Funding Recommendations per Target Group

Best-fit Opportunities
  • LIFE CET (market uptake actions, skills alliances, one-stop-shops, pipeline building)
  • I3 Instrument (interregional value-chain collaboration and scaling)
  • Horizon Europe Cluster 5 (consortium building + demonstration)
  • National schemes as “ecosystem coordinators” (support SMEs to access CDTI/SMART Path/IBAC PME etc.)
  • LIFE CET: Medium
  • I3: Low-Medium (high bar on interregional investment logic)
  • Be the multiplier: show access to SMEs + credible training/market rollout plan.
  • For I3: prove interregional complementarities and a concrete investment roadmap.
  • Use HeatInvest matchmaking to pre-structure consortia early.
  • LIFE CET to scale markets and skills.
  • I3 to formalise interregional collaboration and value-chain investments.
Best-fit Opportunities
  • LIFE CET (community uptake, enabling frameworks, one-stop-shops, local market activation)
  • National/regional investment support only if eligible (often limited to enterprises/municipalities)

LIFE CET: Medium (if consortium is strong and impact is scalable)

  • Work with a municipality/utility/cluster as coordinator.
  • Focus on replication, citizen engagement, measurable impact, and simplified delivery models.

You aim to build local acceptance and uptake, not fund large infrastructure directly.

Best-fit Opportunities
  • LIFE CET (EU-wide market uptake, skills, finance mobilisation, policy support)
  • Horizon Europe CSA (coordination/support, roadmaps, standardisation, networks)
  • LIFE CET: Medium
  • Horizon CSA: Low-Medium
  • Focus on EU-level replicability and policy relevance.
  • Bring a consortium that covers multiple Member States and has strong dissemination capacity.

You can deliver Europe-wide scale (standards, skills frameworks, market transformation).

Best-fit Opportunities
  • InvestEU (de-risking via guarantees; via financial intermediaries)
  • LIFE CET – PRIVAFIN type actions (private finance mobilisation, enabling frameworks)
  • ELENA (upstream project pipeline development for investment readiness)
  • Innovation Fund as anchor public funding to crowd-in private finance
  • InvestEU (as intermediary/product): Medium (depends on accreditation/eligibility)
  • LIFE CET/ELENA: Medium
  • Position as pipeline enabler: standardised due diligence, green loan products, aggregation.
  • Combine with public grants to reduce risk and improve bankability.

You want to unlock lending/investment for many projects, not just one.

Best-fit Opportunities
  • LIFE CET (skills, market uptake, one-stop-shops, business models; often strong fit)
  • Bulgaria EE/RES in Enterprises (for SME upgrades incl. heat pumps)
  • Greece Development Law 4887/2022 (investment incentives)
  • Brussels Economic Transition Fund (investment support in Brussels)
  • Poland SMART Path (only if linked to innovation/green transition module)
  • LIFE CET: Medium (still competitive, but good fit if you’re part of a good consortium)
  • National SME investment schemes: Medium-High (if you meet admin/eligibility)
  • Don’t apply as “just installers”: position as deployment capacity + training + quality assurance.
  • Bring a pipeline: list buildings/sites, clients, and quantified savings.
  • Partner with clusters/associations for LIFE CET to strengthen reach and replication.
  • LIFE CET for skills, uptake, and scalable service models.
  • National/regional schemes for concrete SME investments and equipment upgrades.
Best-fit Opportunities
  • Innovation Fund – Regular Calls (scale-up, manufacturing capacity, industrial decarbonisation investments)
  • Horizon Europe Cluster 5 (new technology development + demonstration)
  • France (ADEME) IBAC PME (for French SMEs developing components, e.g., compressors, high-T° HP parts)
  • Spain (CDTI LIC), Poland (SMART Path) (near-to-market innovation + implementation modules)
  • Horizon / Innovation Fund: Low-Medium (very competitive, strong “EU added value” expected)
  • National innovation schemes (CDTI, SMART Path, IBAC PME): Medium-High (if eligibility fits and project is well-prepared)
  • Show industrial impact: cost reduction, production scale, supply chain security, jobs, CO₂ savings.
  • For EU calls: join a strong consortium (manufacturer + end user/utility + RTO).
  • For national: submit a tight business case + credible implementation plan (CAPEX, permits, market).
  • Horizon if you’re still proving performance / prototypes.
  • Innovation Fund if you’re ready to deploy at scale (industrial investment).
  • National schemes if you’re close to market and need faster, simpler funding.
Best-fit Opportunities

LIFE CET (capacity building, market uptake, skills, OSS, finance mobilisation)

LIFE CET: Medium

  • Act as aggregator: mobilise SME cohorts, standardise templates, provide proposal coaching.
  • In LIFE CET: quantify your reach (number of SMEs trained/served) + replication plan.

You want to run structured support for many SMEs (training, OSS, investment readiness).

Best-fit Opportunities
  • Horizon Europe Cluster 5 (R&D, demo, pilots)
  • LIFE CET (only when the role is enabling: training, frameworks, uptake—not pure research)
  • SMART Path (in consortia), Hungary drilling risk (as technical partner)
  • Horizon: Low (competitive but best match for RTO core work)
  • LIFE CET: Medium (if you play an enabling role)
  • In Horizon: lead with excellence + demo sites + exploitation pathway.
  • In LIFE CET: position RTO as skills provider / evidence / monitoring supporting deployment.
  • Horizon for innovation and demonstration.
  • LIFE CET for market uptake, workforce skills, and implementation support.
Best-fit Opportunities
  • LIFE CET (policy implementation support, market frameworks, OSS models)
  • ELENA (technical assistance to prepare investment pipelines)
  • I3 (interregional scaling aligned to S3)
  • BAFA EEW (Germany) as reference for industrial process heat policy-linked deployment
  • ELENA: Medium-High (if you have a credible investment pipeline and leverage)
  • LIFE CET / I3: Low-Medium (competitive)
  • Put forward a pipeline (projects/sites) and show leverage (investment mobilised).
  • Show alignment with S3 priorities, EPBD/RED implementation, permitting readiness.
  • ELENA when you need to prepare bankable projects and portfolios.
  • LIFE CET when you need frameworks, skills, OSS, and policy uptake.
Best-fit Opportunities
  • Innovation Fund – Regular Calls (district heating decarbonisation, industrial heat, large investments)
  • Germany EEW Module 2 (BAFA) (renewable industrial process heat, deep geothermal)
  • ELENA (pipeline preparation for large investment programmes)
  • I3 (interregional value-chain investment collaborations)
  • Innovation Fund: Low-Medium
  • ELENA: Medium-High
  • National schemes: Medium (depending on eligibility)
  • Present a bankable pipeline: CAPEX, permits, customer base, decarbonisation impact.
  • Quantify CO₂/MWh and show replicability across regions.
  • ELENA to prepare investment programmes.
  • Innovation Fund when you’re ready for large-scale deployment.