligibility is open to companies of all sizes across all industrial sectors deploying electrified or direct renewable heat technologies for industrial process heating. All industries qualify — the call imposes no sector restriction. Universities and research organisations are not eligible for this auction instrument. There is no match-funding requirement: the fixed premium covers the full cost gap. Projects must be located in EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway. The call identifier for submission via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal was INNOVFUND-2025-AUC-HEAT.
The IF25 Heat Auction is now closed. As the inaugural edition of this instrument, it represents a new annual track within the Innovation Fund call cycle; the IF26 Heat Auction is anticipated as part of the IF26 cycle expected in late 2026. Applicants preparing for IF26 should consult CINEA guidance on how decarbonisation volumes and CO2 abatement baselines are calculated, as bid competitiveness depends on accurately modelling the cost gap versus fossil-fuel heat alternatives.
Electrified and direct renewable heat technologies for industrial process heating across all industrial sectors and company sizes, awarded through a competitive auction on €/tonne of CO2 abated.
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