  The LUMINEU is designed to investigate the possibility to search for
neutrinoless double beta decay in $^{100}$Mo by means of a large array of
scintillating bolometers based on ZnMoO$_4$ crystals enriched in $^{100}$Mo.
High energy resolution and relatively fast detectors, which are able to measure
both the light and the heat generated upon the interaction of a particle in a
crystal, are very promising for the recognition and rejection of background
events. We present the LUMINEU concepts and the experimental results achieved
aboveground and underground with large-mass natural and enriched crystals. The
measured energy resolution, the $\alpha/\beta$ discrimination power and the
radioactive internal contamination are all within the specifications for the
projected final LUMINEU sensitivity. Simulations and preliminary results
confirm that the LUMINEU technology can reach zero background in the region of
interest (around 3 MeV) with exposures of the order of hundreds
kg$\times$years, setting the bases for a next generation $0\nu2\beta$ decay
experiment capable to explore the inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino
mass pattern.
