Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. It addresses climate change and contributes to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals while boosting the EU’s competitiveness and growth. The program, which facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting, and implementing EU policies, also extends its focus to global challenges. Within this framework, Horizon Europe and renewable energy initiatives synergize, promoting the creation and dissemination of knowledge and technologies of excellence. This generates jobs, engages the EU’s talent pool, stimulates economic growth, and ensures industrial competitiveness, all while optimizing investments within a strengthened European Research Area.
Legal entities from the EU and associated countries can participate.
An important part of Horizon Europe is constituted by the EIC Accelerator, which
“[…] supports individual Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in particular Startups and spinout companies to develop and scaleup game-changing innovations. In some cases, small mid-caps (up to 500 employees) are supported.”
The EIC Accelerator offers substantial support, providing up to €2.5 million grant funding and direct equity investments up to €15 million through the EIC Fund for scaling and related expenses. Selected companies gain coaching, mentoring, investor access, and EIC community benefits. Eligibility extends to EU-based firms and those tied to Horizon Europe, especially startups and SMEs with female CEOs.
Horizon Europe prioritizes various categories, including Health, AI, Robotics, Energy, Transport, Marine Science, and Agriculture. Notably, it focuses on renewable energy, climate change, and environmental conservation.
For this reason, many of the Forthcoming Calls (opening May 26, 2022) of the Horizon Europe focus on these topics:
Funding & Tenders (official page)
Innovative Renewable Energy Carrier Production for heating from renewable energies
EU Official page HERE
Project results should contribute to several of the following anticipated outcomes:
Advance the European innovative knowledge basis and increase technology competitiveness in the area of energy carrier production and heating value chains, in particular increase of feedstock availability for renewable heating, thus supporting the EU goals for climate protection, energy independence and economic growth.
Technology de-risk of renewable energy carrier value chains as a necessary step before scaling up at commercial level.
Enhanced sustainability of renewable heating value and supply chains by improving techno-economic efficiency and minimising negative environmental effects.
Scope:
Demonstrate cost-effective and energy-, catalyst and equipment material-efficient transformation of renewable energy into renewable energy carriers for heating, while ensuring very good combustion properties in respect of efficiency and avoidance of pollutants and environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the respective heating supply and value chains.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project – see (NB If it can be your case!) General Annex B.
Technological interfaces between solar fuel technologies and other renewables
EU Official page HERE
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
Advance the European scientific basis, technological leadership and global role in the area of renewable and solar fuels, while creating evidence for policy making.
Provide breakthrough solutions towards a fossil-free economy and ecosystem by bridging solar energy and other renewables in boosting renewable fuel production and storage with the potential of strongly reducing CAPEX and OPEX/toe, high penetration in the energy system, ensuring stability and security of energy supply.
Increase European technology competitiveness in solar and renewable fuel technologies, thus supporting the EU goals for climate protection, energy independence and economic growth.
Scope:
Development of energy transmitting technological interfaces to couple solar fuel technologies to other renewables such as from e.g., biosources or directly connected renewable power generation, which allow for efficient feed in of other forms of renewable energy into solar fuel conversion technologies and allow for efficient and continuous renewable fuel production.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 4 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Digital solutions for defining synergies in international renewable energy value chains
EU Official page HERE
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
Advance the European and global scientific basis, European leadership and global role in the area of renewable energy and renewable fuels and related energy value chains while creating evidence for policy making by developing novel digital solutions.
Provide digital breakthrough solutions for promoting the increase of the global renewable energy share.
Reinforce the European scientific basis through international collaboration while increasing the potential to export European renewable energy technologies and ensuring political priorities in the context of sustainable global energy value chains.
Improve reliability of system components, advanced and automated functions for data analysis, diagnosis and fault detection, forecasting and model-predictive control frameworks, ancillary services for the stability of the network; maintenance planning and/or reporting.
Scope:
Development of novel real time and open data monitoring and/or simulation solutions (e.g. including digital twins) for sustainable energy production and consumption, predictive modelling and artificial intelligence for the analysis of international renewable energy value chains and for internationally aligned decision-making in cooperation with international partners from Mission Innovation Countries. To ensure trustworthiness, wide adoption by user communities and support EU policy-makers, actions should promote the highest standards of transparency and openness, going well beyond documentation and extending to aspects such as assumptions, models and data related to renewable energy and fuels.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Cross-cutting Priorities:
AU-EU Energy System Modelling
EU Official page HERE
Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
Reinforce the activities in the long term of the AU-EU HLPD CCSE Partnership.
Provide knowledge and scientific energy system modelling as an evidence base including the environmental, social and economic trade-offs to contribute to R&I strategy and policy making.
Increase clean energy generation in the African energy systems.
A permanent network of African experts and expertise in this area.
Scope:
The topic contributes to the activities of the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialog (HLPD) Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE) partnership. However, current models are based on developed country standards and usage. Thus, the development of energy system models tailored to the specific African social, economic, and regulatory environment becomes crucial for energy generation system planning and energy policy development. As of today, African countries heavily rely on developed country models and expertise.
Therefore, the proposal should develop and test models for decision makers and planners to design and evaluate energy system(s) with a high penetration of renewable energy generation in African countries through a regional approach. Give consideration to achieving climate neutrality in cities and industries without using fossil fuels. Emphasize the introduction of clean energy technologies. Conduct tests for at least two base cases.
Proposals should include activities to coordinate with the project(s) to be selected under the topic HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-03-01.
Actions should promote the highest standards of transparency in model adoption, including assumptions, architecture, code and data. The project should widely disseminate its outcomes and make all source codes of the entire model open source and accessible. This will encourage future development. To ensure future uses, African experts in energy and in models’ development should be full partners in the project. The project should identify further local training needs while making use of existing European activities to create synergies and cross-fertilisation. Consequently, it will contribute to the work of the AU-EU HLPD CCSE partnership through networking activities with existing projects.
Cross-cutting Priorities:
Direct Renewable Energy Integration into Process Energy Demands of the Chemical Industry
EU Official page HERE
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
Advance the European scientific basis, technological leadership and global role in the area of renewable integration into the chemical industry, while creating evidence for policy making.
Increase European technology competitiveness in renewable process energy technologies, thus supporting the EU goals for climate protection, energy independence and economic growth.
Provide breakthrough solutions towards a fossil-free economy and ecosystem.
Allow high penetration in the energy system, ensure stability and security of energy supply, including integration of local resources, as well as gain efficiency and costs in transforming the energy system on a fossil-free basis.
Enable transformation of the energy supply to socio-economic and environmental fossil-free sustainable solutions across energy intensive chemical industry, targeting, in particular – process energy and its GHG emissions.
Scope:
Develop technology and methodology to integrate renewable energy into chemical processing, substituting fossil process energy. The chemical industry has a high carbon footprint due to processing compared to final product mass. Focus on renewable energy integration into chemical industry process energy beyond electricity. Target electrochemical potential from artificial photosynthesis to chemical reduction processes, and direct solar thermochemical conversion. Enhance GHG balance and process sustainability through technology developments.
Possible synergies exist with topic:
HORIZON-CL4-2021-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-21: Design and optimisation of energy flexible industrial processes (IA).
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 4-5 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Demonstration of complete value chains for advanced biofuel and non-biological renewable fuel production
EU Official page HERE
Complete value chains for advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin provide a systemic understanding of the value created and the constraints in individual chain steps. Demonstrating such complete value chains will contribute to increase the competitiveness of their technologies and foster their commercialization to allow high penetration of advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin in the energy and transport energy system, in particular for hard to electrify sectors.
Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
Build a portfolio of complete value chains for advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin.
De-risk technology, boost the scale-up of advanced biofuels and non-biological origin renewable fuels.
Contribute to the priorities of the SET Plan Action 8.
Respond to short and medium-term needs for renewable fuels in energy and transport.
Improve sustainability and security of the value chains.
Scope:
Proposals should demonstrate innovative and cost-effective sustainable value chains for advanced biofuels or synthetic renewable fuels of non-biological origin (other than for hydrogen as a final product), over the entire cycle from feedstock to end use. Address any sustainable biomass feedstock, including residues, wastes, biogenic or industrial CO2, and renewable hydrogen. Consider pathways involving biochemical, thermochemical, biological, chemical, electrochemical, or combinations of these methods. Proposals should aim at improved performance in terms of increasing the efficiency and sustainability and reducing the cost, while evidencing the value creation along the value chain steps. Complete value chains may address any relevant end use.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Renewable Energy Carriers from Variable Renewable Electricity surplus and carbon emissions from energy consuming sectors
EU Official page HERE
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
Advance the European scientific basis and increase technology competitiveness in the area of energy carrier production and integration with renewable electricity, and carbon value and supply chains.
Technology de-risk of renewable energy carrier value chains through demonstration as a necessary step before scaling up at commercial level.
Enhanced sustainability of renewable energy carrier value and supply chains by improving techno-economic efficiency and avoidance of CO2/GHG emissions and renewable electricity economic or curtailment losses and supported by a life cycle assessment.
Scope:
Demonstrate the synthesis of renewable energy carriers from surplus variable renewable electricity and carbon emissions in energy-consuming sectors. Aim to enhance the efficiency and viability of the overall synthesis value chain, optimizing CO2 emissions in synergy with renewable electricity generation. Integrate hybrids of renewable electricity with algal or synthetic renewable fuels in energy-intensive sectors. Showcase the conversion of surplus renewable electricity and sector carbon emissions into liquid renewable energy carriers through algal, artificial photosynthesis, or non-solar pathways. In order to achieve this, utilize conversion technologies grounded in biological, biochemical, thermochemical, and electrochemical processes.
Proposals should avoid curtailing of renewable electricity and improve overall efficiency and viability of renewable electricity assemblies in synergy with reduction of carbon emissions.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Cross-cutting Priorities:
Socio-economic science and humanities.
Renewable Energy Incorporation in Agriculture and Forestry
EU Official page HERE
Optimal management and utilization of agricultural and forest waste is crucial to meet local and seasonal energy demands while minimizing emissions. Farmers often burn mismanaged agricultural waste in fields, and forests become more susceptible to fire, intensifying environmental consequences. Renewable energy technologies can enhance soil, biodiversity, and energy efficiency in agriculture. Demonstrating how renewables address heat, waste, and land management in agriculture and forestry bolsters renewable energy adoption across sectors. This aligns with the European Green Deal, 2030 climate and energy targets, and net-zero emissions by 2050. It supports energy independence, economic growth, and the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy‘s climate mitigation and adaptation goals. Embracing renewables ensures sustainable energy practices, contributing to agricultural and environmental sustainability.
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
Promote decentralised renewable energy use and cost-efficient decentralized production of renewable energy carriers.
Reduce agriculture and forestry carbon footprint from own energy consumption as well as agricultural/forest waste management.
Increase sustainability and circularity in agriculture while creating positive effects on biodiversity.
Increase sustainability and circularity in forestry.
Foster regional development in rural areas.
Support farmers’ and foresters’ engagement as prosumers of renewable energy.
Scope:
Proposals should showcase the integration of renewable energy technologies in agriculture or forestry, addressing various energy requirements such as electricity, heat, cold, waste, and land management. It is essential to present solutions that incorporate innovative renewable technologies, circular economy principles, and regional value chains. To effectively transition agricultural and forest processes away from fossil fuels throughout different seasons, proposals must explore hybridization compatibility. Additionally, the incorporation of diverse renewable sources and tailored storage solutions should be emphasized in creating sustainable and trans-seasonal energy solutions for these sectors. They should also address one of the two options:
Transformation of agricultural or forest wastes to renewable energy carriers in situ, e.g., by modular slow pyrolysis units, using renewable energy for process energy needs. Solutions should improve the cost-effectiveness and the sustainability of agriculture or forest seasonal energy demand based on renewables.
Develop renewable-based agricultural protocols for multiple and cover cropping, enhancing carbon sequestration and soil organic matter while reducing pesticide use. Integrate renewable energy carriers like biogas production, following a circular approach for soil nutrients and carbon. Evaluate impacts on soil biodiversity, health, and functionality, particularly in relation to increasing soil organic matter and nutrients. Assess the potential to mitigate risks of groundwater contamination with nitrogen oxides. Enhance cost-effectiveness and sustainability, including biodiversity, in agricultural waste and land management. Achieve this by valorizing wastes and secondary crops using renewable energy technologies.
SSH disciplines and experts must effectively contribute to this topic.
Include SSH expertise from institutions to enhance societal impact, and anticipate effective contributions from renewable energy and agronomy disciplines.
Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Cross-cutting Priorities:
Socio-economic science and humanities.
Common Destination
(As reported in all the pages)
Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply
This Destination includes activities targeting a sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply. In line with the scope of cluster 5, this includes activities in the areas of renewable energy; energy system, grids and storage; as well as Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS).
The energy system transition hinges on two strategies: curtailing energy demand and achieving a climate-neutral energy supply. Research and innovation (R&I) initiatives will drive a cleaner, more secure, and competitive energy supply, enhancing the cost performance and reliability of diverse renewable energy solutions. R&I efforts will also modernize energy networks, promoting energy system integration, electrifying demand-side sectors like buildings, mobility, and industry, and incorporating renewable energy carriers like clean hydrogen. Crucial to this energy system are innovative energy storage solutions, spanning chemical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal methods. R&I actions are set to advance their technological readiness for industrial-scale and domestic applications. Another vital strategy is Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS), a promising CO2 emission abatement option. Overall, R&I initiatives will expedite CCUS progress in electricity generation and industrial applications.
This Destination contributes to the following Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations (KSO):
C: Making Europe the first digitally enabled circular, climate-neutral and sustainable economy through the transformation of its mobility, energy, construction and production systems.
A: The aim is to promote open strategic autonomy, a concept encompassing strategic autonomy while maintaining an open economy. This concept was outlined in the conclusions of the European Council meeting on 1-2 October 2020. The goal is to lead in the advancement of essential digital, enabling, and emerging technologies, sectors, and value chains. This leadership will expedite and guide both digital and green transitions. These transitions will be facilitated through the development of human-centered technologies and innovations.
It covers the following impact areas:
Industrial leadership in key and emerging technologies that work for people.
Affordable and clean energy.
The expected impact, in line with the Strategic Plan, is to contribute to “More efficient, clean, sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply through new solutions for smart grids and energy systems based on more performant renewable energy solutions”, notably through fostering European global leadership in affordable, secure and sustainable renewable energy technologies and services by:
Improving competitiveness in global value chains and position in growth markets, notably through the diversification of renewable services and technology portfolio
The goal is to guarantee a cost-effective, uninterrupted, and affordable energy supply to households and industries. This becomes crucial in a scenario marked by high penetration of variable renewables and other new low-carbon energy sources. To achieve this, efficient methods for managing smart and cyber-secure energy grids are necessary. Optimization of interactions among producers, consumers, networks, infrastructures, and vectors is also paramount (more detailed information provided below).
Accelerating the development of Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS)as a CO2 emission mitigation option in electricity generation and industry applications (including also conversion of CO2 to products).
Fostering the European global leadership in affordable, secure and sustainable renewable energy technologies.
Advancing Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainability
Renewable energy technologies offer significant opportunities to replace or substitute fossil carbon in sectors like power, heating/cooling, transport, agriculture, and industry. They create more jobs than fossil fuels and underpin a sustainable climate-neutral future. Building strong global European leadership in renewables, coupled with circularity, enhances energy security.
Prioritizing affordability, security, and sustainability for established technologies (wind, photovoltaics, bioenergy) is vital. Moreover, expanding the tech range becomes essential. Additionally, advanced renewable fuels, including sustainable biofuels, offer carbon-neutral solutions for transport and energy-intensive industries. This is particularly significant where direct electrification isn’t cost-efficient.
Cluster 4 synergies enable renewable tech integration in energy-consuming industries. Complementarities with cluster 6 mainly relate to biomass activities.
Actions align with the “do not harm” principle, striving to enhance environmental sustainability, reduce emissions, and improve water use, circularity, pollution, and ecosystems. Biofuels’ sustainability focuses on the biomass conversion and product quality; combustion-related air pollution falls within other WP areas.
The main impacts to be generated by topics targeting the renewable energy technologies and solutions under this Destination are:
Availability of disruptive renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies and systems in 2050 to accelerate the replacement of fossil-based energy technologies.
Reduced cost and improved efficiency of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies and their value chains.
De-risking of renewable energy and fuel technologies with a view to their commercial exploitation and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Better integration of renewable energy and renewable fuel-based solutions in energy consuming sectors.
Reinforced European scientific basis and European export potential for renewable energy technologies through international collaboration (notably with Africa in renewable energy technologies and renewable fuels and enhanced collaboration with Mission Innovation countries).
Enhanced sustainability of renewable energy and renewable fuels value chains, taking fully into account social, economic and environmental aspects in line with the European Green Deal priorities.
More effective market uptake of renewable energy and fuel technologies.
Energy systems, grids and storage
Enhancing Flexibility and Resilience in Energy Systems, Grids, and Storage
Efficient network management is crucial for the integration of renewables, ensuring cost-effectiveness, supply security, and grid stability. Through real-time monitoring, flexibility is optimized using storage, demand response, and flexible generation.
In order to integrate higher shares of variable renewable energy, it’s essential to exploit synergies among various networks, including electricity, heating/cooling, gas, transport, and digital infrastructure. This approach is crucial to ensure a smart, integrated, flexible, green, and sustainable operation of these infrastructures.
In addition, advancing hydrogen and battery technologies and exploring various storage options like thermal, electrochemical, chemical, mechanical, and electrical solutions can expand the range of flexibility options available.
Activities in the field of energy systems, grids, and storage under this Destination primarily focus on systemic aspects. This includes energy system planning, operation integration, consumer engagement, provision of new services, ensuring electricity system reliability and resilience, storage development, and embracing green digitalization.
Moreover, the engagement of citizens and communities becomes pivotal at the appliance level, enhancing grid flexibility and enabling active participation. This integration is also connected to the inclusion of social sciences and humanities (SSH), which aids in building acceptance of new energy technologies, fostering greater consumer engagement, and enhancing participation in energy markets.
All projects will contribute to augmented capacity of the system to integrate renewable energy sources and reduce curtailment at transmission and distribution levels. The main expected impacts are:
Increased resilience of the energy system based on improved and/or new technologies to control and keep system stability under difficult circumstances.
Increased flexibility and resilience of the energy system, based on technologies and tools to plan and operate different networks for different energy carriers simultaneously, in a coordinated manner, that will also contribute to climate neutrality of hard-to-electrify sectors.
Achieve enhanced customer satisfaction and increased system flexibility. This empowers consumers to enjoy data-driven energy services, fostering their participation in the energy transition. They can invest in self-consumption, demand response, or renewables through energy communities or micro-grids, either individually or collectively.
Improved energy storage technologies, in particular heat storage but also others such as electrochemical, chemical, mechanical and electrical.
The aim is to foster the European market for new energy services and business models. To achieve this, promoting tested standardized and open interfaces for energy devices is crucial. This involves pursuing a higher degree of interoperability, as well as increasing data availability and facilitating simpler data exchange among energy companies and users of energy system data.
The focus is on achieving more effective and efficient solutions for transporting offshore energy. This is possible through the application of new electricity transmission technologies. These technologies include superconducting technologies, power electronics, and hybrid Alternating Current – Direct Current (AC-DC) grid solutions. Additionally, Multi Terminal High Voltage Direct Current (MT HVDC) solutions play a role in this endeavor.
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS)
CCUS is pivotal in the EU Green Deal for industry and power sector climate neutrality. R&I support for CCUS, critical in industries like cement, continues past 2050. CCUS coupled with sustainable biomass can yield negative emissions.
Low carbon hydrogen from natural gas with CCUS is vital for industrial climate neutrality. It aids the shift to renewable hydrogen for steel, chemicals, refining. CCUS offers early, clean, scalable hydrogen. Meanwhile its infrastructure can serve renewable hydrogen. Developing CCUS for industrial clusters involves system planning, shared infrastructure, CCS and CCU optimization.
Full CCUS chain demo is crucial in the EU, focusing on energy penalty reduction, funding cost, and safe storage verification. SET Plan’s R&I targets emphasize CO2 storage, cost cuts, new tech, pilots, and demonstrators.
Synergies with cluster 4 exist on the use of CO2 (please see topic “HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-11: Valorisation of CO/ CO2 streams into added-value products of market interest – IA”).
The main overall impacts to be generated by topics targeting the renewable energy technologies and solutions under this Destination are:
Accelerated rollout of infrastructure for CCUS hubs and clusters.
Updated authoritative body of knowledge on connecting industrial CO2 sources with potential ‘bankable’ storage sites, altogether providing greater confidence for decision makers and investors.
Proven feasibility of integrating CO2 capture, CO2 storage and CO2 use in industrial facilities. Demonstrating these technologies at industrial scale shall pave the way for subsequent first-of-a-kind industrial projects.
Reduced cost of the CCUS value chain, with CO2 capture being still the most relevant stumbling block for a wider application of CCUS.
Adequate frameworks for Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) for projects storage, document safe storage and public acceptance of the technology.
Why consulting is needed
Preparing a satisfactory proposal is complicated. The first impression is vital and candidates must possess a strong and convincing proposal to present: not only it is important to have a catchy video pitch and an exhaustive slide deck, but they will also need to answer a set of questions to explain the project and the team that will work on it. Having a good idea is not enough to obtain the funds needed.
At EuGrantMe, we are passionate about fostering innovation and empowering ambitious minds to flourish. Our mission revolves around providing top-notch grant writing services for the EIC Accelerator and Horizon grants in Europe, enabling our customers to unlock the full potential of their groundbreaking ideas.
Do you have a project to turn into reality?