Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a

Di cosa tratta questo bando?

The NACHIP project offers cascade funding to SMEs that test, validate and demonstrate hydrogen solutions in its five pilot sites in Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. SMEs from the regions listed in the call can apply alone or in consortia of up to three members.

Cosa finanzia questo bando?

About NACHIP

NACHIP is a project financed under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument. It aims to accelerate innovation in the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem, with a focus on investment in hydrogen technologies, and targets three value chains (manufacturing, urban areas and mobility) through five pilot actions: green hydrogen from wave energy (Pag, Croatia), hydrogen use in urban areas on a public building (Velenje, Slovenia), dynamic hydrogen releasers based on liquid organic hydrogen carriers (Torviscosa, Italy), cost-efficient composite cylinders for hydrogen transport (Udine, Italy) and a prototype gasification plant for municipal waste (Zagreb, Croatia).

Scope

The financial support to third parties is used for testing, validation and demonstration of hydrogen solutions and their integration into real-world applications. Sub-projects fall under three areas:

• Input: innovative chemicals or materials for testing in the NACHIP pilots
• Process: solutions that optimise hydrogen-related processes used in the pilots
• Output: applications of new technologies that complement the NACHIP value chains in mobility, urban and manufacturing sectors

Sub-projects may focus, among other things, on prototype development, integration into existing infrastructure, and new solutions for hydrogen storage, transport or use. The support targets companies proposing hydrogen-based solutions at a technology readiness level above 7, connected to pilot projects that can be validated and deployed in real-life settings.

Eligible activities

A non-exhaustive list includes trials and testing, related market analysis, acquisition and testing of materials, integration of SME solutions into the pilots, small or medium-scale demonstration in a real or operational environment, and exploitation in new application sectors. Activities must be coherent with the EU priorities of the I3 call and must contribute to the NACHIP objectives.

Expected outcomes

The scheme aims to support market adoption of hydrogen technologies developed in the pilots, advance solutions towards market readiness, accelerate commercial deployment including cross-border opportunities, address technical bottlenecks in the hydrogen value chain, strengthen safety, standardisation and regulatory compliance, and promote cross-sector replication and interoperability.

How to apply

Applications are submitted through the NACHIP website and must be written in English. Each application is evaluated by three experts.

Quando scade il bando?

9 November 2026. Questions could be sent to the project until 9 October 2026.