EIB Group confirms support for EUR 2.4 billion energy resilience and deep tech innovation at Hannover Messe

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• Five new EIB and EIF operations backed by InvestEU supporting energy security, technology transfer and industrial innovation across Europe.
• Five transactions with Commerzbank, akf bank, Turbine Capital, Atlantic Bridge and Obloo to mobilise investment in grids, robotics, and deep tech companies.
• EIB Group financing helping to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty amid heightened geopolitical and energy security challenges.

Hannover, 20 April 2026 – The EIB Group today confirmed more than EUR 2.4 billion of new financing for energy resilience and cutting-edge innovation, announced at Hannover Messe as part of Europe’s response to rising geopolitical tensions, energy security concerns and global competition in strategic technologies.

All new operations signed at the EU stand are backed by the InvestEU programme and reflect the Group’s strengthened support for innovation, technology transfer and energy resilience across the European economy.

EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer said: “Hannover Messe is where Europe comes to reimagine its industrial future – and today we are putting real firepower behind that ambition. With more than EUR 2.4 billion being unlocked for investment in power grids, robotics and deep tech, backed by InvestEU, the EIB Group is helping Europe to turn pressure into progress: financing the energy security, semiconductors, AI and space technologies that underpin our competitiveness and strategic autonomy. In an age of geopolitical uncertainty and energy shocks, investing in innovation and resilient infrastructure is not a luxury, it is pure economic security policy.”

Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné said: “Europe’s prosperity and security depend on our ability to innovate and to produce critical technologies and clean energy here at home. This new wave of InvestEU-backed EIB Group financing shows how EU policy and the EU budget can work hand in hand with public and private partners to turn our industrial strategy into concrete projects – from resilient power grids to deep tech made in Europe. By backing energy resilience and cutting-edge innovation across the Union, we are strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty, lowering energy risks for our companies and households, and keeping high-value jobs and know-how in Europe.”

Commerzbank – powering Europe’s grids

Under a new cooperation with Commerzbank, the EIB will provide a EUR 250 million guarantee enabling the bank to support up to EUR 2 billion of investment in electricity grids in Germany and other EU member states. The operation is designed to strengthen supply chains for cables, transformers and grid components, and to accelerate the digitalisation and modernisation of Europe’s networks – a precondition for electrifying industry, rolling out heat pumps and deploying e‑mobility at scale.

By sharing risk under InvestEU, the EIB Group helps to mobilise additional private capital into grid projects that are vital for energy security, lower costs for energy-intensive businesses and improve system reliability for households and companies.

akf bank – robotics and AI for the Mittelstand

Through the European Investment Fund (EIF), the EIB Group and akf bank are launching an InvestEU Innovation and Digitalisation guarantee of up to EUR 100 million, expected to support around EUR 143 million in new loans and leases for more than 140 SMEs and small mid-caps investing in robotics, automation and AI-based digital solutions in Germany.

The cooperation will be channelled primarily via akf robotikfinanz, a specialised platform that finances industrial robots, automation systems and smart production technologies, offering a range of products from classic leasing and loans to Robotics-as-a-Service subscription models. By de-risking these portfolios, the EIF guarantee allows akf to expand risk appetite in high-growth innovation segments and offer more flexible, capex-light financing options for export-oriented manufacturers and service companies in Germany’s industrial heartland.

Turbine Capital – Swedish deep tech for resilience

The EIF is committing SEK 170 million (around EUR 16 million) to Turbine Capital Fund I, a Swedish early-stage deep tech fund targeting a total size of SEK 750 million, with a focus on commercialising research-based technologies emerging from leading technical universities and research organisations.

Turbine has built strategic partnerships with seven university-affiliated deep tech incubators and an investor base that includes Saab, Scania, Stena and several other industrial players, creating a platform that couples patient capital with industrial validation, co-investment opportunities and potential exit routes. The fund will back companies in, among others, semiconductors, industrial digitalisation, space and climate-relevant infrastructure, all sectors considered critical for Europe’s long-term resilience and competitiveness.

Atlantic Bridge – deep tech from European universities

The EIF has approved a EUR 20 million commitment to a third technology transfer fund managed by Atlantic Bridge targeting EUR 150 million to support disruptive university spin-outs and research-led deep tech companies in Ireland and across Europe.

This will invest in semiconductors, space technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and health technologies, building on Atlantic Bridge’s strong collaborative partnerships with Ireland’s leading universities and innovation clusters across Europe. The fund addresses the funding gap at pre‑seed and seed stage, accelerating the translation of world-class European research into globally competitive companies and strengthening value chains in strategic sectors.

Obloo – future of computing from Italian labs

The EIF is also acting as a cornerstone investor with EUR 25 million from InvestEU in Obloo Future of Computing Fund I, a technology transfer and early-stage venture capital fund targeting EUR 80 million and focusing on deep tech sectors of critical importance for the EU. The fund will primarily invest in Italy, a Moderate and Emerging Innovator Country where specialised technology transfer funding remains limited despite a strong deep tech research base.

Obloo will invest in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductor technologies (including AI chips), industrial technologies, microelectronics, AI-driven drug discovery and cybersecurity solutions, as well as climate technology solutions in agritech and energy. The fund expects to leverage priority access to Italy’s high-performance computing centres to help portfolio companies develop and test innovative products and services, directly supporting EU and national strategies on high performance computing and digital sovereignty.

Strengthening innovation and energy security under InvestEU

All five transactions confirmed at Hannover Messe are backed by the InvestEU programme and form part of the EIB Group’s broader effort to use EU budget guarantees to de-risk private investment in strategic sectors.

Together, they are expected to mobilise more than EUR 2.4 billion in investments that reinforce Europe’s energy security, accelerate the deployment of advanced manufacturing and digital technologies, and scale up deep tech companies rooted in European universities and research ecosystems.

By combining large-scale support for grid infrastructure with targeted financing for robotics, AI and technology transfer funds and scaled up financing through TechEU, the EIB Group aims to help European industry cope with high energy prices, supply chain disruptions and intensified geopolitical rivalry, while maintaining leadership in key enabling technologies.

Background information  

EIB Group   

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations. 

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs. 

In 2023, the EIF together with six Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands) launched the European Tech Champions Initiative, a fund-of-funds to scale up innovative startups. To date, this initiative has already enabled the creation of 14 European venture capital mega-funds and scaled up 40 companies, including 11 unicorns (with more than €1 billion in capital). 

Photos of the EIB Group’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.  

InvestEU 

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments previously available for supporting investments within the European Union together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.