From science to global action: EIC-backed technologies and the fight against ozone-depleting fossil fuels

This year s International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer used the theme From science to global action to emphasise how coordinated research and policy can reduce human pressures on atmospheric systems. The European Innovation Council highlighted two of its beneficiaries whose innovations aim to shift energy and industrial supply chains away from fossil fuels that contribute to air pollution and climate forcing. Marvel Fusion in Germany pursues a laser-driven fusion route to large-scale low carbon power. eChemicles in Hungary develops low temperature electrolysers to convert CO2 into feedstocks, a form of carbon capture and utilisation that could displace fossil feedstocks in chemicals and fuels.

Why the ozone day matters and the treaties behind it

The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer commemorates the Montreal Protocol and the earlier Vienna Convention. Those agreements, formed in the 1980s, targeted man-made halogenated gases that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. The Protocol set out phased reductions and eventual elimination for multiple chemical families. Over decades governments, industry and science coordinated to substitute and phase out many ozone-depleting substances. The treaties also evolved to address related problems such as hydrofluorocarbons which are strong greenhouse gases. The 2025 observance frames continued scientific progress as vital to maintaining those gains and to reducing reliance on harmful fossil-based feedstocks.

EIC beneficiaries in the spotlight

Marvel Fusion: laser-driven fusion as a long term power option

Founded in Munich in 2019, Marvel Fusion has run more than 2000 experiments while developing a pathway to a commercially viable fusion power plant concept. The company coordinates the EIC Accelerator Blended Finance project CFE-NANO. Its approach combines high-energy laser systems, nanostructured materials and non-cryogenic fuels with an objective of producing a scalable fusion device that could supply low carbon electricity at large scale.

Marvel Fusion says it has built a network of academic partners including Colorado State University, Stanford and Ludwig Maximilians Universitaet in Munich. European industrial partners such as Thales and Siemens Energy are engaged to support development and industrialisation. In April 2025 the company announced a $54 million funding round intended to accelerate work toward a fully integrated fusion power plant concept and a prototype by mid century targets. Colorado State was cited as a collaborative partner for the planned facility.

A cautious note is warranted. Fusion has long been a field with high technical risk and long development times. Claims about commissioning commercial plants by the mid 2030s or 2040s are ambitious. Significant engineering, materials and regulatory challenges remain before a prototype can be scaled into a reliable, cost competitive source of power that would displace fossil fuels in the electricity mix.

eChemicles: low temperature CO2 electrolysis to create feedstocks from CO2

eChemicles was spun out in 2022 from eight years of research at the University of Szeged. The Hungary based company leads the EIC Transition project SolarCO2Value. Its core technology is a low temperature CO2 electrolyser that uses renewable electricity to convert carbon dioxide into reduced chemical products such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The company reports a laboratory scale device that it describes as the best performing low temperature CO2 electrolyser and has published results in the journal Nature Energy.

eChemicles launched its EIC Transition project in October 2024 and aims to be ready for Series A finance or EIC Accelerator blended finance by the project s end. In December 2024 the company signed a strategic collaboration with Bosch Thin Metal Technologies to scale up electrolyser stack production. The partnership leverages Bosch s precision thin metal manufacturing to help industrialise stack components and to enable larger production volumes.

Scaling CO2 electrolysis from laboratory records to industrial operations will require demonstration of long term durability, energy costs competitive with conventional routes, integration with low carbon electricity and reliable CO2 supply. Regulatory frameworks and carbon accounting rules will also affect commercial adoption.

Implications for ozone protecting goals and EU innovation policy

Both technologies address different parts of the value chain that can reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to pollution and greenhouse forcing. Fusion targets the electricity system and could in principle displace fossil generation that contributes indirectly to ozone precursors in some contexts. CO2 electrolysis and carbon utilisation aim to displace fossil carbon feedstocks in chemicals and fuels, which could reduce demand for extraction and refining of hydrocarbons.

From a policy perspective the European Innovation Council s support is intended to de risk capital intensive innovation and help translate laboratory breakthroughs into industrial pilots and early markets. Blended finance models mix public backing with private capital to mobilise larger funding rounds. That approach can be appropriate for technologies with long development horizons but it does not eliminate technical or market risk.

Assessment and open questions

Both Marvel Fusion and eChemicles offer credible research based trajectories and publicised partnerships. The key questions ahead are about scaling, durability and unit costs. For Marvel Fusion the central challenge is whether laser driven fusion can be made efficient, reliable and affordable at gigawatt scale. For eChemicles the immediate bottlenecks are stack lifetime, current density, product separation and integration with cheap low carbon electricity and CO2 sources. Market adoption will also depend on regulatory incentives and on how carbon accounting treats CO2 derived products.

Investors and policymakers should expect multi year demonstration phases, incremental improvements and possible pivots in business models. Success will require not only further scientific advances but also manufacturing scale up, supply chain development and favourable market conditions.

Where to find more information

Further project and company details are available in the Horizon Europe database and on the companies official websites. The United Nations and UN Environment Programme provide background on the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol and on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The information presented here draws on public statements by the companies and by EIC channels.

Disclaimer: This article is for information and analysis. It does not represent the official view of the European Commission or other organisations referenced. Claims on timelines, performance and future impact are those asserted by the companies and are subject to technical and market risks.