NIKI (National Investment Programme for Climate Projects Industry)

Grant programme NIKI (National Investment Programme for Climate Projects Industry) supports CO₂-reducing technologies that are currently not eligible for existing grant programs in the Netherlands. The projects must contribute to reducing CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions in industry. If the grant is accepted (as approval is still needed from the European Commission), the grant will be published in the second half of 2023. The first opening for applications will follow in the last quarter of 2023 with an expected budget of € 242 million.

Which projects are eligible for NIKI grant?

To make the Netherlands climate-neutral, more types of CO₂-reducing technologies are needed in the industry. Therefore, the NIKI grant programme supports technologies that are proven at demonstration scale but not yet commercially implemented. Your project is eligible when it is currently not profitable enough due to the fossil alternative being more profitable. NIKI grant can be applied for investment support, exploitation support, or both. A project must meet these five requirements:

• The project must ensure a significant CO₂ reduction within its 10-year exploitation period;
• The project is not profitable enough compared to the fossil alternatives. In other words, fossil alternatives are more commercially viable;
• The project must fit within the annual themes. The themes are reviewed each year and possibly adjusted, broadened or removed. In 2023, the themes are likely to be:
  • Large-scale process efficiencies and improvements
  • Renewable chemical production
  • Electrification
  • Synthetic fuel production and (advanced) bio-refinery
  • Hydrogen (involves production of hydrogen using techniques other than electrolysis and non-energy applications of hydrogen)
• The project does not focus on infrastructure;
• The project is not aimed at producing green gas or other renewable energy. For that, the SDE++ grant is available.

Applying for NIKI grant

Applying for NIKI grant is expected to be possible in the last three months of 2023. It will be a ‘tender regulation’, in which all applications will be assessed based on ‘grant intensity’. In other words, projects must reduce CO₂ as much as possible compared to the amount of grant applied for. This year, a budget of € 242 million is available.

NIKI grant is the national Innovation Fund in the Netherlands

The grant is also seen as the national version of the European Innovation Fund. Due to high European interest, the success rate of the Innovation Fund is relatively low. NIKI therefore offers opportunities and national support to Dutch industrial companies with high sustainability ambitions.

Support from Hezelburcht

Do you have a project focused on CO₂ reduction in industry and are you interested in finding out more about the NIKI grant? Our specialists will be happy to assist you. Contact us for more information or a no-obligation consultation via info@hezelburcht.com or 088 495 20 00