What It Takes To Get Public Funding For FOAK In The EU

Public funding is meant to accelerate FOAK projects. In Europe, it often slows them down. 

The Financial Times recently ran an article on the EU funding process for climate scaleups. Here is what you can expect if you plan to get public funds for your FOAK: 

- 3000 hours of paperwork.

- Around €85,000 cost per application

- 20% chance of success and 

- 6% chance of actually getting any money 

For FOAK projects, this is an existential issue. 

When you’re building the first commercial plant, your schedule is your financing. 

Your suppliers lock in prices for 60–90 days. 

Your EPC window keeps closing. 

Your team burns payroll while waiting for a letter from Brussels. 

And the moment your budget moves… you’re back to square one in the eligibility checklist. 

This is why so many European hardware founders quietly do the thing that Vianode did: raise private capital first, start building, and treat grants as a maybe-later bonus.

It shouldn’t be this way. Europe needs more FOAK factories — not more abandoned applications. But until funding matches FOAK reality (speed, clarity, and decision-making within the lifetime of a CAPEX quote), founders will keep choosing survival over subsidies. 

If you’re a climate-tech founder navigating this maze — or deciding whether public money fits into your FOAK timeline — I'd be happy to compare notes!