Cost-effective next-generation batteries for long-duration stationary storage (Batt4EU Partnership)

The EU funding opportunity titled HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D2-02 aims to enhance next-generation battery technologies for long-duration stationary energy storage under the Batt4EU Partnership. This grant is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action, utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant model.

Eligible applicants include research institutes, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, large enterprises, and public-private partnerships engaged in battery innovation. The project emphasizes collaboration, particularly with the Coordination and Support Action under a related topic, suggesting that a consortium of multiple partners is necessary.

Geographic eligibility is restricted to EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, requiring that procurement strategies prioritize materials produced in these regions. The target sector is energy, specifically focusing on battery technology for stationary applications, contributing to the EU’s climate and energy transition goals.

Projects are expected to be at a low Technology Readiness Level, suitable for research and development, with a strong focus on developing sustainable, advanced battery materials. The call does not specify exact funding amounts but indicates typical Horizon Europe grants for similar projects could range between €1 million to €5 million.

The application process is structured into two stages, with the first proposal deadline set for September 2, 2025, and the second for March 31, 2026. The grant nature is monetary, provided as a lump sum.

There are no explicit co-funding requirements mentioned, but projects must demonstrate scalability and commercial viability. The success rates for applications are not specified.

Overall, this opportunity is geared toward developing cost-effective, sustainable battery technologies while strengthening the European battery ecosystem through collaboration and innovative research. It highlights early-stage technologies and encourages the use of recyclable materials and environmentally friendly practices throughout the projects.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically within Cluster 5, focusing on "Cost-effective next-generation batteries for long-duration stationary storage" (Batt4EU Partnership). The call, identified as HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D2-02, is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (RIA) and utilizes a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model.

The call is currently open for submission, following a two-stage deadline model. The opening date was 06 May 2025, with the first deadline set for 02 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the second deadline on 31 March 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects should include: Development of advanced battery materials for storage durations ranging from 10 hours to seasonal storage, contributing to Renewable Energy targets set by RePowerEU; Minimized use of Critical Raw Materials (CRM) in line with the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act to enhance the economic base, reduce dependencies, and ensure competitiveness in green and digital transitions; Development of viable alternatives to current battery technologies and other seasonal storage devices in terms of cost, efficiency, safety, lifetime, and environmental sustainability; Improved longevity of energy storage systems; and Battery technologies with minimal required auxiliary services, storage in a wide range of State-of-Charges (SOCs), and minimal voltage slippage.

The scope of the topic is to promote the development of recyclable materials with low environmental impact, safety, and potential for large-scale manufacturing. The safety and sustainability of developed materials should align with the Commission Recommendation on safe and sustainable by design chemicals and materials. Projects are expected to demonstrate credible commercial and technical paths, including: Energy storage system cost (CAPEX) lower than 50 EUR/kWh; Projected lifetime of 20 years with minimized self-discharge; Minimum round-trip efficiency of 50% at the energy storage system (AC) level and 75% at the cell level; and Large-scale deployment with reliable materials supply and manufacturing.

The call focuses on technologies at a low Technology Readiness Level (TRL), explicitly excluding lithium-ion, vanadium-based redox flow, sodium-ion using liquid electrolyte, molten sodium-sulphur, and other commercialized technologies. The scope is technology neutral, but specific battery chemistries or configurations must address certain points: Metal-air chemistries should reduce sensitivity to impurities of gases; Multivalent chemistries should develop electrolytes with reduced corrosivity and improved compatibility; Redox flow chemistries should develop redox couples with a minimized share of Critical Raw Materials (CRM); and Potassium batteries should address rate performance limitations due to potassium ion diffusivity and electrolyte decomposition.

The call encourages the implementation of calibrated and validated computational models and/or (generative) artificial intelligence methods for materials discovery and cell design. Exploitation plans should include a strategy for scalability, commercialization, and deployment, including a feasibility study and business plan.

Proposals may consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) for experimental research on battery performance and/or safety. Projects are expected to collaborate and contribute to the activities of the Coordination and Support Action defined under the topic HORIZON-CL5-2025-D2-02-06. To strengthen the European battery ecosystem, projects should use materials, products, and equipment produced in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, unless no valid option exists. The procurement strategies should be described in the proposal. The topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU), and projects will be expected to report on results to the partnership.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Other eligible conditions include the use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for projects using satellite-based data. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D, while submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also described in Annex F. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Application forms are available in the Submission System, with a standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations. Additional guidance and documents include the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (Lump Sum MGA), call-specific instructions, and various annexes and regulations.

The budget overview indicates that for HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D2-02, the budget is 15,000,000 EUR, and for HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D3-23, the budget is 9,000,000 EUR. The indicative number of grants is around 3 for the latter. There are 18 partner search announcements available.

The call provides links to the Electronic Submission Service, topic Q&As, and general support resources, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks to fund research and innovation actions focused on developing cost-effective, next-generation battery technologies for long-duration stationary storage. It emphasizes the use of sustainable materials, low TRL technologies, and the strengthening of the European battery ecosystem. The call encourages collaboration, the use of AI methods, and the involvement of the JRC, with a focus on achieving specific performance and cost targets for energy storage systems. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the application process involves a two-stage submission with specific deadlines and requirements.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, given that this is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA), eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the nature of Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) under Horizon Europe typically encourages or requires a consortium of multiple applicants to ensure a diversity of expertise and resources. The partner search announcements also suggest that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The target sector is energy, specifically focusing on battery technology for long-duration stationary storage. This includes advanced battery materials, renewable energy targets, critical raw materials, alternatives to current battery technologies, energy storage systems, and battery chemistries.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is focused on technologies at a low Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The call aims to promote the development of materials with a potential for large-scale manufacturing, implying a stage between research and demonstration.

Funding Amount: The budget for HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D2-02 is EUR 15,000,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 5,000,000. The budget for HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D3-23 is EUR 9,000,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 3,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is a two-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is two-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe projects often involve some form of in-kind contribution or resource commitment from the participating organizations.

Summary:

This opportunity is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) call under the Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) work programme, focusing on "Cost-effective next-generation batteries for long-duration stationary storage" (Batt4EU Partnership). The call aims to develop advanced battery materials and technologies for stationary storage applications, targeting storage durations from 10 hours to seasonal storage. The goal is to contribute to renewable energy targets, minimize the use of critical raw materials, and develop viable alternatives to existing battery technologies.

The call is technology-neutral but specifies considerations for metal-air, multivalent, redox flow, and potassium battery chemistries. Projects should focus on technologies at a low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and demonstrate credible commercial and technical paths, including scalability, commercialization, and deployment plans. Lithium-ion, vanadium-based redox flow, sodium-ion using liquid electrolyte, and molten sodium-sulphur technologies are explicitly out of scope.

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) may be involved in projects, offering experimental research on battery performance and safety. Collaboration with a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) under topic HORIZON-CL5-2025-D2-02-06 is expected. The call encourages the use of materials, products, and equipment produced in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.

The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is two-stage. The call implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU), and projects will be expected to report on their results to the partnership.

There are two topics: HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D2-02 with a budget of EUR 15,000,000 and an indicative grant of around EUR 5,000,000, and HORIZON-CL5-2025-01-Two-Stage-D3-23 with a budget of EUR 9,000,000 and an indicative grant of around EUR 3,000,000. The opening date for submissions is May 6, 2025, with a first-stage deadline of September 2, 2025, and a second-stage deadline of March 31, 2026.