EU Innovation Fund – From project concept to application

22 – 22 Jan09:00 – 13:30
John Strandruds vei 14, 1366 Lysaker

Half-day Workshop | 22 January 2026

Organised by Energy Valley in collaboration with Innovayt

Target group:
Companies considering or preparing projects for the EU Innovation Fund within energy, hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation, CCS/CCU, clean tech and large-scale innovation projects.

Programme

09:00 – 09:15 | Arrival & Coffee

09:15 – 09:30 | Welcome & Objectives for the Day

Knut Linnerud, EU Advisor, Energy Valley

  • Key takeaways from the 10 December webinar
  • Objectives of the workshop:
    • Move from understanding to project positioning
    • Clarify evaluation logic and success factors
    • Test project maturity against Innovation Fund criteria
  • How the workshop is structured and how participants should engage

09:30 – 10:15 | Innovation Fund Deep Dive: How Projects Are Evaluated

Innovayt by Daniel Gomes

Focus: evaluator logic and decision-making

  • The Innovation Fund application process
  • Key criteria explained:
    • GHG emission avoidance
    • Degree of innovation
    • Project maturity
    • Cost efficiency and Repplicability
  • Typical reasons projects fail – beyond the obvious
  • How early design choices impact evaluation outcomes

Q&A

10:15 – 10:30 | Break

10:30 – 11:15 | Financial maturity & avoidance – What Evaluators Look For

Erlend P. Aamot, Managing Partner, REspire AS
 Daniel Gomes, Innovayt
 (Innovation Fund Financial Expert & Evaluator perspectives)

  • Financial robustness vs. Innovation Fund risk appetite
  • CAPEX, OPEX and revenue assumptions – common red flags
  • GHG methodology:
    • Early-phase challenges
    • Typical methodological pitfalls
    • How to document credibility without over-engineering
  • Practical advice for Norwegian applicants

Short discussion / Q&A

11:15 – 12:30 | Project Idea Clinic – Interactive Group Work

Facilitated by Innovayt & Energy Valley

Participants are divided into small groups (3–5 companies per group).

11:15 – 11:45 | Group discussions

  • Short, informal presentation of project ideas around the table
  • Each group selects one concrete project idea
  • Structured assessment along key Innovation Fund dimensions:
    • Project concept & degree of innovation
    • GHG avoidance potential
    • Project maturity: financial, operational and technical

11:45 – 11:55 | Coffee Break

11:55 – 12:30 | Plenary presentations & feedback

  • Each group presents its selected project idea
  • Feedback from Innovayt, REspire and the audience

Expected output per group:

  • Clear feedback on project positioning
  • Identified improvement areas
  • Indicative “readiness level” for Innovation Fund calls

12:30 – 12:45 | Next Steps & Support Options

Innovayt

  • Indicative timeline:
    • Relevant timings for upcoming calls (e.g. April 2026)
  • Models of assistance and support from Innovayt
  • Innovayt’s role as facilitator and connector
  • Next planned activities in the EU Innovation Fund track

12:45 – 13:00 | Plenary Wrap-up: Lessons & Patterns

Moderated by Knut Linnerud

  • Key observations across groups
  • Typical strengths and weaknesses in participant projects
  • What differentiates interesting vs. competitive Innovation Fund projects
  • Open Q&A

Optional

13:00 – 13:30 | Informal Networking & 1:1 Discussions