€1M to finance up to 10 technology solutions in the European electricity market

21st June 2023

The InterConnect funding programme targets European start-ups, SMEs, mid-caps, and large companies. Each application will receive a maximum amount of €100K to develop the solutions. This programme focuses on developing and implementing energy solutions to mitigate the impact of the current energy crisis by enhancing grid stability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering energy costs for consumers through the Common European Reference Framework for Energy (CERF). This is the second edition of the programme promoted by the largest European collaborative project, led by the Portuguese Institute for Systems Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC).

The InterConnect project brings together 50 European partners from 11 EU countries to develop tools for the interoperability between devices, energy systems and grids.

As to the applications, and since Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, and Greece have already ongoing demonstrators within the scope of the project, they are excluded from the current call. Still, companies from all EU member-states can propose the operationalisation of demonstrators in other countries.

The ideal candidate will have already built up a sizable consumer base, demonstrating their ability to attract and engage their audience. “The participants on this call will be developing an Energy Application that will make use of the semantic interoperability modules developed within InterConnect to interpret signals from electric grid operators and to inform consumers of the best time of the day to allocate their appliances and systems", explained David Rua, project coordinator and researcher at INESC TEC.

The selection process is a two-step journey, with up to ten projects from eligible countries being handpicked to develop their Specification & Development Plan within just one month. Finally, up to seven exceptional projects will be granted the opportunity to integrate, implement, and test their energy applications using InterConnect’s world-class interoperable framework, top-notch services, and data sources.

“This is an opportunity for companies to benefit from a high visibility theme to propose applications and create business models based on the participation of consumers to contribute to the grid resiliency actively”, said David Rua, from INESC TEC.

All information and documentation can be found at the Open Calls website page, as well as the required application forms.

On June 21, at 11 am (CEST), a webinar with Interconnect tech experts will take place to clarify any doubts regarding the application submissions. Registration for the event is here.

Applications are open until June 26, 5 p.m. (Brussels time).

The InterConnect project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 857237.