ecop has been awarded funding from the European Innovation Fund to support the expansion of its manufacturing capacity in Austria. Up to €13.2 million will be invested in building a highly innovative production facility, leveraging microchannel diffusion bonding processes and a novel electrochemical machining method.
The project will deliver a global first: the construction and operation of a dedicated manufacturing facility for Rotation Heat Pumps, with an annual production capacity of 100 units. It will also contribute to regional economic growth and create jobs in Austria. More broadly, the project establishes the manufacturing foundation required to unlock the full potential of Rotation Heat Pump technology and strengthens Europe’s technological leadership in cleantech. It is designed to enable the complete replacement of fossil fuels in the generation of low-temperature process heat in industry through an economically viable electrification solution.
The European Innovation Fund supports projects that significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. ecop’s planned production facility meets this criterion and is therefore co-funded under the programme. The Innovation Fund itself is financed through the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS)—in other words, through revenues generated from CO₂ certificates paid by industry. This creates a powerful mechanism of carbon revenue recycling to fund industrial decarbonisation.
The project will industrialize key technologies by applying microchannel diffusion bonding (MCDB) processes at scale and utilizing a novel electrochemical machining (ECM) method. Over ten years of operation, it is expected to save more than 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent—roughly equal to the annual emissions of around 300,000 households or the carbon absorption of approximately 5 million trees.
Scaling these advanced manufacturing technologies will strengthen European competitiveness across multiple sectors. MCDB, for example, also has strong relevance in hydrogen production and related industries.
By electrifying heat generation in industry and district heating, the project directly supports key EU policy frameworks, including the Green Deal and REPowerEU, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in line with Europe’s climate targets. At the same time, it enhances Europe’s energy security by reducing dependence on energy imports.
ecop’s Rotation Heat Pump technology is based on a pure gas compression process that eliminates all climate-damaging, toxic, or flammable coolants. It can achieve high temperatures at superior efficiency while offering outstanding flexibility in terms of source and sink temperatures. The technology can also simultaneously deliver heating and cooling, making it an optimal solution for applications in industry, district heating, data centres, and geothermal energy.
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
