Deadline: 11-Nov-22
The Ministry of the Environment Finland is seeking applications for the Low-carbon Built Environment Programme.
Objectives
- The Low-carbon Built Environment Programme contributes to the implementation of the Finnish Sustainable Growth Programme, which is part of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). RRF funding is intended to support economic recovery after a pandemic while at the same time stimulating the structural renewal of society and the green transition. The objective of the actions supported is to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to find and implement low-carbon solutions in the built environment.
- Buildings, construction products and construction comprise an exceptionally important sector when considering how to solve issues related to combating climate change and low carbon activities. Construction and buildings produce about one third of Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions. In order for Finland to achieve its national and international climate targets, emissions from the construction sector must also be reduced.
- The Low-carbon Built Environment aid scheme mainly consists of a research, development and innovation programme aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of lowcarbon solutions (such as operating models, products, materials) in the built environment. The scheme promotes climate change mitigation and adaptation, focusing on research and innovation activities, technology transfer and cooperation between research, business life and municipalities.
- The scope of application of the Low-carbon Built Environment Programme aid scheme comprises the built environment and construction, including planning, zoning, permit processes, construction, the design and manufacture of construction products, built heritage, building engineering, real estate management, real estate business and property management, links to infrastructure and energy efficiency, and service providers. The operators behind the projects need not operate in these industries, but the results of the projects must be related to actions in the built environment and construction that promote a low-carbon approach and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- The objective of the aim scheme is to accelerate the introduction of technologies, services and operating models that mitigate climate change and support a low-carbon approach in the construction sector, a change in approaches and an increase in productivity. Projects may be related to, for example, energy efficiency, climate and environmental solutions, new energy solutions or a low-carbon built environment and related digital solutions. The programme supports the acquisition of a knowledge base and evaluation tools supporting climate-friendly and low-carbon solutions in the built environment, including the possibility of investment support under the programme. The aid scheme can support the development of expertise related in the sector with e.g. education and training.
- The Low-carbon Built Environment Programme is implemented jointly by the Ministry of the Environment and Business Finland. Financial aid through the instruments of Business Finland is mainly targeted to companies seeking international growth and research organisations that support their development.
- Under the support programme of the Ministry of the Environment funding is also granted to national actors and projects that may not necessarily involve any export potential.
- Support for the projects is provided in the framework of the Low-carbon Built Environment aid scheme as a discretionary government grant from the Ministry of the Environment.
Funding Information
- The maximum amount of discretionary government transfers granted by the Ministry of the Environment within the project is EUR 6 million. The final size of the aid scheme will be determined on the basis of the state’s annual budgets and Ministry of the Environment policies
- Eligible costs may be incurred until the end of 2024, but payments and reporting can be carried out until 30 June 2025.
Grounds for the aid scheme and general conditions concerning the beneficiaries
- The aid scheme is based on the following supported sectors of the Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland:
- 022, Research and innovation processes, technology transfer between enterprises and cooperation focusing on the low-carbon economy and on the ability to cope with and adapt to climate change.
- 027, Support for enterprises providing services to promote a low-carbon economy and resilience to climate change, including information provision activities
Beneficiaries
- Aid may be granted to an operator who has a business ID, whose obligations, such as taxes and payments, have been properly paid and who carries out a project under the Low-carbon Built Environment aid scheme.
- A joint project with multiple actors must have one applicant to whom the Ministry of the Environment will direct the aid decision. The beneficiary is responsible for the project on behalf of all parties to the consortium and ensures that the members of the consortium have agreed on the implementation of the project in a sufficient manner. The composition, responsibilities and share of funding of the consortium must be described in the application.
Requirements
- All projects selected for the programme must meet the following basic requirements:
- The project is particularly important from the perspective of the objectives and entirety of the Low-carbon Built Environment Programme.
- The implementation of the project requires funding from the Low-carbon Built Environment Programme.
- This is mainly a RDI project (research, development, innovation).
- The selection and eligibility conditions of the Do No Significant Harm principle according to the technical guideline 2021/C58/01 are met.
- State aid rules are met.
- Projects that promote the use of fossil fuels are not eligible. Projects covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) must have estimated greenhouse gas emissions below the benchmark defined as the free allocation condition in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/447. Activities related to waste landfills, incinerators and mechanical biological treatment plants and activities where the long-term disposal of waste may cause harm to the environment will not be financed.
- The key content of the project is not the sale of a product or service.
- The project complies with good practices and applicable legislation.
For more information, visit https://ym.fi/en/application-notice-low-carbon-built-environment-programme
