On Friday, 12 January the Flemish Agency for Climate and Energy (VEKA) and NCP Flanders are organising an information session to inform Flemish stakeholders about the calls of the EU Emissions Trading System Innovation Fund (EU ETS IF).

You can register through this registration form. You also have the possibility to discuss your project proposal with the European Commission and ask specific questions about the application procedure after the plenary part, if indicated on the registration form.

Since such projects are crucial for the industrial energy and climate transition in Flanders, potential project developers in Flanders are offered 1-on-1 guidance. For more information please contact:

• VEKA: Simon De Wachter (simon.dewachter@vlaanderen.be)
• VLAIO: Alfons Vanbesien (alfons.vanbesien@vlaio.be) and Bart De Caesemaeker (bart.decaesemaeker@vlaio.be)

The European Commission is organising two more online info sessions about the new calls:

• Innovation Fund 2023 auction info day (November 30, 2023)
• Innovation Fund 2023 call info day (December 7, 2023)

More information can also be found on the EU ETS Innovation Fund website and the website of the Flemish Agency for Climate and Energy (VEKA).

Please be aware that the plenary sessions of this information session will be held in Dutch. Bilateral conversations will be held in English. The original invititation in Dutch has been added as attachment, as well as the current version of the ETS IF work programme. When drafting your application, please make sure you consult the latest ETS IF work programme, which can be found here.

Programme:

• 13.00: reception with coffee
• 13.15: welcome speech (Matthias De Moor, Diplomatic Representative of Flanders to the EU)
• 13.25: presentation on the calls (including the auction) under the EU Innovation Fund (Stefaan Vergote, DG CLIMA & Marc Vanderhaegen, CINEA)
• 13.45: Q&A
• 13.55: project example: GIGA-SCALES (Agfa)
• 14.10: services from Flanders (Simon De Wachter, VEKA)
• 14.15: 1-on-1 conversations with the European Commission Practical information

Background information on the European Union Emissions Trading System Innovation Fund.

The European Commission launched the fourth call of the EU ETS Innovation Fund. The total budget of this call amounts to €4,8 billion.

The current open calls are published on the Funding and Tender Portal. The call focuses on the following topics:

• Large-scale projects (capital expenditure exceeding 100 million euros)
• Medium-scale projects (capital expenditure between 20 million and 100 million euros)
• Small-scale projects (capital expenditure less than 20 million euros)
• Innovative cleantech manufacturing (such as components for renewable energy, energy storage, heat pumps and hydrogen production)
• Pilot projects for validation, testing and optimisation of highly innovative solutions aimed at deep decarbonisation
• Auction for the production of Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) Hydrogen.

The deadlines for submitting project proposals are February 8, 2024 for the auction and April 9, 2024 for the other calls. The deadline model is single-stage. Results will be announced in the second quarter of 2024 for the auction and in the fourth quarter of 2024 for the other calls.