Cost-efficient and reliable designs towards gigawatt-scale electrolytic hydrogen production plants

HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-02 is an EU-funded research and innovation call aimed at advancing the design and deployment of cost-efficient and scalable gigawatt-scale hydrogen production plants using water electrolysis. This initiative is coordinated by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under Horizon Europe, contributing to Europe's goals for climate neutrality and industrial decarbonization through clean hydrogen.

The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicants organized in consortia, which must include various stakeholders from the hydrogen value chain. Eligible participants include research institutions, universities, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, system integrators, project developers, plant operators, end users, and public authorities. The consortium must include at least two independent system manufacturers to meet the eligibility requirements.

The funding type for this call is a lump sum grant, with a maximum EU contribution of €2.50 million allocated for successful proposals. The funding supports the development and validation of large-scale electrolytic hydrogen production plants at a capacity of 400 MW or greater. The focus is not on early-stage research but rather on developing validated designs that are ready for industrial deployment.

The application process is single-stage, with the call set to open on February 10, 2026, and closing on April 15, 2026. There is no co-funding required but is encouraged, and applicants should provide a funding plan to demonstrate financial viability.

The overall aim is to overcome barriers related to high capital expenditures, fragmented system integration, and scalability in hydrogen production. Projects should focus on system-level innovations that optimize existing technologies while creating investment-grade designs that facilitate real-world deployment.

Final deliverables are expected to include fully replicable plant concepts compliant with EU regulations and methodologies that could be shared publicly for broader replication. Through this call, the European Union seeks not only to enhance hydrogen production capabilities but also to position itself as a leader in global hydrogen technology and stimulate significant industrial investments in the hydrogen economy.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-02, focusing on cost-efficient and reliable designs for gigawatt-scale electrolytic hydrogen production plants. It is a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is February 10, 2026, and the deadline for submission is April 15, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant. The JU estimates that an EU contribution of maximum EUR 2.50 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately.

The call aims to address the challenges in building reliable and financially sustainable gigawatt-scale hydrogen production plants using water electrolysis. Current projects face issues like high costs, fragmented system integration, limited scalability, and unoptimized Balance-of-Plant (BoP) systems. The call encourages innovation in plant design, architecture, and deployment models, focusing on highly efficient, cost-competitive, and reliable electrolytic hydrogen production plants at scales of 400 MW and above.

The scope includes full system integration of large-scale electrolysis capacity (≥400 MW) with all necessary BoP subsystems, demonstrating scalability to 1000 MW and beyond. Projects should optimize technical and economic parameters, valorize by-products, explore innovative solutions for cost and footprint reduction, conduct RAM analysis, and provide investment-grade engineering documentation.

Out-of-scope activities include hydrogen pipeline connections, end-use tie-ins, and development of new electrolysis cell technologies or fundamental components.

Consortia should include various stakeholders of the hydrogen value chain, such as components manufacturers, system manufacturers (at least 2), system integrators, project developers, plant operators, and end users. Project outputs are expected to be mainly publicly available.

Projects should build on previous initiatives and find synergies with other projects supported under the Clean Hydrogen JU, Process4Planet Partnership, and Clean Steel Partnership, as well as those supported by the Innovation Fund.

Additional eligibility conditions include limits on the Clean Hydrogen JU requested contribution for certain topics and a requirement for one partner in the consortium to be a member of either Hydrogen Europe or Hydrogen Europe Research for specific topics. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. Subcontracting work must be performed in EU Member States or Associated Countries. Beneficiaries must inform the granting authority if the results could contribute to European or international standards.

The call seeks to drive innovation in integrated hydrogen production plants by reimagining plant design, architecture, and deployment models, ultimately positioning Europe as a global leader in the hydrogen economy.

In simpler terms, this funding opportunity is for projects that can come up with better, cheaper, and more reliable designs for large-scale hydrogen production plants. The goal is to make renewable hydrogen a viable option for decarbonizing industries and to establish Europe as a leader in hydrogen technology. The projects should focus on integrating existing technologies in new ways, optimizing plant operations, and ensuring that the designs are practical and scalable for industrial use. The EU is providing up to 2.5 million EUR per project to help achieve these goals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call specifies that consortia should include various stakeholders of the hydrogen value chain, including but not limited to components manufacturers, system manufacturers (at least 2), system integrators, project developers, plant operators, end users, sectorial clusters and associations. This suggests that eligible applicants could include startups, SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, and other relevant organizations involved in the hydrogen sector.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-JU-RIA) with funding provided as a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The call explicitly states that consortia should include various stakeholders of the hydrogen value chain.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The target countries for subcontracting are all Member States of the European Union and all Associated Countries, suggesting that applicants from these regions are eligible. 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 program targets the hydrogen sector, specifically focusing on large-scale electrolytic hydrogen production plants. It also touches on related sectors such as energy, cleantech, and industrial processes.

Mentioned Countries: The call mentions Member States of the European Union and Associated Countries as target countries for subcontracting.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is development and validation, with a focus on delivering a complete fully replicable plant concept and investment-grade engineering documentation. The projects should aim for FEED-level documentation, indicating a move towards commercialization.

Funding Amount: The JU (Joint Undertaking) estimates that an EU contribution of maximum EUR 2.50 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text mentions that for Hydrogen Valleys topics a large amount of co-investment/co-funding of project participants/beneficiaries including national and regional programmes is expected.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-02, aims to foster innovation in the design and deployment of cost-efficient and reliable gigawatt-scale electrolytic hydrogen production plants. The call seeks to address the challenges currently hindering the development of such plants, such as high CAPEX, fragmented system integration, and limited scalability. The goal is to develop novel concepts for highly efficient, cost-competitive, and reliable electrolytic hydrogen production plants at a scale of 400 MW or greater, with a clear path to scaling up to 1 GW and beyond.

The call requires applicants to form consortia comprising various stakeholders from the hydrogen value chain, including components manufacturers, system manufacturers, system integrators, project developers, plant operators, and end users. Projects should deliver a complete, fully replicable plant concept that complies with EU regulations and utilizes available resources like water and electricity.

Proposals should include detailed technical and economic analyses, such as RAM analysis, CAPEX Class 3 estimates, and OPEX assessments. The projects should also validate the proposed approach through a representative project case study. The funding is provided as a lump sum, with a maximum EU contribution of EUR 2.50 million per project. The call is open to applicants from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with subcontracting limited to these regions. The call aims to position Europe as a global leader in hydrogen technology and stimulate industrial investment in a sustainable hydrogen economy.