The European Commission has approved EUR2.7bn in funding for 54 clean industry projects selected under the Innovation Fund 2024 call for Net-Zero Technologies (IF24 Call) (European Commission press release, 24/03/2026).
The Innovation Fund is a funding programme supporting the deployment of innovative net-zero technologies, with an estimated EUR40bn budget between 2020 and 2030, financed through revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
The selected projects span 17 countries and 17 different industrial sectors. They support a wide range of solutions, including refineries, cement and lime, manufacturing, and renewable energy such as solar and wind, as well as maritime, aviation, and road transport (net-zero mobility). Once operational, the projects are expected to avoid around 210 MtCO₂ emissions during the first ten years. Out of the total EUR2.7bn funding, individual project support ranges from EUR1.8m to EUR216m. Across all calls to date, including projects under preparation, the Innovation Fund has awarded around EUR15bn to 250 projects.
In addition, a further six projects from the IF24 reserve list have been invited to start Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP). These projects, located in six different Member States, represent key sectors including manufacturing of components for renewable energy, electrolysers, and critical raw material refining (for lithium) for electric vehicle batteries, as well as projects in the glass manufacturing and chemical sectors. Together, these six projects are expected to avoid around 20 MtCO₂ emissions during their first ten years of operation. They could receive EUR17m to EUR255m, for a total support of up to EUR491m.
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