Project Development Assistance

Have you applied to the Innovation Fund, but not been awarded a grant? Are you considering applying to the Innovation Fund, but feel your project is not mature enough to get selected?

You may have the possibility to benefit from our Project Development Assistance (PDA). The goal of the PDA is to improve the maturity of your project through high-quality technical and financial advisory support provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and tailored to the needs of your project. Project Development Assistance should especially benefit small-scale projects and projects in lower-income Member States to help achieve a geographically balanced distribution of the Innovation Fund support. The PDA also contributes to support projects from the least represented sectors in the Fund, and can help increase their chances of reaching financial close and entering into operation. You can (re-)submit a strong application to the Innovation Fund at the next relevant Innovation Fund call.

How can I apply?

There are two ways to apply to PDA:

• By applying directly to the EIB (open PDA): a project falling under the scope of the Innovation Fund may apply directly to PDA by submitting an application to the EIB.
• Following an application to an Innovation Fund call: projects which meet the requirements specified in the call text may be eligible, and subject to their prior approval, will be transmitted to the EIB for further assessment.

The selection of projects is done by the EIB and approved by the Commission. The selection takes into account the degree of innovation compared to the state of the art, the potential to significantly reduce climate impacts and to support widespread application and the project maturity. The EIB prioritises projects for which the PDA can lead to a substantial improvement in their maturity, the geographical and sectoral balance in relation to the portfolio of funded projects as well as small-scale projects and projects amongst the most immature. 

Following the Commission approval, the EIB will inform all projects that have been selected for PDA and invite them to sign a PDA Agreement to define what their support will entail. Once a PDA Agreement is signed, the EIB will provide the tailor-made project development assistance for about three to nine months.