9. Investment Concept

9.1 What is an Investment Concept (IC)?

An investment concept is a document which translates an investment project idea into financial language in order to mobilise financing for its realisation. It aims to bridge the process path between the project idea and the business/financing plan.

The purpose of an investment concept is to provide investors and financial institutions with the preliminary information necessary to assess an investment project in a simple and fast manner. It converts climate and energy plans or part of its measures into sound investment packages and thus, facilitates the access to funding for municipalities/local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities.

So far, many municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities and local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities have developed ambitious climate and energy action plans but had difficulties to access appropriate funding. In turn, financial institutions are more and more interested in financing sustainable energy projects but have problems in finding investment projects that fulfil their requirements in terms of maturity. This document shall help in bridging this gap. 

9.2 Who can develop an investment concept?

The investment concepts are developed by the beneficiary municipalities/local authorities, groupings of municipalities/local authorities or local public entities aggregating municipalities/local authorities either completely in-house if enough internal capacities are available or they can engage external experts for support. Country Experts assist beneficiaries in their respective countries in this process, but cannot be sub-contracted to develop investment concepts, as well as EUCF National Hubs.

9.3 What is the timeline for of the investment concept?

EUCF beneficiaries have up to twelve months to develop their investment concept as from the date of the Grant Agreement signature.

 

 

9.4 What encompasses the final investment concept?

The final investment concept encompasses:

  • The investment concept template;
  • The financial modelling;
  • The investors’ deck;
  • And the letter of support to the implementation of the proposed investment project by the Mayor or other relevant political representative.

The investment concept template can be developed by EUCF beneficiaries in national language and will be available for download in different languages in the EUCF website.

9.5 Which support activities are provided to beneficiaries during the development of the investment concept?

The EUCF provides different means of support for beneficiaries both throughout the development of the investment concept and after they have been developed and validated. Support to beneficiaries for the development of the investment concept includes:

  • Financial support is provided in the form of a EUR 60,000 grant for activities necessary for the development of the investment concept, such as feasibility studies, engineering analyses, legal analyses, social studies, market studies, financial analyses, etc.
  • Communities of practice and expert training will be provided to EUCF beneficiaries from the 5th call, during the development of the investment concepts. The objective of these activities will be to provide the necessary assistance to improve the value chain for a robust financial model, comply with the regulatory framework, align project strategy with its implementation, develop and analyse financial viability, and calculate the environmental and social impact.
  • Technical support is provided by the EUCF team, which can be contacted for any sort of queries regarding the investment concept through the EUCF Helpdesk. Moreover, the respective Country Experts, who are assigned for each EU-27 Member State, Iceland and Ukraine, provide beneficiaries with locally-rooted technical and financial expertise.
  • Capacity building opportunities are provided through regional events organised by the EUCF on the topic.

Standard tools and documents, such as available in the knowledge hub on the EUCF website as well as the investment concept template, are provided to facilitate the development of the investment concept.

9.6 Where can I find the investment concept template?

The investment concept template will be available for download in different languages in the EUCF website.

9.7 Can the investment concept be developed in the national language?

Yes. EUCF beneficiaries can develop their investment concepts in national language, if preferred. The investment concept template will be made available in the EUCF website in all languages of eligible countries. EUCF beneficiaries must fill in English a summary of the investment concept in the EUCF website user zone.

9.8 Can the investment project described in the investment concept differ from that described in the application form?

The investment concept must be developed by EUCF beneficiaries for the same project as described in the application form. Overall the information provided in the investment concept should be consistent and in line with that provided in the EUCF application. Deviations and alterations to the overall rationale of the planned investment project will be verified in the validation of the investment concept.

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9.9 Must beneficiaries implement the investment concept developed within the EUCF?

EUCF beneficiaries are highly encouraged to seek funding from investors and financial institutions and implement their investment concepts. Beneficiaries are able to share their experiences and hurdles by participating in matchmaking events, expert trainings, and other capacity building events that are organised by the EUCF. They can further benefit from the EUCF Helpdesk to address the EUCF team in case of questions regarding the implementation of the investment concept, the procedures for monitoring and reporting and the potential aggregation/joint procurement of projects.

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9.10 Where can I find more information about the investment concepts being developed by EUCF beneficiaries?

The beneficiaries selected for EUCF support in previous calls are listed per country in the EUCF website, including a description of their investment projects. Moreover, the projects of the beneficiaries from Cascais, Girona and Leeuwarden are described more in detail in the Beneficiaries’ stories section.

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