Innovation Fund — Net-Zero Technologies (INNOVFUND-NZT)
Funds first-of-a-kind low-carbon technology demonstrations in energy storage, industry, carbon capture, mobility, and renewables.
Eligibility · EU member states
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The Innovation Fund 2025 Net-Zero Technologies call (INNOVFUND-2025-NZT) is the regular grants cycle of the EU Innovation Fund administered by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). The Innovation Fund is financed by revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and carries a total programme budget of approximately €40 billion for 2020–2030 based on a carbon price of €75 per tonne. The IF25-NZT call carried a budget of €2.9 billion, launched on 4 December 2025, and closed on 23 April 2026. By comparison, the prior cycle (IF24) awarded €2.7 billion to 54 projects announced on 24 March 2026. The fund covers five technology topic areas: Energy Storage, Energy-Intensive Industry (EII), Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), Mobility, and Renewable Energy Sources. Projects are categorised by capital expenditure: small (under €20 million CapEx), medium (€20–100 million), and large (over €100 million).
Eligibility is open to any legal entity — companies, universities, research organisations, and non-profits — registered and operating projects in EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway. Individual applicants are not eligible. The Innovation Fund covers up to 60% of the relevant incremental costs, meaning applicants must demonstrate capacity to finance at least 40% of project costs from other sources. Projects must be first-of-a-kind commercial-scale demonstrations of innovative low-carbon technologies; pure research and development projects without a near-commercial deployment component do not fit the fund's mandate.
Applications for IF25-NZT were submitted via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal using the call identifier INNOVFUND-2025-NZT. That call is now closed. The IF26 call cycle was under stakeholder consultation as of June 2026, with a launch expected in late 2026 or early 2027. Applicants preparing for IF26 should engage CINEA's Project Development Assistance service, available through the European Investment Bank, to strengthen financial and technical proposal quality.
First-of-a-kind low-carbon technology demonstrations across five topic areas: Energy Storage, Energy-Intensive Industry, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, Mobility, and Renewable Energy Sources.
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