Demonstrating solutions for the bioeconomy
The grant is provided through the Environmental Technology Scheme or the Bioeconomy Scheme and will help bring to market innovative technologies and solutions that are better for the environment than those available today. The solutions must have market potential beyond your own use.
Who can receive a grant?
We can provide grants to companies with concrete plans to develop, build and test innovative technologies, processes and systems. Our primary target group for these grants is supplier companies that develop the solution themselves and intend to sell it at a later stage. Working with pilot customers in the industry will strengthen your project. The grant will reduce risk and help ensure that you test the solution before commercialisation. Your project must therefore include a pilot or demonstration phase. Read more about the target group, definitions, criteria and application process for pilot and demonstration projects here.
We expect your company to uphold responsible business conduct and have guidelines for ethics and corporate social responsibility
What kind of projects are we looking for?
We are looking for sustainable solutions (technologies, processes and systems) that create greater value in Norway, strengthen the competitiveness of Norwegian companies and deliver long-term environmental improvements. Your solution must be significantly better than competing technologies currently available, and you must clearly describe the project's level of innovation and risk. In your application, you must clearly explain the market opportunities and how you plan to promote wider adoption of the technology.
It is important that your project is based on a solid body of knowledge and that your application refers to previous research or studies that support the project and its environmental impact. The project participants must have relevant expertise in the field.
Bio-based resources are generally renewable and climate-neutral. However, not all biomass-based products automatically qualify as environmental technology. To qualify for funding under the Environmental Technology Scheme, you must describe the specific environmental problem your project addresses. The scheme may be relevant for:
New products and production methods based on biological raw materials that can deliver environmental improvements from a life-cycle perspective. You must document how and to what extent the new product or process contributes to environmental improvements. One example could be bio-based products that replace alternatives made from less environmentally friendly materials. You must clearly present the advantages and disadvantages of the new solution compared with existing solutions.
New products and production methods that can enable new and higher-value uses of bio-residues (biowaste). Creating more value from residual raw materials improves resource efficiency compared with current practices and can reduce the use of virgin raw materials. You must describe and quantify the impact on alternative raw materials.
New products and production methods for processing biomaterials based on the circular economy. You must quantify the overall environmental impact on resource use, including less waste, reduced resource consumption and increased recycling by both producers and end users. Please note that more efficient production processes for biological products or materials alone are not enough to qualify for grants.
New products and production processes for more sustainable and efficient use of biological resources and ecosystem protection. You must describe and quantify the impact of the solutions.
New solutions that monitor, measure and provide warnings about emissions and pollution, helping to limit their impact. You must describe how the solution will contribute to this and why it may be better than alternative solutions.
Eligible costs and state aid rules
We prioritise the strongest projects, regardless of industry. We provide the grant as R&D funding, which means you can only include R&D-related activities in the project costs.
The project may include the following costs:
- Personnel costs (researchers, technicians and support staff) for the time and to the extent that they work on the development project. You must keep timesheets.
- Rental costs and/or depreciation for accounting purposes for instruments, equipment and buildings that need to be acquired, to the extent and for the period they are used in the development activity (e.g. a testing period to validate the technology). You must keep timesheets.
- Costs for contract research and the purchase or licensing of knowledge and patents from independent businesses on arm's-length terms, as well as costs for consultancy and similar services used exclusively for the project.
- Other new overheads and operating costs, including the cost of materials, supplies and similar products incurred directly in connection with the project.
We encourage you to collaborate with other companies and research institutions. Only your own paid costs, including salary costs, can be included in the basis for support. If several companies collaborate on the project, you must agree in advance on how to allocate the project costs and submit separate applications.
We provide funding in accordance with the State aid rules in the EEA. Our share of the funding depends on the approved costs and the size of your company. Under the State aid rules, projects can receive funding of up to 25% of approved costs for large companies, 35% for medium-sized companies and 45% for small companies.
To secure comprehensive funding for larger projects, you can combine an application for a grant with our other funding schemes, such as loans, within the framework of the State aid rules.
All applicants must meet two requirements:
1. In line with state aid rules, you must submit a written funding application before starting work on the project.
2. We cannot provide funding to companies that are 'in difficulty'. For a more detailed description of what constitutes being 'in difficulty'.
You should support the project with evidence that demonstrates its feasibility and impact on your business.
The project must have the potential to strengthen your company's competitiveness, expand into new segments and create jobs in Norway.
We also offer other funding options that may be relevant to companies investing in the green transition. Innovation loans can support the commercialisation of new solutions, strengthen working capital, and fund growth and international expansion. Other funding schemes are also available from Enova, the Research Council of Norway and EU programmes for radical innovation.