From Insight to Application: Lessons from Energy Valley’s EU Innovation Fund Workshop

Presentation during the workshop

On 22 January, Energy Valley hosted an EU Innovation Fund workshop in Fornebu, organised in collaboration with Innovayt and REspire. The workshop followed up on our Innovation Fund webinar held in December, and marked the next step in moving from general understanding to concrete project positioning.

The objective of the workshop was clear: to help companies better understand how Innovation Fund projects are actually evaluated, and to test early-stage project ideas against the programme’s key criteria through a practical project idea clinic.

What we learned

A central takeaway from the workshop was that none of the project ideas presented were sufficiently mature to be submitted to Innovation Fund calls with deadlines in 2026. This is not unusual, and should rather be seen as a valuable and realistic checkpoint early in the process.

At the same time, several participants clearly have project ideas with long-term potential, either:

  • within other EU or national funding programmes, or
  • as candidates for a future Innovation Fund call, for example in 2027, given the right development path.

The discussions highlighted that many companies underestimate the level of integration required across innovation, GHG avoidance, financial robustness and project maturity in order to be competitive in the Innovation Fund.

Looking into Part III: Next Steps

A format that works… but can be improved

The combination of:

  • a general introductory webinar, and
  • a physical workshop with expert input and an interactive idea clinic,

proved to be a strong and effective model. Participants gained clearer insight into evaluator logic and were able to stress-test their ideas in a constructive setting.

At the same time, the workshop confirmed that:

  • earlier clarification of what constitutes a relevant Innovation Fund project would benefit participants, and
  • more time is needed in the practical project discussions to allow deeper case-specific feedback.

For future editions, Energy Valley sees clear value in engaging with interested companies earlier in the process, through short preparatory webinars and/or individual meetings ahead of physical workshops.

Discussions during breaks

What this means for Energy Valley Members

Innovation Fund remains a highly relevant instrument for large-scale, impactful energy and decarbonisation projects – but it requires long-term preparation and realistic timing.

Energy Valley will continue to support members by:

  • providing early-stage guidance and reality checks,
  • facilitating dialogue with experienced advisors and evaluators, and
  • helping companies navigate the wider landscape of EU and national funding opportunities.

If your company is exploring project ideas that could be relevant for EU funding – whether in the short or longer term – we encourage you to reach out for a dialogue.

Key contacts for EU funding advisory

Energy Valley
Knut Linnerud – EU Advisor
📧 knut.linnerud@energyvalley.com
🌐 www.energyvalley.com

Innovayt
Daniel Gomes – Senior Consultant
📧 danielgomes@innovayt.eu
🌐 www.innovayt.eu

REspire
Erlend Aamodt – Managing Partner
📧 erlend@respire.icu
🌐 www.respire.icu

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