STUDI – industrial decarbonisation studies
Grants for companies and partners to assess industrial decarbonisation investments before a pilot, demonstration or mature-technology project in the Netherlands.
Ta możliwość jest obecnie dostępna po angielsku.
STUDI pays for studies that help you decide whether to invest in a pilot, demonstration or project using a fully developed technology. The follow-on project must reduce industrial CO₂ emissions in the Netherlands cost-effectively within ten years after the study ends. This is the programme previously called TSE Industrie studies.
A feasibility study prepares a pilot and examines its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, risks, resources and prospects. An environmental study prepares a demonstration or mature-technology investment that qualifies for environmental investment aid under the EU General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). A comparable study prepares such an investment where that GBER route does not apply; it uses the general de-minimis aid rules.
The study mainly consists of desk research: literature and market research, competition analysis, permit and legal checks, a business case, preliminary engineering and parts of Front End Engineering Design (FEED). Only work needed for the investment decision qualifies. The grant funds the study rather than construction of the follow-on project.
The general route covers industrial decarbonisation outside the hydrogen/green-chemistry and residual-stream gasification routes. Examples include energy efficiency, replacing virgin raw materials with recovered or recycled materials, CO₂ capture and electrification.
Across the whole STUDI programme, the objective also covers avoiding emissions from new factories with activities new to the Netherlands compared with a conventional reference investment meeting Dutch minimum environmental standards; atmospheric or biogenic CO₂ capture for horticulture, synthetic fuels or long-term/permanent storage; sustainable transport fuels; and production/import of renewable hydrogen carriers for industry and mobility. Hydrogen activities belong to the hydrogen and green chemistry route and its separate budget; gasification belongs to its own route.
The hydrogen and green chemistry route (GroenvermogenNL) covers large-scale hydrogen-carrier storage, conversion and import chains; renewable hydrogen as industrial fuel or feedstock in sectors with few decarbonisation alternatives, including synthetic fuels; renewable electricity in carbon-based electrochemical reactions and plasma technology; renewable hydrogen production by electrolysis and innovations enabling its faster deployment; and factories making electrolysers or their parts for producing renewable hydrogen. Import facilities must qualify as energy infrastructure under GBER Article 2(130)(c), or dedicated infrastructure under Article 2(33). For the energy-infrastructure category, check the physical energy equipment/facilities: these must be in the EU or connect the EU with a non-EU country and fit the hydrogen categories in the official GBER definitions. Dedicated infrastructure is designed for one previously identified user or a small group of previously identified users and tailored to their needs; identify those users and the needs the facility will serve. Electrolyser manufacture must offer an environmental benefit over conventional manufacture.
The gasification route studies turning wholly or partly biogenic residual streams into green gas, biofuels or circular industrial feedstock, including combinations such as methanol. It can cover pretreatment, torrefaction, gasification, cleaning and upgrading. Biogenic feedstock means organic material of biological origin, such as agricultural, food-production or forestry waste. It must belong to a feedstock category in Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive: part A mainly covers wastes and residues, while part B mainly covers waste fats such as used cooking oil. Check the exact listed category for your material; being organic does not by itself make a residual stream eligible. The NEa feedstock guide explains these categories. The intended commercial installation must have at least 5 MW nominal thermal input and at least 40% biogenic input measured by energy content.
All routes reimburse up to 50% of eligible costs for large companies and research organisations, 60% for medium-sized companies and 70% for small companies. Feasibility and environmental studies are capped at €4 million in the general and hydrogen routes, and €3 million in the gasification route. The same €4 million/€3 million limits apply to all studies for the same follow-on project within one opening period, including separate phases or process parts.
Comparable studies are limited to the remaining general de-minimis allowance, at most €300,000 per single undertaking over three years. Connected companies with majority voting control, board appointment rights or dominant influence, including indirect connections, count together. Count all de-minimis aid when it is awarded, even if not paid yet; the amount is not a fresh allowance for each STUDI application.
The three 2026–27 route budgets are separate: €28.3 million general, €10 million hydrogen/green chemistry and €7.5 million gasification. RVO reported the general budget oversubscribed with €0 remaining on 13 August 2026, but still accepts applications because refusals can release funds. On that same date it reported €4,617,521 (46%) remaining for hydrogen and €4,589,622 (61%) for gasification. These dated figures do not guarantee funding for a new application.
Eligibility
An enterprise can apply alone or with partners. At least one participating company must have a direct use for the results and intend to invest in the possible follow-on project. A partnership must be balanced in its costs and public/private financing. Municipalities and provinces may participate but cannot receive this grant.
Industrial activity means producing material goods through processing raw materials with substantial mechanisation and automation. The operative 2026 definition covers Dutch SBI categories B, C, D for energy distribution and gas production only, and E. RVO assesses the actual activity; an SBI code alone does not settle eligibility.
Foreign participants are allowed if all partners’ activities benefit the Dutch economy. A foreign company needs a permanent establishment or subsidiary in the Netherlands: a lasting business location with enough staff/equipment to operate independently and supply third parties, rather than a postal address. Research organisations can include universities, universities of applied sciences, Dutch applied-research institutes and equivalent foreign organisations; their involvement is optional.
Only participants acting for their own account and risk can receive subsidy. Hired contractors are third parties rather than partners. A group company applying for another legal entity acts as an authorised intermediary; each participating legal entity applies in its own capacity.
No more than 50% of eligible study costs may be testing, including preparation of test plans and purchase of test materials. Tests must answer questions needed for the investment decision; product/process/service development or improvement is industrial research or experimental development and is excluded.
For a mature-technology environmental or comparable study, only costs incurred by enterprises outside the applicant’s corporate group and partnership qualify, and the requested grant must be at least €25,000. For other studies, grant covering costs of a connected company with a Dutch permanent establishment is capped at €25,000 unless that company participates as an applicant. The €25,000 group-cost cap does not apply to connected companies without a Dutch permanent establishment, because they cannot join the subsidy application. The absolute exclusion of group-internal costs for mature-technology studies still applies.
Budget only reasonable costs directly linked to the study and justify them with quotations where relevant. The common rules offer integral cost accounting, wages plus a fixed overhead supplement, or a fixed hourly-rate method. The energy-innovation fixed rate is €80 per hour. You cannot finance your own contribution using the excess of that standard rate over actual costs, or rely solely on own wage hours valued at that rate.
Apply before starting work or entering binding commitments, even if invoices are unpaid. Start within six months after the grant decision. A study lasts at most one year for grants up to and including €1 million, or two years above €1 million.
RVO rejects a study with inadequate method, risk management, feasibility, participating expertise or efficient use of funds. Explain the next steps for a successful follow-on project. Pilot and demonstration technologies must be sufficiently innovative; a mature-technology investment must have a payback period longer than five years. Prior grant for implementation of the follow-on project excludes STUDI, except SDE++.
The general route excludes onshore geological CO₂ storage and capture from fossil-fuel electricity or combined electricity/heat production, with an exception for waste incineration and waste-to-energy plants. Across all STUDI routes, studies of environmental-protection or energy-efficiency investments in fossil-fuel equipment, including gas-fired equipment, are excluded. Upgrades improving existing equipment’s environmental protection can qualify if they increase neither production capacity nor fossil-fuel use.
For hydrogen, the rules can also admit non-renewable hydrogen produced using renewable electricity where lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions fall at least 70% against a fossil reference of 94 g CO₂-equivalent/MJ. The end-use and production subroutes retain their renewable-hydrogen requirements.
Gasification excludes projects using syngas directly for heat or electricity, primarily producing hydrogen, or primarily producing recycled carbon fuels or biochar. “Primarily” means at least half of feedstock by mass balance or energy content serves one or more of those uses. These excluded gasification projects cannot be moved into the general route.
GBER applicants must demonstrate that they are not an undertaking in difficulty using RVO’s digital decision tree and signed declaration. The test checks the company’s financial situation and normally the highest controlling company in its connected group; cash in the bank alone does not settle it. SMEs less than three years old at the expected grant-award date receive a limited check for actual or threatened insolvency and ongoing rescue or restructuring aid. Age is measured from registration with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK); if the SME belongs to a connected group, every enterprise in that group must be less than three years old at award. Sole proprietorships, foundations, professional partnerships (maatschappen), associations and cooperatives also receive that limited check. A company that is in difficulty can instead request de-minimis support for feasibility/environmental studies, capped at its remaining €300,000 allowance over three years, with the decision tree and de-minimis declaration. All other study conditions remain.
General de-minimis rules have specific exclusions for primary agricultural and fishery production, some processing/marketing of agricultural products, export-linked support, support conditional on domestic goods and compensation for services of general economic interest. Declare other aid for the same eligible costs and any further awards before RVO’s decision. Combined aid cannot exceed the applicable maximum rate or amount; other project grants can reduce STUDI even at final settlement.
Show that each partner can finance its own share and costs the grant does not cover. RVO can reject unrealistic financing, insufficient delivery capacity, technical/economic feasibility, insufficient added effect of the grant or excessive adverse economic, environmental or social effects in the Netherlands.
If a research organisation participates, sign a cooperation agreement before the study starts. It must cover cost contributions, risks/results, dissemination and intellectual property. Avoid indirect aid to companies: participants can cover all costs themselves; the research organisation can retain rights to its work or receive a market price for them; or rights can be allocated in proportion to activities, contributions and interests.
Use RVO’s SME declaration to establish company size. A small company has fewer than 50 full-time-equivalent staff and annual turnover or balance-sheet total no higher than €10 million. An SME has fewer than 250 staff and annual turnover no higher than €50 million or balance-sheet total no higher than €43 million. Ownership and links to other enterprises also affect the assessment; use the declaration’s company and group questions rather than only your own headcount.
How to apply
- Status
- zamyka się 31 mar 2027
- Otwiera się
- Zamyka się
- Warunki naboru
- Residual-stream gasification route only. Separate €7.5m budget; €4,589,622 (61%) remaining reported on 13 August 2026. This dated observation is no funding guarantee. Applications assessed in order of receipt.
Use RVO’s STUDI application page to select the general, hydrogen/green chemistry or gasification form. You can first submit the voluntary project-idea form for adviser feedback. Apply online with eHerkenning level 3 and authorisation for RVO services at eH3; obtaining or upgrading access can take about two weeks. The opening runs from 18 May 2026 at 09:00 to 31 March 2027 at 17:00 Netherlands local time, subject to the separate budgets described above.
A partnership appoints one participating lead applicant. Each partner signs its own registration/authorisation form; foreign partners use the English version. An intermediary uses its own eHerkenning and includes the lead’s and partners’ signed authorisations. Submit the current STUDI project-plan and budget models, an SME declaration for a small/medium rate, the required financial-difficulty decision tree/declaration and de-minimis declaration where applicable.
The project plan is limited to 20 pages excluding annexes. Describe participants and essential contractors making an important contribution or accounting for more than 10% of total project costs, the problem and study questions, work packages/methods/timing, risks, technology and international novelty, the follow-on investment and implementation steps, market prospects and knowledge/IP arrangements. Quantify expected Dutch industrial CO₂ reduction, costs or costs per tonne, deployment scale and assumptions. Its public summary is published by RVO and Energy Innovation NL if funded.
For own funds, provide recent annual figures and a signed, project-specific guarantee if relying on a connected company’s figures. For new debt or equity, provide the signed final financing agreement and show the financier’s resources, except for banks and investment companies. For other financing, send an agreement/official commitment or existing documents and a timetable to reach a final agreement. Include decisions for other public grants or copies of pending applications.
RVO assesses applications in order of receipt. Once complete, the normal decision period is eight weeks, extendable once by eight weeks. The award letter specifies your obligations and payment schedule. Advances are normally automatic during the project, with the schedule based on the budget and each participant’s award; payment can be suspended and the award amended or withdrawn if obligations are breached.
Carry out the approved plan. For studies lasting more than twelve months, submit an annual progress report on the award-letter dates. Report important changes immediately and obtain prior consent where required, including a delay or end-date change. On actual-cost awards this includes material budget changes: cost lines more than 25% from budget or total annual/milestone costs changing by 25%. Without required consent, changed work or the whole study can lose funding.
Apply for final settlement within thirteen weeks of the approved planned end date, using the final-report format. For awards from €25,000 to below €125,000, submit the management declaration and settlement form for actual costs and revenues; at €125,000 and above, supply an auditor’s statement. RVO normally settles within thirteen weeks, extendable once by thirteen weeks, and reconciles overpaid or underpaid advances. Failing to request settlement can lead to repayment.
Keep the required activity, hours, machine-use and cost records for five years after the final decision; retain proof of delivery even where full cost administration is not required. Use results as intended for five years and cooperate with programme evaluation. Explain planned knowledge sharing and any IP ownership, remuneration or licensing arrangements. De-minimis awards are entered in a public EU register; unlawful aid may be recovered up to ten years after award, including interest where declarations breach the ceiling or cumulation rules.