On 20 May, leading voices from European institutions, industry, and research convened at the Thon Hotel EU in Brussels for the conference “Unlocking Low-Carbon Innovation: From Horizon Projects to Market Deployment.” under the umbrella of the European Commission and supported by EU funding, the event focused on accelerating the transition of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation (R&I) results into scalable climate solutions.
The day commenced with opening remarks by José Jiménez Mingo (DG CLIMA), followed by a keynote speech from Maria Velkova, Deputy Head of Unit at DG CLIMA. Maria emphasised the Commission’s commitment to bridging the gap between innovation and market deployment, underscoring the need for stronger alignment across policy, funding, and research priorities.
Panel discussions throughout the morning examined the prerequisites for successful exploitation of R&I outcomes. Moderated by Andrea Rausa (Ciaotech – LEADS), the session featured expert contributors Maria Velkova (EC DG CLIMA), David García Arrate (Euro-Funding – REALIZE), and Federico Spadaro (CLERENS – H2IF), highlighting the types of expertise required to produce a quality Innovation Fund proposal and (financial, technical and operational) and providing useful recommendations to prospective applicants, based on the projects’ lessons learned.
This was followed by a session showcasing real-world examples of innovation in action. Speakers Kristian Aas (SINTEF –2DPLOY), Fredericq Peigneux (Heidelberg Materials – ANTHEMIS), Heidi Fuglum (Tidetec), and Athanase Vafeas (Dowel Innovation) shared compelling project experiences, demonstrating how Horizon-funded research is shaping commercially viable solutions across sectors.
In the afternoon, thematic breakout discussions addressed challenges and opportunities in key technology domains: renewables, hydrogen and storage, carbon capture and usage, and energy-intensive industries. These collaborative exchanges, facilitated, respectively, by representatives from REALIZE, H2IF, LEADS, and 2DPLOY, provided a platform for cross-sector dialogue, networking, and strategic alignment.
The final panel, chaired by Marie Latour (REALIZE), explored complementary funding opportunities, with contributions from Radu Surdeanu (Siemens Energy), Simon Bennett (International Energy Agency), and Ruben Davis (Cleantech for Europe). The session highlighted the critical role of blended financing and public–private models in scaling up green technologies.
The event concluded with remarks by Maria Velkova, who reaffirmed the Commission’s ambition to advance the deployment of low-carbon solutions. She called for continued cooperation among researchers, investors, policymakers, and industry to transform innovation into lasting impact.
Strategic Conclusions
The conference underscored several key imperatives for the effective deployment of climate innovation:
- Stronger integration of research, policy, and finance is essential to bringing Horizon results to market.
- Many EU-funded projects are reaching a level of maturity that merits targeted deployment support.
- Hybrid funding approaches, including public–private instruments, play a pivotal role in de-risking investment.
- Sustained cross-sector collaboration is vital to overcoming systemic barriers and accelerating the green transition.
Through this exchange, participants reaffirmed a shared commitment to translating Europe’s climate ambitions into tangible, scalable innovation outcomes that serve both environmental goals and economic competitiveness.
