Published on March 31, 2026 at 09:05 – Publicnow
Vicat Group Officially Awarded Innovation Fund Grant for VAIA Project
March 30, 2026
The VAIA project receives a grant from the European Union’s Innovation Fund program.
The European organization CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency) has officially announced the list of winners of the Innovation Fund 2024 program. Vicat’s VAIA (Vicat Advanced Industrial Alliance) project is among the recipients, with a grant of 149,998,000 euros.
The announcement of the selection of the VAIA project was made by the European Union on November 3, 2025.
The European Union’s Innovation Fund finances innovative projects in high-carbon intensity sectors. It aims to accelerate the market introduction of clean technologies and contribute to European climate goals of carbon neutrality by 2050.
This grant marks a milestone in the development of the VAIA project. Studies are ongoing, and the investment decision is planned for 2027.
The VAIA project aims to capture and sequester almost all of the CO2 emissions, totaling 1.2 million tons per year, at the Montalieu-Vercieu cement plant in Isère, France, the largest in France in terms of cement production capacity.
The project also enables the creation of a unique value chain of up to 4 million tons of CO2 per year, serving as the initial anchor point in the Rhône Valley for a complete carbon capture, transport, utilization, and liquefaction chain for CO2 storage.
This contractual agreement confirms the importance and scope of this project, which is also supported through the GPID (Large Decarbonisation Industrial Projects) awarded on February 12, 2026, by the French government.
Download the press release
About Vicat:
For 170 years, VICAT has been a leading industrial player in the field of mineral and bio-based construction materials. Vicat is listed on Euronext Paris (member of the SBF 120 index) and is majority controlled by the founding family. With the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality in its value chain by 2050, the company operates today in three core areas: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete & Employment (BPE), and Aggregates, as well as complementary activities to these core areas.
Operating in 12 countries, developed and emerging, the cement group employs over 10,000 people and achieved consolidated revenue of €3,854 million in 2025. Rooted in local territories, VICAT is developing a circular economy model that benefits everyone and innovates daily to reduce the environmental impact of construction.
Media contact:
Raphael Hinninger
07 61 74 86 52
