Intelligent Energy – Europe (IEE) offers a helping hand to organisations willing to improve energy sustainability. Launched in 2003 by the European Commission, the programme is part of a broad push to create an energy-intelligent future for us all. It supports EU energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, with a view to reaching the EU 2020 targets (20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, 20% improvement in energy efficiency and 20% of renewables in EU energy consumption).

Intelligent Energy – Europe creates better conditions for a more sustainable energy future in areas as varied as renewable energy, energy-efficient buildings, industry, consumer products and transport.

The expectation is that by doing this, Europe will also boost its competitiveness, security of energy supply, and innovation standing for the years to come.

Running until 2013, the programme is open to all EU Member States, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A budget of € 730 million is available to fund projects and put into place a range of European portals, facilities and initiatives.

IEE project funding

A large part of the programme budget is made available through annual calls for proposals to support projects putting the concept of 'intelligent energy' in practice. Carried out by public, private or non-governmental European organisations, they support three main objectives - more energy efficiency, more renewables, and better transport and mobility. This covers for instance new training schemes, promotion campaigns, or the transfer of good practices between EU countries.

The 'Funding areas' section explains which types of actions are eligible for funding.

To find out how to apply please refer to the 'Getting funds' section of this website.

The 'In action' section shows how IEE is making real changes to our daily lives.

IEE portals, financing facilities and special initiatives

In addition to funding projects which are selected through calls for proposals, the IEE programme includes a wide range of additional mechanisms to convert EU policy objectives into action and trigger tangible results on the ground. These can be grouped into European portals, the ELENA financing facilities andspecial initiatives.

Who runs the programme?

Most parts of the IEE programme are run by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation(EACI) on behalf of the European Commission. The ELENA financing facilities are run by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the KfW Group.

The programme is a pillar of the EU's Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP).

Check out the Intelligent Energy – Europe at a glance [240 KB] [240 KB] document for more information.