The European Commission has recently released preliminary information regarding the second call for large-scale and small-scale projects under the Innovation Fund.

The programme, which has a budget of approximately €20 billion for the 2020-2030 period funded by ETS allowances, aims to support the transition to climate neutrality by financing innovative projects focused on reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

For the second call dedicated to large-scale projects, the budget is expected to be between €1.3 billion and €1.5 billion, depending on carbon price fluctuations; furthermore, both the application procedure and the selection process will be simplified, moving from a two-stage to a single-stage process.

Projects that were not selected in the first call may reapply. The call is scheduled to open on 26 October, with a closing date of 1 March 2022.

Regarding small-scale projects, the Commission plans to open the call in March 2022 and close it in August, without making any changes to the application procedures or the project proposal selection process, with a budget of €100 million.

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