Context, publisher and authors
This resource is a press release published by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union’s long-term lending institution owned by its Member States. The release is authored by EIB and sets out recent approvals by the Boards of Directors of the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF), the EIB Group entity focused on supporting businesses and innovation.
€9.2 billion package and strategic focus
The EIB and EIF approved a total of €9.2 billion in new financing to expand innovation in the housing sector, strengthen energy security, and support healthcare and water systems across Europe. The approvals sit within the EIB Group’s broader TechEU programme, described as the EU’s largest financing programme to date supporting innovation and technology leadership, with a focus on green and digital domains.
HousingTechEU: €400 million for housing and construction innovation
A central element is the launch of HousingTechEU, a first-of-its-kind €400 million initiative designed to boost innovation in housing and support mid-cap and large companies in the EU housing market. According to the EIB, the initiative targets industrial, technological and construction innovation, including development of new construction materials, machinery and engineering intended to improve housing quality and lower housing costs.
Link to affordable and sustainable housing action plan
HousingTechEU is positioned as part of the EIB Group’s Action Plan for Affordable and Sustainable Housing. The release states that this action plan aims to increase EIB Group financing for affordable and sustainable housing across Europe to more than €4 billion in 2025. The announcement includes a statement from EIB Group President Nadia Calviño highlighting housing and healthcare as pillars of Europe’s social infrastructure and framing the initiative as a contribution to citizens’ needs.
Health innovation and paediatrics venture capital
Alongside housing and construction measures, the EIF endorsed an investment in Europe’s first venture capital fund focused on paediatrics. The purpose described is to translate research from children’s hospitals and academic institutions into breakthrough therapies, addressing unmet needs in child healthcare. This approval is presented as part of the wider TechEU set of operations.
Examples of projects supported across Europe and beyond
The press release cites additional EIB approvals across sectors and countries, including financing for an affordable housing project in Germany and a new hospital in the Netherlands, as well as wind energy projects in Germany and Portugal. It also references water infrastructure projects in Italy and Lithuania and sustainable transport in Poland. Beyond the EU, the EIF approved a transaction intended to unlock more than €200 million in financing for small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine, and the EIB endorsed financing for private sector development in Africa and projects including water in Brazil, hospitals and energy networks in Serbia, and geothermal energy in Iceland.
Scale of EIB Group activity and climate focus
As background, the release notes that the EIB Group signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, with the stated aim of boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. It also reports that approximately half of EIB financing within the EU targets cohesion regions where per-capita income is below the EU average, and that almost 60% of annual EIB Group investments support climate action and environmental sustainability.