Innovation Grants

International

Posted 2 years ago

Innovation Grants serve to innovative SMEs that come up with a solution to a problem in EII.

Program description

The Innovation Grants competitive scheme provides direct financial support to innovative SMEs in order to enable and promote the adoption of processes and technologies to reinforce transformation into a greener, more digital and resilient economy in the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) value chain.

The INGENIOUS Innovation Grants will support projects that are aligned with the major challenges where SMEs need to accelerate the implementation of the digital and green transformation, provide affordable, clean and efficient technology solutions, develop new business models, innovate their services, technology and production lines, open new markets etc..

The total direct financial support for SMEs under INGENIOUS programme is € 1.05 Million (€ 60.000 per SME).

The challenges for INGENIOUS project focused on Energy Intensive Industries are the following:

CHALLENGE #1

Efficient and sustainable decarbonisation processes

to reduce the impact of operations on the environment
to identify and implement cost-effective technologies to reduce carbon emissions

CHALLENGE #2

Technology improvement and/or product innovation for digital transition

to keep up with the rapid pace of technological advancement
to integrate new technologies into existing systems without causing disruption
to ensure data privacy and security during the digital transition

CHALLENGE #3

Technology improvement and/or product innovation for green transition

to identify and prioritize the most effective and sustainable technologies/practices
to overcome barriers to entry in the market for green technologies
to collaborate with stakeholders and policymakers on creating supportive regulatory environment

CHALLENGE #4

Closing loops for efficient and sustainable process innovation

to develop innovative solutions for waste reduction and resource efficiency
to change the mindset of the organization to prioritize circular economy principles
to ensure smooth integration of closed-loop processes into existing operations

CHALLENGE #5

Ensuring safer and more efficient energy transition and supply

to balance the need for stable energy supply with the adoption of cleaner energy sources
to implement safety protocols to minimize risks during the energy transition
to navigate complex regulatory landscape surrounding energy

CHALLENGE #6

Advanced materials leading to competitive higher sustainability and digitalization

to identify and develop materials that can improve sustainability without compromising performance
to integrate advanced materials into existing process and product
to overcome potential supply challenges related to the sourcing and production of advanced materials

CHALLENGE #7

New-to-firm solutions and business strategies to face the challenges to overcome the EU-external dependency

to adapt to changing market conditions and regulatory environments
to foster culture of innovation and adaptability to respond to external challenges effectively