EBRD now offering “mega” Green Innovation Vouchers of up to EUR 50,000

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has moved into a new phase of the Green Innovation Vouchers scheme in Serbia to target projects with larger resource-efficiency impact, increasing the value of the vouchers to up to EUR 50,000, according to a news release from the EBRD. A new call for applications for “mega” vouchers is now open.

After the first 3 calls and out of 108 applications received, the EBRD has approved 29 projects for the development and implementation of green technologies and improvement of resource efficiency in Serbia, awarding Green Innovation Vouchers worth a total of EUR 435,000, according to the scheme’s website.

The successful projects come from sectors such as precision agriculture, energy and materials efficiency, waste management, renewables and eco-friendly products.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) interested in the new “mega” vouchers should submit the application form in cooperation with their selected research and development (R&D) service providers to inovacionivauceri@ebrd.rs.

The Green Voucher Scheme was introduced a year ago in Serbia to promote green technologies and resource efficiency as core elements of the country’s transition to the green economy. The EBRD-led initiative is funded by Austria’s DRIVE (Delivering Resource Efficiency Investments) Programme and supported by Italy through the Central European Initiative (CEI).

Projects approved in the third round

Project: Development of technology for production of flour from apple pomace

SME: Desing d.o.o. Belgrade

R&D service provider: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade

Goal: Utilize 5 000 tonnes of waste apple pomace in 2019

Project: Development and testing of an advanced system for material tracking and waste reduction in printing industry

SME: Grafostil d.o.o. Kragujevac

R&D service provider: Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac

Goal: Reduce waste paper by 3%

Project: Development and testing of a solar-wind hybrid power system for irrigation

SME: Green Day d.o.o. Belgrade

R&D service provider: School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade

Goal: Reduce consumption of grid-supplied electricity to zero

Project: Development and testing of an industrial pump with improved efficiency for abrasive, aggressive and viscous media

SME: NIP INOX d.o.o. Donja Mutnica

R&D service provider: Institute for Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade

Goal: Improve energy efficiency by 20%

Project: Development of technology for production of mortar from slag of heating plants

SME: SABA BELČA d.o.o. Preševo

R&D service provider: Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, University of Belgrade

Goal: Utilize 500 tonnes of slag in 2020

Project: Development and testing of an ultracapacitor system for energy storage

SME: Stevanović trafo d.o.o. Niš

R&D service provider: Innovation centre of advanced technologies CNT d.o.o. Niš

Goal: 100 installations by the end of 2020

Project: Development and testing of a software for design and optimization of plate heat exchangers

SME: TRACO d.o.o. Belgrade

R&D service providers: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade

Goal: Improve material efficiency by 30%

Project: Development of technology for production of pellets and briquettes from raspberry and blackberry pruned material

SME: Zlatibor Gradnja-Kop d.o.o. Užice

R&D service providers: Faculty of Technical Sciences Čačak, University of Kragujevac

Goal: Utilize 25 000 tonnes of pruned material in 2021