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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
Conferences and summits

Innovation Fund: Financing Innovative Clean Tech Conference

On 19 January, policy makers, investors, stakeholders and industries leaders gathered to raise awareness among the community of public and private financiers about the many business opportunities brought about by the EU Innovation Fund.

The European Green Deal has defined the strategy for the development of a globally competitive, resilient and carbon neutral industry by 2050. The European industry is keen to become a front runner of decarbonisation through clean tech solutions with breakthrough technologies and innovative business models which challenge industries’ paradigms. This requires, however, an enabling regulatory framework and investment from both the public and private sectors. The European Commission has launched the EU Innovation Fund programme, one of the world’s largest grant funding programmes for the demonstration of first-of-a-kind low-carbon technologies to support European industries.  

The Innovation Fund is 100% funded by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and is expected to provide around EUR 38 billion of support during the period from 2020 to 2030 (depending on carbon price), for the commercial demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, aiming to bring to the market industrial solutions that help decarbonise Europe and support its transition to climate neutrality.   

The conference builds on the outcomes of the first Financing Innovative Clean Tech conference, held in 2020, designed to raise awareness among the community of public and private financiers about the many business opportunities brought about by the EU Innovation Fund and to promote dialogue with industry.

If you could not follow the conference, you can now watch the recording

Rewatch the conference

  • EU financing | clean technology | EU investment
  • Thursday 19 January 2023, 10:00 - 16:00 (CET)
  • Live streaming available

Programme

  1. 19 Jan 2023, 10:00 - 10:15 (CET)
    Welcome
    • Kurt Vandenberghe – Director General, DG CLIMA 
    • Paloma Aba Garrote – Acting Director, CINEA
  2. 10:15 - 10:40 (CET)
    Keynote speech | The global market development and trends to decarbonise the industry and power sector

    Timur Gul, Head of the Energy Technology Policy, International Energy Agency 

  3. 10:40 - 12:10 (CET)
    The regulatory framework for clean tech investments on the road to climate neutrality by 2050

    This session will provide an overview of the EU strategy to decarbonise the industry and the power generation sector, put in place with the EU Green Deal and the RePowerEU Plan.  

    The discussion will focus on the instruments and actions needed to keep EU at the forefront of competitiveness at international level.  

    Introduction & Moderation 

    Alexandre Paquot, Director, Innovation for a Low Carbon, Resilient Economy, DG CLIMA 

    • The role of EU competition policy in fostering innovation and green transition 

    Anna Colucci – Director, Markets and cases I: Energy and Environment, DG COMP 

    Maria Teresa Fabregas Fernandez – Director, Recovery & Resilience II, Secretariat General

    Martin Špolc, Head of Unit Sustainable Finance, Horizontal Policies, DG FISMA 

    Alessandro Izzo, Ops Director for Equity, Growth and PF, EIB

    • Industrial policy in support of clean tech investment 

    Jacek Truszczyński, Deputy Head of Unit Green and Circular Economy, DG GROW 

  4. 12:10 - 14:00 (CET)
    Lunch Break
  5. 13:15 - 13:45 (CET)
    Lunch session: overview of EIB lending and advisory opportunities

    This session will provide insights on financial instruments deployed by EIB to finance environmentally sustainable projects and the financial advisory support on offer to companies that are seeking to develop bankable innovative projects in the European clean-tech space.

  6. 14:00 - 15:30 (CET)
    The business models for innovative clean tech

    This session will provide insights on the business and financial models for projects on clean innovative technologies to decarbonise the industry. The discussion will focus on the challenges to be faced in the current market conditions and how to mobilise public and private investments for tomorrow’s decarbonised and competitive industry. 

    Introduction & Moderation 

    Roman Doubrava – Head of Unit, Innovation Fund, CINEA  

    Benjamin Miethling, Managing Director, Nordsee Two

    Thorsten Hahn, CEO, Holcim

    Julien Masson, Strategy Director, Eramet 

    Diego Pavia - CEO, EIT InnoEnergy 

    Henry Rushton – Director, Energy Sector Coverage, ING  

  7. 15:30 - 16:00 (CET)
    Signature Ceremony & Closing
    • Kurt Vandenberghe – Director General, DG CLIMA 
    • Paloma Aba Garrote, Acting Director, CINEA
    • Anna Vittoria Magagna, Art curator
    • Mattia Sugamiele, Visual artist 

    Mattia Sugamiele will make a drawing during the conference. The CEOs of the companies of the awarded large-scale projects call 2021 will be called on to sign live the grant agreement, next to the artwork.

    Meet the 16 awarded projects under the 2021 large-scale call.

Practical information

When
Thursday 19 January 2023, 10:00 - 16:00 (CET)
Languages
English
Organisers
European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency | Directorate-General for Climate Action
Website
Recording
Social media links

Description