- EIB endorses €400 million HousingTech initiative to support advanced materials, engineering and innovation in construction.
- EIF backs investment in Europe’s first paediatrics venture capital fund.
- EIB Board meets civil society organisations to discuss global partnerships, lending in Ukraine and cooperation with other multilateral development banks.
The Boards of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) approved a total of €9.2 billion in fresh financing to expand innovation in the housing sector, strengthen energy security and support healthcare and water systems across Europe.
The EIB Board authorized a first-of-its-kind €400 million HousingTech initiative to support mid-cap and large companies in the EU housing market to accelerate industrial, technological and construction innovation. This new funding will help develop new construction materials, machinery and engineering to improve the quality and lower the costs of housing, while boosting European innovation and competitiveness.
This new initiative backs the EIB Group’s Action Plan for Affordable and Sustainable Housing, which aims to increase financing for affordable and sustainable housing across Europe to more than €4 billion in 2025.
“Quality healthcare and access to better homes are pillars of the social infrastructure that underpins the European way of life,” said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño. “The breakthrough housing innovation initiative adopted this week shows that Europe delivers for its citizens.”
In addition to the HousingTech initiative, the EIB Group Boards cleared the way for a total of 13 operations under TechEU with a focus on the green and digital domains in Europe. In a milestone move for the health sector, the EIF endorsed an investment in Europe’s first venture capital fund focused on paediatrics. This pioneering initiative seeks to transform cutting-edge research from children’s hospitals and academic institutions into breakthrough therapies, addressing critical unmet needs in child healthcare.
TechEU is the EU’s largest financing programme to date in support of innovation and tech leadership to attract talent, capital and investment in Europe. The first TechEU wave backed the Clean Industrial Deal and the second focuses on housing and building innovation.
The EIB also approved financing for a new affordable housing project in Germany, a new hospital in the Netherlands, wind energy in Germany and Portugal, water infrastructure in Italy and Lithuania, and sustainable transport in Poland.
Beyond the EU, the EIF Board approved a new transaction aimed at unlocking more than €200 million in financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine, an initiative meant to provide vital support to local businesses and stimulate economic resilience. In addition, the EIB Board endorsed new financing for Africa’s private sector development and support for water projects in Brazil, hospitals and energy networks in Serbia and geothermal energy in Iceland.
Civil society seminar
Earlier this week, the EIB Board also held its annual seminar with nearly 100 registered participants from civil society organisations to discuss lending activities in Ukraine and cooperation with other multilateral development banks amongst other topics.
President Calviño’s address to civil society representatives can be found here.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. The EIB finances investments in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world and Europe’s capital markets union.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
Approximately half of the EIB's financing within the EU targets cohesion regions, where per-capita income is below the EU average, while almost 60% of annual EIB Group investments support climate action and environmental sustainability.
High-quality, up-to-date photos of the organisation’s headquarters for media use are available here.