The SCALA project will install Nuada’s AdSpire carbon capture technology at the Kogeban biomass cogeneration plant, operated by Idex in Hauts-de-France, producing around 10,000 tonnes of biogenic liquid CO₂ a year. It will be the first commercial-scale plant for the company, which is headquartered in Newtownabbey.
By combining Nobel Prize-winning chemistry with advanced vacuum technology, Nuada’s fully electric, solvent-free process slashes energy demand and simplifies integration into existing plants, making carbon capture affordable for industrial emitters.
QUBIS, the commercialisation arm of Queen’s University Belfast, co-founded the company in 2012 and has remained a shareholder throughout.
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Welcoming the announcement, Queen’s University President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer said:
"We are delighted to see this landmark award for Nuada, in what is a clear demonstration of the global impact of Queen's University research and Northern Ireland's innovation ecosystem.
“Through our investment arm, QUBIS, we have helped create more than 100 companies with well over £100m in total capital raised, with Queen's is ranked second in the UK for entrepreneurial impact. This is another outstanding example of the QUBIS model in action - from world-leading research, to company formation, long-term support and commercial deployment."
Artin Moussavi, QUBIS Chief Investment Officer, and a director on Nuada’s board, said:
"Nuada is exactly what we hope for from a Queen's spin-out: world-class science, a determined team and a technology that tackles a global problem.
“QUBIS has backed the company since its earliest days, and this selection by the European Commission is a powerful vote of confidence as Nuada moves to commercial scale."
Conor Hamill, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Nuada, added:
“Carbon capture is critical infrastructure for industrial decarbonisation, but to achieve deployment at the scale required, it needs to be cheaper and easier to integrate into existing industrial assets. SCALA is a major step towards demonstrating how Nuada can make CCUS affordable and a cornerstone for the economically viable deployment of commercial CCS at scale.”
Nuada’s SCALA project was one of 77 projects chosen from 358 applications across Europe, with grants totaling €3.4 billion.
The award follows Nuada's €2.5m EIC Accelerator award in 2025, when it became the first Northern Ireland company to win one.
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