The ACT Open Call
The ACT Open Call was a funding scheme for supporting innovative and international CCUS projects. The ACT Open Call was open for applications throughout 2023 and closed at 31 December 2023.
In order to ensure transparency the original call text is listed below
There is an ambition within ACT to attract CCUS projects operating at high Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Applications must have high industrial involvement and it must be documented that the project can lead to deployment of full scale CCUS projects.
There is no fixed date for submitting applications. The application process starts by contacting the national contact points listed below in order to get feedback on the relevance of your idea and to get advices for how to establish an application.
The following eligibility criteria must be met:
The consortium must have partners from at least two of the countries participating in this call.
The project must be led by an industrial partner or technology developer. A project leader from other organisations could be accepted if a strong connection to the industry can be documented.
The industrial partners must take an active part in the project and contribute with a considerable share of financing.
Industry participation must be related to a specific industrial area, industrial plant, or a given storage site.
National eligibility criteria must be met.
There is no specific call text, but all applications must meet specific national requirement in countries where funding is requested. Details or links to specific national documents are available below in the list of countries participating in the call.
Applications must be submitted to all funding agencies where funding is requested. By early contact to national contact points (as listed below) all applicants will get information on how and where to submit applications and which templates must be used.
The added value of having a project funded under this funding schema is twofold:
1. The level of administrative procedures will be at a minimum
Coordinated evaluation of the applications in all participating countries will ensure a smooth evaluation process. Furthermore, projects funded under this scheme will not face any additional reporting procedures apart from standard national report routines.
2. Knowledge sharing
Funded projects will get access to the knowledge sharing ongoing between all ACT-funded projects. ACT sets up annual knowledge sharing workshops and all ACT-funded projects are invited to participate in events were knowledge are shared and new contacts are made.
Countries participating in this funding scheme are listed below together with national requirements.
Germany:
BMWi’s 7th Energy Research Programme (7. Energieforschungsprogramm) allows international collaboration for the funded projects.
Further information is also available at:
https://www.ptj.de/projektfoerderung/angewandte-energieforschung/technologien-co2-kreislaufwirtschaf
Potential applicants should contact one of the following national contact points:
Heiko Gerhauser Annette Weiß
Email: h.gerhauser@fz-juelich.de Email: a.weiss@fz-juelich.de
Phone: +49 2461 61 96830 Phone: +49 2461 61 9025
Norway:
Gassnova's CLIMIT-Demo program allows international collaborative innovation, pilot and demonstration projects if the projects has a clear added value for Norway and meet requirements given in the CLIMIT Program Plan (See the CLIMIT-Demo web site for more details).
Potential project developers are asked to contact Ingrid Sørum Melaaen, ism@gassnova.no, as early as possible in the maturation process of such transnational projects.
Potential applicants are reminded that the program is competitive and that there is no earmarked funding for ACT projects. Applications to the ACT Open Call will be in competition with other applications to CLIMIT-Demo where the annual budget is approximately NOK 80 million.
Switzerland:
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s Pilot and Demonstration Program allows for international collaborative pilot and demonstration projects. General details are available here. Pursuant to Art. 49 of the Energy Act, pilot and demonstration projects and facilities may be undertaken and constructed outside of Switzerland if those projects and installations lead to an added value in Switzerland.
Potential project developers are asked to contact Valentin Gischig, valentin.gischig@bfe.admin.ch, or Stefano Benato, stefano.benato@bfe.admin.ch, as early as possible in the maturation process of such transnational projects.
While there is no restriction on the amount of financial support, potential applicants are reminded that the program is competitive and that there is no earmarked funding for ACT projects.
Alberta (Canada):
CCUS stakeholders from Alberta (Canada) interested in the ACT Open Call should contact ERA to discuss their potential project. Contact points at ERA are Sanah Dar, email sdar@eralberta.ca, and Mark Summers, email msummers@eralberta.ca.
