At least €300 million in grants and equity available for game-changing innovations to help achieve the EUs climate ambitions.
The European Commission (EC) is showing its ability to move fast on policy priorities as it announces a specific call for “game-changing, market-creating innovation contributing to the goals of The European Green Deal and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The call is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pilot under Horizon 2020, and will dedicate a total of €300m million to successful Green Deal projects. The specifics are provided in an update to the EIC pilot work programme.
This will be the largest-ever funding round under the EIC pilot and has a deadline for applications of 19 May 2020. The one-off call under the EIC Accelerator will direct support to start-ups and SMEs developing and scaling breakthrough innovations that address at least one of the eight goals of The European Green Deal:
- increasing the EU’s climate mitigation and/or adaptation ambition;
- supplying clean, affordable and secure energy;
- transitioning of industry to a clean and/or circular economy (including waste prevention and/or recycling);
- building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way;
- accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility;
- transition to a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system;
- preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity;
- realising a zero pollution ambition and a toxic-free environment.
The updated work programme also provides new opportunities for start-ups and SMEs with women CEOs (or equivalent positions) under the EIC Accelerator. The EC aims to have at least 25% of companies admitted to the final interview stage of evaluation be women-led companies.
Note that, given the EC’s efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak through research and innovation programmes, changes to Horizon 2020 calls and work programmes are being made. A specific appeal for coronavirus-related proposals was added to the last EIC Accelerator call of March 2020, and further changes may appear in the course of the year.