Demonstration for Long-duration Battery Energy Storage Systems (BATT4EU Partnership)

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity titled HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D2-08 focuses on "Demonstration for Long-duration Battery Energy Storage Systems" under the BATT4EU Partnership. The planned opening date for applications is May 5, 2027, with a deadline for submission on September 15, 2027. This initiative aims to support innovative projects that demonstrate long-duration energy storage solutions, which can significantly enhance grid stability and contribute to European energy autonomy and sustainability.

Eligible applicants for this funding include a wide range of organizations such as research institutions, universities, large enterprises, SMEs, and technology manufacturers involved in advancing battery systems. The opportunity explicitly excludes legal entities established in China from participation.

The funding type is structured as a grant under HORIZON Innovation Actions, with a total budget of €18,800,000 allocated to this specific topic. It is expected that up to two grants will be awarded, each up to €9,400,000, supporting system-level demonstrations of innovative battery technologies not yet commercially available. The emphasis will be on technologies capable of storing energy for more than 8 hours, including advanced solutions like redox flow batteries and metal-air systems.

The application process will be single-stage, requiring full proposal submissions without preliminary notes. Projects are expected to deliver not only practical demonstrations but also comprehensive techno-economic analyses, safety assessments, and exploitation plans for future commercialization.

The expected outcomes include substantial operational data regarding performance metrics and sustainability, aiding the transition to a clean energy system while maintaining competitiveness within the European battery sector. The grant will support the transition from research to market-ready solutions, aligning with strategic goals for climate action and renewable energy integration.

This opportunity represents a significant investment in advancing the capabilities and strategic interests of Europe’s energy sector, fostering collaborations among diverse stakeholders in the battery technology ecosystem.

This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals under the Batteries and Energy theme, specifically targeting demonstration projects for long-duration battery energy storage systems (BATT4EU Partnership). The call aims to facilitate the clean and sustainable transition of the energy and transport sectors towards climate neutrality.

The call, HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D2-08, is for HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and utilizes a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is May 5, 2027, and the deadline for submission is September 15, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget for this specific topic is 18,800,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 2 grants to be awarded, averaging around 9,400,000 EUR per grant.

The expected outcomes of funded projects include:

Demonstrated system-level long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions aimed at enhancing grid stability, resilience, and flexibility in Europe.
Substantial reduction of Europe's dependence on critical raw materials through the use of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials.
Contribution to strategic insights for a coherent EU-wide stationary storage deployment strategy, enhancing European energy autonomy and sustainability.
Sufficient and reproducible operational data and insights to serve as reliable input towards detailed techno-economic analyses.

The scope of the proposals should focus on system-level demonstrations of innovative long-duration (greater than 8 hours) battery storage concepts that can effectively support utility-scale energy systems or industrial consumers in achieving energy security and operational sustainability.

Projects are expected to cover the following points:

Demonstration of advanced long-duration storage technologies not yet on the market, such as novel redox flow batteries (standard or mediated), high-temperature systems, metal-air systems, multivalent chemistries (organic or aqueous), or other non-commercialized technologies or architectures.
Assessment and definition of use case(s) intended for the proposed technology (front-of-the-meter grid-scale storage, behind-the-meter large industrial energy consumer, firming of renewable generation) along with quantified impact on improved grid resilience, reduced emissions, safety, and lowered energy storage cost.
Assessment of hybridization potential of complementary energy storage technologies (e.g., redox flow batteries with supercapacitors) to optimize overall system performance for the intended use case(s) and extending system lifecycle.
Utilization of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials, explicitly prioritizing materials with reliable and scalable European supply chains, accompanied by realistic and detailed pathways to production routes at scale.
Integration of advanced digital technologies for accurate state-of-charge (SOC), state-of-health (SOH), and lifetime predictions, optimizing battery management systems (BMS), energy management systems (EMS), and overall component performance for extended system longevity.
Comprehensive techno-economic analyses, including realistic assessments of CAPEX, OPEX, based on measured technical performance metrics (e.g., self-discharge rates, calendar life, cycle life, round-trip efficiency, necessary safety investments) to clearly establish economic viability and competitiveness for the intended use-case in comparison to the commercial, incumbent technology.
Comprehensive safety assessment at system-level, documenting potential concerns (e.g., flammability, toxicity, explosion potential) and mitigation strategies ahead of widescale adoption of technology.

The Commission initiative for Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) sets a framework for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials which should be considered as a reference for project proposals. Exploitation plans should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialization, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used (in particular the Innovation Fund).

Proposals could consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), whose contribution could consist of performing experimental or desk-top research on battery performance or safety.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU). Projects will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination.

General conditions for admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award, and legal and financial setup are described in the relevant annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme and the Online Manual.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System. Standard evaluation forms will be used with necessary adaptations. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and Model Grant Agreements (MGA). Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and other related documents.

Partner search announcements are available for those seeking collaboration. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity seeks to advance long-duration battery energy storage technologies to enhance grid stability, reduce reliance on critical raw materials, and promote European energy autonomy. It calls for system-level demonstrations of innovative battery concepts, emphasizing the use of sustainable materials, integration of digital technologies, and comprehensive techno-economic and safety assessments. The goal is to facilitate the transition to a clean and sustainable energy system while fostering the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the European battery value chain.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the nature of Horizon Europe Innovation Actions (IAs), eligible applicants could include a wide range of legal entities such as 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 selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG], under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) funding scheme. This indicates that the funding will be provided as a grant with a budget-based approach.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium of multiple applicants. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that applicants are expected to form consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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 batteries and energy storage technologies. The call aims to facilitate the clean and sustainable transition of the energy and transport sectors towards climate neutrality. It targets long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions, advanced battery technologies, and related digital technologies.

Mentioned Countries: China is explicitly mentioned as legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. The European Union and its associated countries are implied as the primary geographic focus.

Project Stage: The project stage is demonstration. Proposals should focus on system-level demonstrations of innovative long-duration battery storage concepts. The call is for Innovation Actions, which typically involve demonstrating and scaling up existing technologies.

Funding Amount: The budget overview provides the following information for the HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D2-08 topic: a total budget of EUR 18,800,000 is allocated, with an indicative contribution of around EUR 9,400,000 per grant, and an indicative number of 2 grants. The budget overview provides the following information for the HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D4-05 topic: a total budget of EUR 20,250,000 is allocated, with an indicative contribution of around EUR 6,750,000 per grant, and an indicative number of 3 grants. The budget overview provides the following information for the HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D4-06 topic: a total budget of EUR 15,750,000 is allocated, with an indicative contribution of around EUR 5,250,000 per grant, and an indicative number of 3 grants. The budget overview provides the following information for the HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D4-07 topic: a total budget of EUR 27,000,000 is allocated, with an indicative contribution of around EUR 6,750,000 per grant, and an indicative number of 4 grants. The budget overview provides the following information for the HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D4-09 topic: a total budget of EUR 13,500,000 is allocated, with an indicative contribution of around EUR 6,750,000 per grant, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

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 grant to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate, which would depend on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the Batteries and Energy theme (HORIZON-CL5-2027-05), focuses on "Demonstration for Long-duration Battery Energy Storage Systems (BATT4EU Partnership)". It aims to support projects that demonstrate innovative long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions to enhance grid stability, resilience, and flexibility in Europe, while reducing dependence on critical raw materials. The call encourages the use of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials, as well as the integration of advanced digital technologies for battery management. Projects should demonstrate advanced long-duration storage technologies not yet on the market, assess use cases, evaluate hybridization potential, utilize sustainable materials, integrate digital technologies, conduct techno-economic analyses, and perform comprehensive safety assessments. The call is structured as a single-stage application process, with funding provided as a HORIZON Action Grant. Consortia are expected, and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) can participate. Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate. The call contributes to the EU's strategic goals of green and digital transitions, energy autonomy, and climate neutrality. The opening date is planned for May 5, 2027, and the deadline for submission is September 15, 2027.