ShipFC is one of many projects EU is funding. The project will see an offshore vessel, Viking Energy, which is owned and operated by Eidesvik and on contract to energy major Equinor, have a large 2MW ammonia fuel cell retrofitted, allowing it to sail solely on the clean fuel for up to 3,000 hours annually.

Need funding for your projects? The European Commission has numerous calls supporting their priority making Europe climate-neutral by 2050. NCE Maritime Cleantech can help cluster members define potential projects.

The current EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon2020 is coming to an end during this year. The R&I programme will be followed up by new EU financial instruments to secure Europe’s global competitiveness.

Horizon Europe is being launched in 2021. This is being characterized as the largest ever research and innovation funding programme with a budget of €94.4 billion. One important intervention area for cluster members, will be cluster 5 “ Climate, Energy and Mobility” that will launch calls involving clean energy transition and decarbonisation of transport. Calls will open in 2021.

Fighting climate change and making Europe climate-neutral by 2050 is one of the main priorities of the European Commission. To support this priority, the European Commission will launch Green Deal calls for research and innovation with a dedicated call for proposals under the last year of the current Horizon2020 programme. Projects that receives funding under the Green Deal are expected to deliver tangible and visible results in a relatively short time frame. The Green Deal call will open in October 2021 with an expected deadline in January 2021.

The Green Deal call will support:

  • Pilot applications and demonstration projects
  • Innovation for better governance of the green sustainable transition
  • Social and value chain innovation

The call is structured into 11 prioritized areas. The areas that are most relevant for cluster partners are the following:

  • Call area 2: Clean, affordable and secure energy
    • Demonstration of innovative critical technologies to enable future large-scale deployment of offshore renewable energy technologies (with the possibility to address also hydrogen applications)
    • Topic 2: Develop and demonstrate a 100 MW electrolyser upscaling the link between renewables and industrial applications
  • Call area 5: Sustainable and smart mobility
    • Green airports and ports as hubs for sustainable and smart mobility

A totally new funding programme for demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies is being launched this summer with €10 billion to invest up to 2030. The Innovation Fund focuses on innovative low-carbon technologies, CCS, innovative renewable energy generation and energy storage. The fund can support mature project with a high innovation degree focused on reduction of emissions, scalability and cost reductions. The first call is expected in June/July 2020 with the 1. stage deadline in October and 2. stage deadline in Q2 2021.

These upcoming calls are relevant for cluster members in NCE Maritime CleanTech proving significantly support to large-scale demonstration projects involving new green maritime technologies. The cluster’s EU advisor, , can be contacted if it is relevant to learn more about EU funding opportunities. We will arrange a series of EU webinars after the summer to give information about relevant funding schemes.

Marte Jensen, NCE Maritime Cleantech´s EU advisor.