The times that we live in are full of environmental and climate challenges. As we are approaching the tipping point of climate change, the world needs to take bold actions to reverse this situation. The EU, with the adoption of the European Green Deal, wants to be a global leader in the transition to a greener future, offering opportunities for EU funding for green projects for the period 2021-2027. This funding will go towards reaching the set EU climate targets for 2030 and 2050, which are the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and making Europe a climate-neutral region by 2050.
What actions is the EU taking for a more sustainable future, and what will the benefits be for European Society? Also, what are the main European funding programmes providing EU funding for green projects in this new programming period?
The core mission of the European Green Deal
The European Green Deal is all about rethinking policies and practices across the economy for sustainability. With sustainability in mind, the EU will have to provide solutions to clean energy supply across the economy, industry, production, consumption, large-scale infrastructure, transport, food and agriculture, construction, taxation, and social benefits.
The next period will have profound transformational changes to the EU economy, society, and natural environment. For these changes to happen, the EU needs to promote and invest significant funds towards this green transition. As a result, 2021-2027 will be quite busy in terms of calls for proposals with EU funding for green projects. If all goes according to plan, the European Green Deal will contribute to:
- fresh air, clean water, healthy soil, and biodiversity
- renovated, energy-efficient buildings
- healthy and affordable food
- more public transport
- cleaner energy and cutting-edge clean technological innovation
- longer-lasting products that can be repaired, recycled, and re-used
- future-proof jobs and skills training for the transition
- globally competitive and resilient industry
European Programmes with EU funding for green projects
The provided EU support for eco-innovation has never been more significant. This is primarily due to the Next Generation EU, the EU recovery plan from the adverse effects of COVID-19. NextGenerationEU provides an additional budget of €750 billion to bolster investments in critical digital and sustainability innovations in the early years of this programming period. Let us see the EU funding programmes that provide financial support for green projects.
Horizon Europe
If you are looking for EU funding for green projects, Horizon Europe is the place to start your research. With a budget of more than €95.5 billion earmarked for European research and innovation, it is the largest and most significant European funding programme for green innovations. Horizon Europe supports top researchers, innovators, and citizens to develop innovative ideas to support a sustainable, fair, and prosperous transition to the future.
LIFE Programme
LIFE is the entirely dedicated European funding programme to environmental, climate, and clean energy objectives. Its dedicated budget for EU funding to green projects is around €5.4 billion for the whole programming period and will provide support to actions in:
- Nature and biodiversity
- Circular economy and quality of life
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Clean energy transition
Innovation Fund (IF)
The Innovation Fund (IF), financed by the EU Emissions Trading System, will provide EU funding of up €10 billion until 2030 for green projects that contribute to greenhouse gas reduction. Projects under this financing programme will have a focus on:
- Innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy-intensive industries (steel, cement, glass, chemicals, paper, etc.)
- Carbon capture and utilization (CCU)
- Construction and operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS)
- Innovative renewable energy generation
- Energy storage
Find EU funding for green projects on the EUcalls platform
EUcalls can cater to the needs of the most environmentally conscious and innovative minds and organizations. Our priority is to make more accessible the whole process of finding European calls for proposals and through our services to increase your overall success rate.
On our updated directory, you can find all the available EU calls for proposals providing EU funding for green projects from all available European Programmes. But the benefits of being an EUcalls member do not stop there. You will find a community of thousands of reliable and experienced project partners that you could collaborate with and form your winning consortia on our platform.
The environment cannot wait any longer for sustainability innovations. Now is the time to act and make an impact. Join our EUcalls community now and find all the available calls for sustainability and innovative organizations that can help you achieve your goals.
