Financing of Innovating Green Technologies – EIC Accelerator Challenges 2021

Green Deal Innovation for the Economic Recovery is the second type of call within EIC Accelerator Challenges, being dedicated to companies participating in the implementation of the European Green Deal and Economic Recovery Plan of the EU. Companies must aim to contribute significantly, through revolutionary technological innovations, to reaching at least one of the following objectives of sustainable development: mitigation and/or adaptation to climate change; providing clean, accessible and safe energy; transition of industry to a clean and/or circular economy; building and renovating in an efficient way in terms of energy and resources; accelerating the transition to sustainable and smart mobility; transition to a fair, healthy and ecological food system; conservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity; achieving neutrality in terms of pollution and ensuring a non-toxic environment.

The ambitious targets of the European Union include reduction by 55% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to the 1990 level, and the European Green Deal provides for reaching Europe’s climate neutrality and the circularity of its economy by 2050.

At least 50% of the projects to be selected for the interview phase will present proposals relating to the following thematic areas: renewable energy (including renewable hydrogen and energy storage); deep renovation of buildings; industries with low carbon emissions; batteries and other energy storage systems.

The launch of the call took place on April 8 and deadlines are June 9 and October 6, 2021, respectively.

 

Objectives

The EIC Accelerator Challenges supports companies (principally start-ups and SMEs) to scale up high impact innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones in identified areas of strategic relevance. Like EIC Accelerator Open, the EIC Accelerator Challenges focus on innovations building on scientific discovery or technological breakthroughs (‘deep tech’) and where significant funding is needed over a long timeframe before returns can be generated (‘patient capital’).

The EIC Accelerator Challenges is open to innovations in the specific fields of technology or application described by the specific challenges of the EIC Work Programme 2021. However, innovations that harm the environment or social welfare or that are designed primarily for military applications will not be supported.

 

Actions

This call covers the following topics: HORIZON-EIC-2021-ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-01-01: Strategic Digital and Health Technologies; HORIZON-EIC-2021-ACCELERATORCHALLENGES-01-02: Green Deal innovations for the Economic Recovery.

 

European community funding

The Community provisional funding available for the call for proposals is 496,76 Million EUR (Global Budget).