BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 16. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €25 million venture debt financing agreement with Dutch fibre-optic sensor innovator Optics11, Trend reports via the EIB.
Optics11 develops advanced fibre-optic sensing technology with applications in two sectors critical to European strategic autonomy: energy and underwater security. Its technology allows ultra-sensitive vibration and acoustic monitoring in challenging environments, supporting operations such as submarine surveillance, border monitoring, and structural health monitoring of naval assets and electricity networks.
The financing is provided under the European Commission’s InvestEU programme, which aims to leverage private and public investment for EU policy priorities, including the European Green Deal and the digital transition.
The EIB, owned by EU member states, provides long-term finance to support projects aligned with EU policy objectives. More than 90% of its activity is within Europe. The Netherlands holds a 5.2% share in the EIB, which has provided over €36 billion in financing for Dutch projects spanning social infrastructure, R&D, sustainable mobility, healthcare, drinking water, and SMEs.
InvestEU combines multiple EU financial instruments under a single framework, offering funding through the InvestEU Fund, Advisory Hub, and Portal. The €26.2 billion EU budget guarantee underpinning the fund is expected to mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment for EU projects.