SSEB Innovatie: Project experimentele ontwikkeling Grant

About this grant

SSEB Innovatie: Project experimentele ontwikkeling is a Dutch subsidy under the Subsidieregeling Schoon en Emissieloos Bouwmaterieel (SSEB), run by RVO for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. It funds the next stage after a feasibility study, moving an innovation toward commercial sale. The aim is to speed up the development and use of zero-emission construction machinery and the charging infrastructure for it. A project must be either a technical development (for example, building and testing a prototype zero-emission construction machine in conditions resembling real use) or a practical-experience project (demonstrating a zero-emission machine in a real working environment, together with the charging, grid, logistics, safety, training, insurance, contract and regulatory arrangements needed to make it work). Eligible costs include wages, depreciation of equipment and buildings, research and advisory costs, and general project costs such as materials. The maximum grant is EUR 1,500,000 per project. Large enterprises (more than 250 FTE) receive 25% of eligible costs and SMEs or micro-enterprises receive 35%. An extra 15 percentage points are available for knowledge sharing or for qualifying collaboration. Applications are scored against 10 criteria totalling 100 points, and a project must score at least 70 to receive funding. Applications are assessed in order of complete submission until the budget runs out. The page notes that the call is now closed. The stated period ran from 12 May 2026 09:00 to 30 October 2026 17:00, with a total budget of EUR 11,000,000, of which about EUR 41,214 remained as of 29 October 2026. A free project-idea check with an RVO adviser is available before applying.

Eligibility

Applicants must be established in the Netherlands and must have sufficient own funds or financing for the project. Eligible applicants are Dutch companies, collaborations of companies, and collaborations of companies with non-governmental organisations or publicly funded research organisations such as universities. In a collaboration, one partner must be appointed as lead applicant (penvoerder), and that lead must be a company. Every partner must demonstrate sufficient own resources, and large differences in financial or substantive contribution between partners can lead to rejection or a lower score. Each enterprise in the consortium must submit a 'not an undertaking in difficulty' declaration, a decision-tree form, a consolidated annual account no more than 18 months old, and an organisation chart. Costs must not have been incurred before the application is submitted. Projects must focus on zero-emission construction machinery powered by sources such as lead-free batteries, non-fossil hydrogen fuel cells, mono-fuel hydrogen combustion engines, or mains electricity via cable. Machine purchase is covered by a separate SSEB Aanschaf scheme and cannot be claimed under this one.

How it's scored

Applications are scored on 10 criteria. For technical-development projects, the maximum scores are: technical development 20, NOx reduction 10, follow-on potential 20, knowledge transfer 10, objective quality 10, results orientation 10, project management 5, budget and cost-effectiveness 5, and collaboration 10. For practical-experience projects, the score for practical experience is 20 instead of technical development, and collaboration is worth 15 points. Projects must reach at least 70 points. Applications are assessed in order of when they are complete, and funding is awarded while the budget lasts. If several applications qualify on the day the budget runs out, they are ranked. Decisions are issued within 13 weeks. The detailed rules are set out in the RVO assessment criteria handbook, which is downloadable from the page.

Key requirements

• ✓Project must involve experimental development of cleaner construction machinery or construction logistics
• ✓Projects must target reduction of nitrogen oxides, CO2 or fine particulate emissions
• ✓Applications accepted between 12 May 2026 and 30 October 2026

Frequently asked questions

How much funding does Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) offer?

SSEB Innovatie: Project experimentele ontwikkeling offers $1.6M.

Who can apply for SSEB Innovatie: Project experimentele ontwikkeling?

Eligibility covers organisations in NL; sme, large-company, startup, consortium, engineering-contractor. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Air quality funding covers monitoring networks, emission controls, clean transport zones and cleaner heating and cooking. Public authorities buy monitoring and abatement through tenders, while research and health programmes fund studies and pilots. Applicants are usually asked to set out baseline measurements and how improvements will be verified.