AERNNOVA
ANN
Aernnova is a Leading Aerostructures Tier -1 Company focused on the Design and Manufacturing of Major Aerostructures .
ID: 17089279239-16
Lobbying Activity
Response to Evaluation on the operation of the Innovation Fund - 2025
8 Jul 2025
- Dedicated aviation funding stream: Establish a dedicated funding stream and introduce "bonus points" for aviation projects, similar to mechanisms for the maritime sector. - Shift in emphasis: Prioritise scalability, lifecycle GHG savings, and strategic alignment with ReFuelEU over short-term cost-efficiency, recognising aviation's unique role and limited alternatives. - Technology adaptation: Introduce flexibility in eligibility criteria for net-zero emission aviation technology solutions. The application and award processes must explicitly recognise that significant GHG reductions occur at the fleet level over long timescales, which is incompatible with the current focus on short-term, single-project evaluations. This targeted support is essential for advancing innovative technologies like new aircraft configurations (SAF, hydrogen, batteries, hybrid solutions) and rotorcraft technologies. - Sustainable Aviation Fuels & hydrogen: Create a dedicated SAF funding window with preferential scoring for projects producing SAF at or near conventional kerosene prices, and for those scaling up advanced SAF and e-SAF. - Dedicated calls: Establish two dedicated calls for aviation covering SAF (bio-SAF, advanced SAF, and e- SAF) and net-zero infrastructure (e.g., electric charging or hydrogen refueling with technologies above TRL7). - Support for pre-FID projects: Establish dedicated criteria to support SAF projects that haven't reached FID. - Cross-sectoral evaluation: Ensure alignment on cross-sectoral evaluation, especially for fuel projects. - Hybrid funding solutions: Provide clarity and flexibility for hybrid funding solutions, as current rules prevent combining Innovation Fund and Hydrogen Bank support for hydrogen-based SAF. 1 - Technologies: - In addition to Degree of innovation, any change driver with high potential of GHG avoidance in the range of TRL5-TRL6 maturity has to be considered, as for instance, key enabling components or disruptive technologies, like new engines, revolutionary product structures or systems, and low emission aircraft products. - Support the technologies would support the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors, - Support the technologies also contributing to improve aircraft performance via the incremental development with a direct and early impact at fleet level. These technologies may help impact the fleet now, while new efficient aircraft will not start joining the fleet in the coming decade. - Commercial aircraft usually face a longer development cycle than the project cycles expected in Innovation Fund projects. The financial and societal impacts at EEA level, expected from the new market under focus, could be one of these additional criteria. As an example, Aviation is today delivering 35% of global trade carried by air while the sector is not enough benefiting from the Fund yet (as manufacturers or operators, 2023-24 call results). - Integrate in the criteria whether the project is part of a sector that benefits from free allocation of EU ETS allowances (EUAs): For example, sectors like steel will continue receiving EUA free of charge up to 2034. Aviation stops receiving free allowances from 2026. 2 - SAF: The Innovation Fund should support net-zero technologies identified in the Net Zero Industrial Act (NZIA) including bi-SAF, advanced SAF and e-SAF. Thus we recommend the adaptation of maturity level criteria and a preferential scoring (bonus points) for aviation projects having a strategic impact for fulfilling RefuelEU.
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