Think of all the major projects that improve our lives – social housing, hospitals, public transport, high-speed Internet, new schools, street lighting, elderly care.

All these projects started as an idea. Many of them probably began with feasibility studies and planning and then moved to financing and finally construction. Getting the right expertise, funding and builders together to turn a project into reality is not easy. Whether you are a small municipality or a large private firm, the European Investment Advisory Hub can be your new partner.

The Advisory Hub is the one-stop gateway to all the technical and financial expertise that the EIB and its partners can offer to EU project promoters. Since its launch in 2015, the Hub has received more than 600 requests for assistance from all European Union members. The Hub is here to identify, prepare and develop investment projects. Our advisors have played a big role in supporting projects all across Europe involving education, agriculture, health, the environment, research and innovation, telecommunications and energy. The Hub’s experts work directly with companies and government officials to prepare tailor-made advisory packages that help projects obtain financing, making sure they get off the ground. For example, the Hub is helping Belgium make its roads safer and cost-efficient by preparing for the replacement of 2,700 kilometres of lights. We are improving medical school training in Poland, helping the European Union join the space race, bringing a new hospital to northern Croatia, and improving wind power in the North Sea.

Throughout all phases of the project cycle, the Hub’s advisers accompany our clients with capacity building and other tools to demonstrate the best practices needed to implement projects. The Hub can assist project preparation with feasibility studies, cost/benefit analyses, procurement, and supervision of consultants. We also provide expert advice on project implementation and help keep the project on track. For example, in 2017, when Sofia had a big plan to improve waste management and supply sustainable energy, the Hub helped the city implement a combined heat and power plant that is transforming municipal and industrial waste to generate heat and electricity.

We have extensive knowledge of our own, using the EIB’s economists, engineers, financial analysts and climate specialists, but we also bring in outside help from the European Commission, national development banks and experts working for Member States’ governments. We help in every step of the cycle to build quality and sound investment proposals. Many projects have already benefited from our advice. Could yours be next?