LIAA support for European Commission project application development: a practical boost for hydrogen projects
In 2026 LIAA has introduced a new support instrument that helps Latvian companies co-finance the preparation of European Commission programme project applications—an important lever for hydrogen and Power-to-X projects competing in centrally managed EU calls. Based on the last years’ lessons, this is a timely step to reduce the proposal-phase bottleneck and improve submission quality where it matters most.
NEWS
HydrogenLatvia
2/9/20262 min read
Why this matters now
Latvia’s Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) has launched a support instrument that helps Latvian companies cover the costs of preparing project applications for European Commission programmes that are centrally managed by the European Commission and/or its agencies. In practice, this is a way to de-risk the “proposal phase” that often blocks strong hydrogen and Power-to-X ideas from ever reaching evaluation.
The support is relevant for applications to programmes such as Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, the Innovation Fund, the European Defence Fund, the I3 Instrument and others. For hydrogen developers, this is important because many of the EU calls that can finance renewable hydrogen production, infrastructure, industrial decarbonisation, and enabling technologies sit exactly in these centrally managed programmes.
A reflection from the last years: the bottleneck is rarely the idea
Over the last years, a consistent pattern has emerged across energy-transition projects: the technical concept is often clear, but the application workload is underestimated. Competitive EU calls require:
A credible work programme and governance model
A strong international consortium and clear partner roles
Robust impact logic (KPIs, replication, market uptake)
Compliance with state aid, procurement, and eligibility rules
Financial planning that matches the call’s cost model and timelines
For hydrogen projects specifically, proposals also need to address real-world constraints: renewable electricity sourcing, grid connection and curtailment logic, permitting, offtake readiness, and bankability. The “proposal gap” becomes a strategic risk—especially when call windows are short.
What the LIAA support covers (in plain terms)
According to the programme information on business.gov.lv, the support is intended for project application development activities for centrally managed European Commission programmes, including eligible costs such as:
Project management and implementation personnel costs (with defined limits)
External services (including project management, accounting, technical and legal services)
Domestic and international travel related to project preparation
Insurance costs for staff travel
Key parameters highlighted on the page include:
Support intensity: 50%
Maximum support per company (per application and overall in the programme): up to EUR 10,000
Calls overview: an XLSX list of open European Commission calls is provided on the page (updated 19.01.2026)
Why hydrogen stakeholders should pay attention
For hydrogen and PtX projects, EUR 10,000 might not “write the whole proposal”—but it can materially improve quality and speed in the parts that typically decide outcomes:
Structuring the narrative and impact section to match evaluation criteria
Tightening the implementation plan (work packages, milestones, risk register)
Legal/financial checks that prevent ineligibility issues
Professional coordination of partner inputs under deadline pressure
In other words: it helps turn a technically sound concept into a submission that is coherent, compliant, and evaluator-friendly.
Practical next steps
If you are preparing a hydrogen-related EU proposal (production, infrastructure, industrial use cases, SAF/PtX pathways, enabling tech, digitalisation, or grid integration), consider:
Mapping your project to the relevant centrally managed EU call(s)
Identifying the “weakest link” in your proposal preparation (impact story, consortium, budget, compliance)
Using LIAA support to cover targeted expert work where it creates the biggest uplift
More information and application steps: Atbalsts Eiropas Komisijas projektu izstrādei
Recording of the information webinar: Tiešsaistes semināra ieraksts par atbalstu Eiropas Komisijas projektu zstrādei