All Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) that have been launched and those yet to come

IPCEIs are designed to overcome market failures in value chains. In the following article, we explain thoroughly the approved IPCEIs, to ensure you do not lose any details.

Approved IPCEIs

Since the approval in 2014 of the Communication of Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), a total of six IPCEIs have been launched.

IPCEI Med4Cure

The European Commission approved a new IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) to support research, innovation and first industrial deployment of medical devices and innovative production processes in the pharmaceutical sector. The project, called PIICE Med4Cure, was jointly prepared and notified by six Member States (Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and France) which will provide up to €1 billion in public funding, which is expected to unlock an additional €5.9 billion in private investment. As part of this IPCEI, 13 companies with activities in one or more Member States, including nine SMEs, will participate in 14 innovative projects.

IPCEI Med4Cure concerns research and development projects covering all key stages of the pharmaceutical value chain, from the collection and study of cells, tissues and other samples to sustainable production technologies for breakthrough therapies, including personalised treatments, and the application of advanced digital technologies. It will contribute in particular to the objectives of the European Health Union by bringing innovations against diseases for which there are no satisfactory means of prevention or treatment and by increasing the EU’s preparedness against emerging health threats.

The project aims to accelerate medical progress and foster the resilience of the EU healthcare industry by improving drug discovery, especially for unmet medical needs such as rare diseases, and developing innovative and more sustainable pharmaceutical production processes. These developments will improve the quality of healthcare and increase the EU’s preparedness for emerging health threats, while contributing to the ecological transition.

IPCEI Hy2Move

The European Commission has approved a fourth major project of common European interest (IPCEI) to support research, innovation and early industrial deployment in the hydrogen value chain. The project contributes to the EU’s goal of reducing emissions from the mobility and transport sectors by 90% in order to make the EU climate neutral by 2050. By promoting the use of hydrogen as a fuel, it will also help achieve the objectives of the European Green Pact, the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the Sustainable and Intelligent Mobility Strategy.

The project, called IPCEI Hy2Move, was jointly prepared and notified by seven Member States: Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain, which will provide up to €1.4 billion in public funding, which is expected to unlock a further €3.3 billion in private investments. As part of this IPCEI, 11 companies with activities in one or more Member States, including SMEs and start-ups, will undertake 13 innovative projects, covering a broad part of the hydrogen technology value chain, supporting the development of a set of technological innovations, including:

• The development of mobility and transport applications to integrate hydrogen technologies into transport modes (road, maritime and air). This includes, for example, fuel cell vehicle platforms for use in buses and trucks.
• The development of high-performance fuel cell technologies, which use hydrogen to generate electricity with sufficient power to drive ships and locomotives.
• The development of new generation on-board hydrogen storage solutions. For use in aircraft, lightweight but robust hydrogen tanks are needed to ensure safety and efficiency in flight conditions.
• The development of hydrogen production technologies for mobility and transport applications, in particular to supply on-site hydrogen refuelling stations with pressurised hydrogen, 99.99% pure and suitable for fuel cells.

IPCEI ME/CT of Microelectronics

This is the most recent project, approved by the European Commission to support research, innovation and early industrial deployment of microelectronics and communication technologies across the value chain. This IPCEI complements the first IPCEI approved in 2018, the Microelectronics IPCEI (detailed below).

Fourteen Member States are participating, which will provide up to €8.1 billion in public funding, which is expected to unlock a further €13.7 billion in private investments. As part of this IPCEI, 56 companies, including SMEs and start-ups, will undertake 68 projects that will contribute to technological progress in many sectors, such as communications (5G and 6G), autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

IPCEI Hy2Use of Hydrogen Technology

The European Commission gave the go-ahead to the second major project of common European interest (IPCEI), called Hy2Use. It has an investment of €5.2 billion in public funding, and is expected to mobilise a further €7 billion in private investment. This new IPCEI involves up to 13 member countries, including Spain.

Hy2Use covers a large part of the hydrogen value chain: it supports the construction of infrastructures and the development of innovative and more sustainable technologies to integrate hydrogen into industrial processes. Similarly, this new IPCEI is expected to boost the supply of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, thereby reducing dependence on natural gas supply. It is scheduled for completion in 2036. This new project complements the first hydrogen IPCEI, known as HyTech.

Hydrogen Technology IPCEI

The latest IPCEI that has been launched is the Hydrogen Technology IPCEI. The European Commission approved this major cross-border project, funded with € 5.4 billion and private investment of €8.8 billion.

A total of € 14.2 billion was made available from 15 EU Member States, Spain included. This is the second IPCEI with Spanish participation and has twice as many companies as the previous IPCEI. In fact, a total of 35 companies are participating, 11 of which are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The project, called Hy2Tech, will promote the development and deployment of hydrogen through significant technological breakthroughs, such as new highly efficient electrode materials, more efficient fuel cells and innovative transport technologies.

The Hydrogen IPCEI will boost employment (it is expected to create approximately 20,000 jobs) and growth across Europe while contributing to the goals of the European Green Deal and resilience agenda, enabling the clean transition of energy-intensive industries and thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

IPCEI of Batteries II

The Batteries II project was approved and is scheduled to end in 2028. It involves 42 entities from 12 different countries, and it has received public funding of 2.9 billion euros and a private investment of 9 billion euros. It was the first time that Spain participated in an IPCEI.

This IPCEI covers the entire battery value chain, with an emphasis on sustainability. It is a project that complements the first IPCEI on the battery value chain.

Among its objectives, the project is expected to contribute to the development of significant new technological breakthroughs, such as novel cell chemistries and production processes and other innovations in the battery value chain.

IPCEI Batteries I

IPCEI Batteries I was the first major European Project of Common Interest in this area. It was approved in December 2019 and is scheduled to finish in 2031. This IPCEI involves 17 entities from 7 countries. It has public funding of €3.2 billion and private investment of €5 billion.

The project participants will cooperate both together and with more than 70 external stakeholders across Europe, such as SMEs and research organisations. This IPCEI supports the development of innovative and sustainable technologies for lithium-ion batteries that last longer, have shorter charging times and are safer and more environmentally friendly.

It involves ambitious and risky research and development activities to deliver beyond cutting-edge innovation across the entire battery value chain.

IPCEI Microelectronics

The Microelectronics IPCEI was the first to see the light of day. It is scheduled for completion in 2024. It involves up to 29 entities from 4 different countries. It has public funding of €1.75 billion and expects a private investment of €6 billion.

The project’s main objective is to enable the research and development related to innovative technologies and components that can be integrated into a large set of applications, such as chips, integrated circuits and sensors.

These include consumer devices, e.g., household appliances and automated vehicles, as well as commercial and industrial devices, such as battery management systems used for electric mobility and energy storage.

The project is expected to stimulate further research and innovations related to the Internet of Things and connected or driverless cars.