The EU Commission has announced €2.9 billion in funding for 61 cutting-edge net zero technology projects, funded from the Innovation Fund using revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
The grants follow a first call for net-zero technologies (IF24 Call), launched in December 2024 with the aim of strengthening Europe’s technological leadership and speeding up the deployment of innovative decarbonisation solutions.
The selected projects span 19 industrial sectors, 18 countries and different scales, reflecting the EU’s ambition to decarbonise through a wide range of technologies and applications. The focus is on energy-intensive industries, renewable energy and energy storage, net-zero mobility and buildings, cleantech manufacturing and industrial carbon management.
The 61 projects have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says the Commission, cutting some 221 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over their first decade of operation. This is comparable to the annual emissions of 9.9 million average European cars. This reduction will directly support the EU’s objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
The developers of the 61 successful projects have been invited to start the grant agreement preparation phase with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). During this phase, the Commission and the selected project promoters will finalise the funding contract – confirming the budget, timetable, technical deliverables and legal responsibilities. The results of this process will be confirmed in the first half of 2026.
Using estimated revenues of €40 billion from the EU ETS, the Innovation Fund aims to drive investment in cutting-edge, low-carbon and net-zero technologies to support Europe’s transition to climate neutrality.
The call attracted 359 applications, requesting a total of €21.7 billion in support — over nine times the available budget of €2.4 billion.
Descriptions of selected projects
Results of previous Innovation Fund calls for proposals
Innovation Fund projects portfolio (with information related to the selected projects)
