Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)
IPCEI stands for ‘Important Project of Common European Interest’.
An IPCEI is a European project in a key strategic value chain that consists of several company projects from various EU Member States. An IPCEI contributes to strategic European goals such as growth, employment and competitiveness of the European Union industry and economy and is funded by state aid.
IPCEIs make it possible to bring together knowledge, expertise, financial resources and economic actors throughout the Union, so as to overcome important market or systemic failures and societal challenges which could not otherwise be addressed.
FBK's IPCEI PROJECTS
IPCEI Hy2Tech pursues numerous joint objectives which consider different aspects of the hydrogen value chain such as the scaling up of production capacity for electrolysers, fuel cells, key enabling technologies and critical components, as well as the improvement of hydrogen storing capacity in underground porous structures, to arrive to the establishment of a large-scale First Industrial Deployment of innovative hydrogen technologies in order to capitalize on the RDI efforts made in these fields and unlock vast decarbonisation potential.
The Center for Sustainable Energy at FBK is setting-up a large-scale testing facility for R&D&I of hydrogen technologies that will support research, development and innovation activities of European stakeholders and fostering real-life testing in relevant conditions and reducing costs. Thus, FBK will support the enabling and speeding-up of the large-scale deployment of hydrogen technologies for enterprises.
At the time the project was approved by the European Commission, it involved 41 projects from 35 companies. These projects were submitted by 15 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.
Fondazione Bruno Kessler – through its Center for Sustainable Energy – is involved in the Hy2Tech project as Associated Partner.
ORION: Open R&D&I facility on nOvel hydrogeN technology
With the ORION project, the Center for Sustainable Energy at FBK proposes the creation of a multi-scale development, testing and validation infrastructure for R&D&I activities for hydrogen technologies that will provide support with research, development and innovation activities to European companies, promote the development of components/systems for the H2 sector, carry out tests in real conditions aimed at reducing direct and indirect costs, enable and accelerate the large-scale deployment of hydrogen technologies and activate the strategic European supply chain.
For more information about the project, visit the dedicated page on Center for Sustainable Energy website.
This project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy in the framework of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) Hydrogen Technology [IPCEI Hy2Tech – CUP: B63C23000690009]. The IPCEI Hydrogen Technology is also funded by public authorities from Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.
Scientific contact
Center for Sustainable Energy
Luigi Crema
Director Center for Sustainable Energy
[email protected]
Center for Sustainable Energy
Matteo Testi
Head of Unit Hydrogen technologies & Resilient Energy Systems
[email protected]
The IPCEI ME/CT, notified by the European Commission in 2023, concerns research and development projects covering microelectronics and communication technologies along the entire value chain, from materials and tools to chip design and production processes. It follows and integrates the IPCEI ME, which had already included FBK among the partners. IPCEI ME/CT aims to enable digital and green transformation through: (i) microelectronics and communication solutions and (ii) energy-efficient and resource-saving electronics.
In IPCEI ME/CT, FBK will have the opportunity to expand its technologies, adding new lines dedicated to silicon and germanium carbide to the long-standing one, and a renewed focus on diamond-based trials. To develop its activities, it plans to build new laboratories, including a cleanroom completely dedicated to silicon carbide. Within the 5-year duration of the project, some demonstrators are planned to be built starting from sensors based on the new materials mentioned (SiC, Ge, diamond).
Possible applications
The technology developed in IPCEI ME/CT will make it possible to propose high-performance devices for electric mobility, for medical diagnostics, and for the communications sector, with particular emphasis on the satellite and nanosatellite segment, and will promote the strengthening of historical collaborations with CERN, INFN, ESA, and ASI in the field of space and high-energy physics. Not least, thanks in particular to developments in SiC and diamond, sensors and components for systems that exploit quantum phenomena for applications in cybersecurity and high-performance computing will be perfected.
IPCEI ME/CT – Key figures
o IPCEI ME/CT budget €8.1 billion
o 14 EU countries, 100 direct, indirect, and associated partners
o IPCEI ME/CNT@FBK €57.9 billion
o Duration: April 2024 – March 2029
Scientific contact
Centre for Sensors & Devices
Richard Hall-Willton
Director Centre for Sensors & Devices
[email protected]
IPCEI on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI CIS) is a major European initiative, approved by the European Commission in December 2023, to support research, development, and initial industrial deployment of advanced cloud and edge computing technologies.
The project aims to create a federated, interoperable, secure and energy-efficient European data processing ecosystem—the multi-provider cloud-edge continuum—enabling seamless integration between cloud and edge infrastructures.
For further information, please visit the FBK website dedicated to the IPCEI-CIS 8RA: CAITE project.
Scientific contact
Center for Cybersecurity
Silvio Ranise
Director Center for Cybersecurity
[email protected]
IPCEI on Batteries is a major European initiative approved by the European Commission in 2019 to support research, innovation, and the first industrial deployment across the entire battery value chain.
The project brings together several EU Member States, companies, and research organisations to develop a competitive, sustainable, and fully integrated European battery ecosystem that covers all key stages, from raw materials to recycling.
The FBK IPCEI Batteries Project aims to develop, test and optimise innovative solutions for flow batteries, focusing primarily on testing new electrolytes (non-toxic, with high redox potential, low cost and sustainable) and developing cutting-edge solutions for cells and stacks. The proposed activities will combine laboratory experiments at different scales (from materials to systems) with advanced multiphysics-multiscale models. The ultimate goal is to propose new flow storage systems that meet the cost and energy density targets set for stationary storage while increasing safety and environmental sustainability.
For more information about the project, visit the dedicated page on Center for Sustainable Energy website.
Scientific contact
Center for Sustainable Energy
Edoardo Macchi
Head of Unit
Battery and Electrification Unit
[email protected]
IPCEI on Microelectronics is a major European industrial initiative aimed at strengthening the European Union’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness in the field of microelectronics.
It was first approved by the European Commission in 2018 and brings together multiple European countries, companies, and research organizations to collaborate across the entire microelectronics value chain.
The IPCEI ME project ended on 30 June 2025
