The Innovation Fund, which for the period 2020-30 may amount to about EUR10bn depending on the carbon price, will focus on highly-innovative technologies and big flagship projects with European value added that can bring on significant emission reductions.

From mid-2020, Europe's Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) is expected to be entrusted with the implementation of the grant component of the Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund will be a key funding instrument for delivering on the EU's commitments made under the Paris Agreement and achieving the European Commission’s strategic vision of a climate neutral Europe by 2050.

DG CLIMA and INEA are now launching a call for expert evaluators to register this March via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal expert database for assignments in connection with the Innovation Fund.

Particularly encouraged to enter are experts who have backgrounds in one or more of these areas: renewable energy (wind, solar (PV/CSP), geothermal, bioenergy, ocean etc), carbon capture, utilisation and storage, as well as industries covered under the ETS, including Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, chemicals, cement, concrete, lime and gypsum, refineries, paper, glass and ceramics, hydrogen. In addition, energy storage and cross-sectoral and industrial symbiosis projects are also of particular interest.

Potential evaluators can now register via the European Commission's expert database. When registering, the experts responding to this call are invited to refer to the 'Innovation Fund' in the list of pre-established keywords and to tick the box “other programme” so that their name appears in relation with the Innovation Fund.

Experts who are already registered in the Funding and Tenders Portal expert database are invited to update their area of expertise and refer to the Innovation Fund.

Early application before 31 March 2020 is encouraged since the first experts will have to be selected in June 2020 to start working in the second half of 2020. A copy of the applicant’s CV should be sent to INEA-innovationfunds@ec.europa.eu