IPCEI – Important Projects of Common European Interest
IPCEI – Important Projects of Common European Interest
IPCEIs may represent a significant contribution to economic growth, jobs, the green and digital transition and competitiveness for the Union industry and economy.
IPCEIs make it possible to bring together knowledge, expertise, financial resources, and economic actors throughout the Union and create positive spillover effects to the whole Union.
What is an IPCEI?
Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) are large, cross-border initiatives that Member States jointly pre-assess and endorse when a technology area is so strategic that normal market forces and traditional EU funding tools are not enough. A pre-assessment fiche tests whether the proposed field:
- tackles a clearly defined market or systemic failure
- aligns with EU policy objectives
- will generate significant economic and societal spill-overs across at least four countries
- is better served by the IPCEI State-aid framework than by any existing programme
Only after this scrutiny and a positive “common-interest” finding and endorsement by Member States can the design phase start.
Additional information and legal basis
For more information, please refer to:
Factsheets – simplified explainers of IPCEIs
For more detailed information – technical guidance on IPCEI conditions and the process
Legal bases:
Following Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), aid to promote the execution of an important project of common European interest or to remedy a serious disturbance in an economy of a Member State may be considered compatible with the internal market.
In 2021, the Commission published the currently applicable Communication on the criteria for the analysis of the compatibility with the internal market of State aid to promote the execution of IPCEIs (OJ C 528, 30.12.2021, p. 10–18). See also the press release
What will change in my company?
Common European expertise
Positive spillover effect with partners
Additional funds
Examples of IPCEIs
- Circular Advanced Materials
- Advanced Semiconductor Technologies
- AI and CIC
- Biotechnology
- Critical Raw Materials
- Clean and Connected Autonomous Vehicles
Thanks to our IPCEI status, we have grown in four years into an international company with around 70 employees, our own pilot production and laboratories. IPCEI has also given us a great deal of credibility and opened doors for us. We have involved top global companies and leading scientists in our R&D projects. The same applies to investments.
IPCEI status enabled our company to strengthen its financial position in the eyes of investors and was one of the factors that helped conclude a private investment agreement for establishing an industrial plant in Estonia (initiated in early 2024).
Participation in the IPCEI ecosystem makes it possible to develop new products and processes with other companies, share risks, and take advantage of opportunities arising from combining budgets to develop joint product and testing capabilities.
An important factor enabling Elcogen’s growth is the validation of new products and their demonstration at a higher TRL level within the IPCEI framework. Today, the demonstration of MW-scale solutions is a key milestone for the further deployment of solid oxide technology in mass production and for its widespread use in both fuel cell and electrolysis modes.
Participation in the IPCEI ecosystem also enables access to, and the creation of, direct cooperation with our partners’ customers, thereby increasing the company’s capacity to boost sales of its end products.
Examples of IPCEIs
- Circular Advanced Materials
- Advanced Semiconductor Technologies
- AI and CIC
- Biotechnology
- Critical Raw Materials
- Clean and Connected Autonomous Vehicles
Thanks to our IPCEI status, we have grown in four years into an international company with around 70 employees, our own pilot production and laboratories. IPCEI has also given us a great deal of credibility and opened doors for us. We have involved top global companies and leading scientists in our R&D projects. The same applies to investments.
IPCEI status enabled our company to strengthen its financial position in the eyes of investors and was one of the factors that helped conclude a private investment agreement for establishing an industrial plant in Estonia (initiated in early 2024).
Participation in the IPCEI ecosystem makes it possible to develop new products and processes with other companies, share risks, and take advantage of opportunities arising from combining budgets to develop joint product and testing capabilities.
An important factor enabling Elcogen’s growth is the validation of new products and their demonstration at a higher TRL level within the IPCEI framework. Today, the demonstration of MW-scale solutions is a key milestone for the further deployment of solid oxide technology in mass production and for its widespread use in both fuel cell and electrolysis modes.
Participation in the IPCEI ecosystem also enables access to, and the creation of, direct cooperation with our partners’ customers, thereby increasing the company’s capacity to boost sales of its end products.
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