Are you an entrepreneur looking to speed up the development of your innovative environmental technology through international cooperation? Or would you like to demonstrate an innovative new technology and get foreign partners on board? Why not consider applying for the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership) grant? This may be just the opportunity you need!

What is CETPartnership?

The Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership) is a multilateral and strategic partnership of national and regional research, development and innovation (RDI) programmes in European Member States and Associated Countries aiming to boost and accelerate the energy transition and to achieve a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. The European Union is participating in this initiative, which is designed to promote international cooperation between entrepreneurs in different countries.

Who are the proposed recipients of the grants?

The CETPartnership grant is intended for small-scale and large-scale environmental innovation projects. The grant enables businesses (along with researchers) to experience what it is like to work with foreign partners on developing innovative new technologies.

Since the Dutch national government is a partner of CETPartnership, Netherlands-based companies are eligible to apply for this grant. One of the partners, the Dutch Research Council (NWO), will be introducing its own scheme in the immediate future.

The technology developed must be relevant to the energy and climate transition in the participating countries. The following seven Transition Initiatives (TRIs) have been designated:

  • Integrated Net-zero-emissions Energy System
  • Enhanced zero-emission Power Technologies
  • Enabling Climate Neutrality with Storage Technologies, Renewable Fuels and CCU/CCS
  • Efficient zero-emission Heating and Cooling Solutions
  • Integrated Regional Energy Systems
  • Integrated Industrial Energy Systems
  • Integration in the Built Environment

How does the grant scheme work?

The CETPartnership Joint Call will be officially announced on 13 September 2022, including all the details relating to the scheme. We can report that the grant will become available to applicants who have applied through the Dutch schemes for Demonstration of Energy and Climate Innovation (DEI+) and Renewable Energy Transition (HER+). Other schemes may be added in due course.

Solely companies that satisfy the criteria under these schemes are eligible to participate in a CETPartnership funding project. They are also required to submit pre-proposals for their projects. Once their project has been approved, they can apply for the grant through the DEI+, HER+ or another scheme designated for this purpose (provided by the Dutch national government or the Dutch Research Council (NWO)). They must apply in conjunction with their foreign partners in CETPartnership.

When can you apply for funding?

The exact timeframe has not yet been confirmed, but the pre-proposal submission process is scheduled from September to November 2022, with the assessments to follow in early 2023. Applicants submitting projects that have been approved must subsequently get to work on drafting their full project proposals, which can then be submitted in spring 2023. The final result will then follow later that year, at which point you will learn whether your CETPartnership grant will be allocated.

Update: on 14 September 2022, further details of this application round were published. The deadline for submitting the pre-proposal is 23 November 2022, 2pm. In case of a positive assessment, the full project proposal can be submitted, the deadline for which is 23 March 2023. The final result will follow in June 2023.

Would you like to learn more about this initiative?

Do you like to idea of working closely with foreign partners to boost your environmental innovation? Our EGEN consultants will help you navigate the process: they will draft a winning proposal for you for the CETPartnership grant, in conjunction with the DEI+, HER+ or another relevant scheme. They will explore whether there are any other funding opportunities available for international cooperation for which you might be eligible – there are certainly plenty of those around.

Send us a message using the contact form below, and we will contact you.