Demonstration of advanced airframe for ultra-efficient regional aircraft

This Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking Call 4 Large Scale Project HORIZON-JU funds development and TRL6 ground demonstration of an advanced airframe for a hybrid-electric Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft (UERA). Submission opens 31 March 2026 and the deadline is 19 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, single-stage via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The topic has an indicative allocation of €40 million within the €329.5 million Call 4 package and targets a 10% aircraft-level CO2 reduction from airframe technologies versus 2020 state of the art to support entry into service by 2035. Eligible consortia must meet Horizon Europe rules (minimum consortium composition), funding rates are 70% for for-profits (up to 100% for non-profits), and participation exclusions and country-specific funding restrictions apply.

Demonstration of advanced airframe for ultra-efficient regional aircraft

Clean Aviation CfP 04 — Topic HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04-REG-01

Call type and objective

This is a Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking single-stage call topic under Horizon Europe (HORIZON-JU-IA Innovation Actions). It funds development and ground demonstration of an advanced airframe (wing, fuselage, empennage and enabling systems) for an Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft concept based on hybrid-electric propulsion. The topic targets a 10% CO2 reduction contribution from airframe technologies vs 2020 state of the art and aims for ground demonstrations to TRL6 supporting entry into service by 2035 ¹.

Who can apply:Consortia of legal entities (industry, OEMs, suppliers, research organisations, test centres, SMEs and other relevant partners) established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries. Applicants must follow Clean Aviation and Horizon Europe eligibility, ethics and security rules ¹.

1. 1Action type: HORIZON-JU-IA (Innovation Action)
2. 2Funding instrument: HORIZON Action Grant (budget-based, model MGA)
3. 3Project scope: airframe technologies to TRL6, hybrid-electric regional aircraft focus

Proposals must follow the topic description and submission templates available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The call uses Horizon Europe admissibility, eligibility, evaluation and grant rules; proposal templates, Q&A and partner search tools are published on the topic page Topic page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full topic description, application templates, evaluation rules and Q&A are on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page (see link above). Check the call publication for Clean Aviation CfP 04 for topic-specific eligibility, budget and document updates.

Demonstration of advanced airframe for ultra-efficient regional aircraft (HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04-REG-01)

Programme: Clean Aviation CfP 04 (HORIZON-JU-Clean-Aviation-2026-01). Type of action: HORIZON-JU-IA (Horizon Europe Joint Undertaking Innovation Action). Deadline model: single-stage. Planned opening: 31 March 2026. Deadline: 19 May 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time. Submission: via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity Summary

This topic will fund the development and ground demonstration (up to TRL6) of an advanced airframe for the Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft concept based on hybrid-electric propulsion. The work covers wing, fuselage, empennage and key enabling systems, with a targeted 10% reduction of CO2 emissions attributable to airframe technologies versus the 2020 state of the art. The developments are intended to support entry into service by 2035. The topic is part of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking portfolio, aligned to its impact-driven approach and High-Level Objectives.

What the Call Funds: Technical Scope and Expectations

• Airframe integrated technologies: structural architectures, aeroelastic tailoring, load control and alleviation, high-lift and drag-reduction solutions, lightweight advanced materials and manufacturing processes, integrated systems.
• Hybrid-electric integration enablers at airframe level: thermal management interfaces, structural and system layout accommodations, electromagnetic compatibility and shielding provisions as relevant to airframe design.
• Demonstration scope: ground-based demonstrations to Technology Readiness Level 6 (system/subsystem model or prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment).
• Performance target: contribution to 10% CO2 reduction from airframe technologies relative to 2020 state of the art for regional aircraft.
• Time horizon: contributions enabling entry into service by 2035.

Key Dates and Process

• Planned opening date: 31 March 2026.
• Submission deadline: 19 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time.
• Single-stage submission and evaluation.
• Q&A publications: first release on 17 February 2026; second release on 17 April 2026.
• Templates and supporting documents available at call publication; financial annex templates available around mid-March 2026.
• Partner search available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Call Budget Context:The overall call HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04 has a total budget of €329,500,000 covering multiple IA, RIA and CSA topics. The specific topic budget for HORIZON-JU is not separately published on the call page.

Evaluation and Award

• Award criteria (Innovation Actions): Excellence; Impact (weight 1.5); Quality and efficiency of the implementation. Thresholds: minimum 3/5 per criterion and 10/15 overall.
• Process: Individual evaluation by at least three external experts (often five or more for large topics), consensus group, Topic Panel Review; optional Call Panel Review for cross-topic consistency.
• Hearings: May be organised during consensus to clarify scope, synergies, technical aspects, and budget optimisation.
• Indicative timeline for information on the outcome: around 5 months from the deadline; grant agreement signature target around 8 months from the deadline.
• Specific Clean Aviation large-scale IA evaluation template applies.

Legal and Financial Set-up

• Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].
• Funding rate (IA): up to 70% of eligible costs for for-profit entities; up to 100% for non-profit legal entities.
• Cost eligibility and reporting: As per Horizon Europe MGA (Articles 6 and 21); continuous and periodic reporting via the Portal.
• Ethics, security, data protection, communication and visibility obligations: As per Horizon Europe General Annexes and the MGA.
• EASA engagement: A Clean Aviation contract template is provided for services by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). If involved, EASA support is procured by the consortium (e.g., coordinator) and chargeable as other goods and services. EASA activities remain independent from certification decisions.

Mandatory and Reference Documents

• Clean Aviation Work Programme 2026–27 and the Full Description of Topics.
• Horizon Europe General Annexes (admissibility, eligibility, capacity, award, procedures, legal and financial set-up).
• CAJU Rules for submission, evaluation, selection, award and review procedures.
• Application forms and Evaluation form templates (HE RIA/IA; CAJU large scale IA template).
• Model Grant Agreements, Online Manual, HE Programme Guide.
• Templates for financial annexes: estimated budget per reporting period, work package description, effort, cost breakdown per beneficiary, budget summary per applicant and WP, in-kind contribution annex.
• Clean Aviation contract template for services by EASA.

Categorisation and Structured Information

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants are legal entities established in eligible countries under Horizon Europe. Typical participant profiles include: large enterprises (airframe/aircraft OEMs, Tier-1/Tier-2 suppliers), SMEs, startups with relevant aerospace technologies, universities, research and technology organisations (RTOs), nonprofit research bodies, and public bodies. International European research organisations may participate. EASA may provide services but is not a beneficiary. Entities from certain countries may face restrictions (see Geographic Eligibility and Restrictions).

Funding Type

Grant (Horizon Europe Innovation Action under the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking).

Consortium Requirement

Standard Horizon Europe IA eligibility requires a consortium of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country, with at least one in an EU Member State. Clean Aviation specific rules allow, where justified in the topic/work programme, a derogation enabling a single legal entity established in a Member State or Associated Country; applicants must verify the topic-specific conditions in the Full Topic Description and the Work Programme. Consortia must appoint a coordinator and conclude a consortium agreement governing internal arrangements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Eligible for participation are legal entities from EU Member States (including outermost regions) and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Other countries may participate, with funding eligibility defined in the General Annexes. Special restrictions apply to some third countries. Entities established in Russia, Belarus or in non-government-controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity. Entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions in any capacity unless an exception is granted case-by-case. EU restrictive measures also apply.

Target Sector

• Aviation and aerospace (regional aircraft airframe).
• Energy and environment (CO2 reduction through airframe efficiency).
• Advanced materials and manufacturing (lightweight structures, novel processes).
• Systems integration for hybrid-electric propulsion at airframe level.
• Aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, structures, and flight physics.

Mentioned Countries / Regions

Regions explicitly covered: EU Member States; Horizon Europe Associated Countries; eligible low- and middle-income countries per Horizon Europe General Annexes; with restrictions for Russia, Belarus, non-government controlled territories of Ukraine (ineligible to participate); and specific ineligibility for entities established in China for Innovation Actions unless explicitly excepted. Refer to the Horizon Europe General Annex B and the Horizon Europe List of Participating Countries for up-to-date details.

Project Stage (Maturity)

• Development and validation of airframe technologies.
• Ground demonstration in relevant environment up to TRL6.
• Pre-certification engagement and regulatory readiness activities as appropriate (e.g., via EASA advisory services) to de-risk future certification.

Funding Amount

Specific topic budget is not published on the call page. The overall Clean Aviation CfP 04 call budget is €329,500,000 across multiple topics (IAs, RIAs, CSAs). Given the large-scale demonstration scope and TRL6 targets, projects in this topic can be expected to be sizeable; applicants should define realistic budgets aligned with work breakdown, cost efficiency, and value for money.

Application Type

Open call, single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals must follow the admissibility and eligibility requirements and use the official application forms provided in the Submission System.

Nature of Support

Financial support (grants). Non-financial support includes general guidance, online manuals, NCP assistance, and the possibility to procure advisory services from EASA under a separate service contract if relevant.

Application Stages

• Single-stage proposal submission.
• Evaluation by independent experts (individual, consensus, Topic Panel; optional Call Panel review).
• Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) for retained proposals, including potential technical and financial adjustments, and linkage/synergies with other actions where requested by CAJU.

Success Rates

No success rate is provided for this specific topic or call on the call page. Success rates vary annually and by topic, depending on competition and available budget.

Co-funding Requirement

Innovation Actions under Horizon Europe generally fund up to 70% of eligible costs for for-profit entities and up to 100% for non-profit legal entities. Co-funding is therefore required for for-profit beneficiaries. All consortia must ensure the financial capacity to cover their share of costs and any potential cash-flow implications (e.g., pre-financing offsets due to outstanding debts).

Evaluation Criteria and Process Details

• Excellence: clarity and pertinence of objectives; soundness of methodology; appropriate consideration of the gender dimension and open science practices.
• Impact (weight 1.5 in IA ranking): credibility of pathways to the expected outcomes and impacts; quality of measures to maximise expected outcomes and impacts (dissemination, exploitation, communication).
• Quality and efficiency of the implementation: work plan quality, risk assessment, resource allocation; capacity and roles of participants; consortium completeness.
• Minimum thresholds: 3/5 per criterion, 10/15 overall. Proposals are ranked; tie-breaking and portfolio considerations may apply as per Work Programme rules.

Admissibility and Eligibility Highlights

• Proposals must be submitted electronically before the deadline, using the official forms. Page limits apply as indicated in the online template.
• Participants must be registered in the Participant Register (PIC) and comply with financial and operational capacity criteria.
• Ethics and security: compliance with the highest ethical standards and relevant EU/national/international law; security appraisal if applicable.
• Exclusions: Entities subject to EU restrictive measures are not eligible. In addition, entities established in Russia, Belarus, or non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity. Entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions, unless an exception is granted on a case-by-case basis.

Templates: Application Forms and Structure

• Part A (online): administrative data of applicants, abstract, keywords, call-specific questions, ethics and security sections.
• Part B (uploaded PDF): Technical description structured along Excellence, Impact, Quality and Efficiency of Implementation; includes work plan (WPs, deliverables, milestones), risk management, consortium description, capacity, open science, data management, ethics considerations, communication/exploitation plans.
• Compulsory financial annexes (as applicable): estimated budget per reporting period; detailed work package description; detailed work package effort; cost breakdown per beneficiary; budget summary per applicant and work package; in-kind contributions.
• Specific annexes if relevant: Information on financial support to third parties; Information on clinical studies (not expected for this aviation topic); security-related annexes if applicable.
• Model Grant Agreement (HORIZON-AG) as contractual reference.

Clean Aviation-Specific Provisions and Linkages

• CAJU may request linkages between funded actions (e.g., across platforms or thrusts) and set cooperation agreements to ensure programme-level synergies.
• During Grant Agreement Preparation, CAJU may recommend technical adjustments and budget optimisation to enhance alignment with SRIA High-Level Objectives.
• EASA advisory involvement is facilitated via a dedicated service contract template; associated costs borne by the consortium can be eligible under other goods and services as per MGA Article 6.2.C.3.

Partner Search and Support Services

• Partner search announcements can be posted by LEARs/Account Administrators/self-registrants and users with public profiles.
• Support: Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, National Contact Points (including in many third countries), Enterprise Europe Network, IPR Helpdesk, standards bodies helpdesks (CEN-CENELEC, ETSI).

Compliance, Ethics and Security

• Ethics self-assessment is required; projects may be subject to ethics screening/assessment and must address any ethics requirements in the grant.
• Security appraisal applies if classified or sensitive information is involved; EUCI handling rules may apply.
• Gender equality: certain organisations (public bodies, research organisations, higher education institutions in MS/AC) must have a Gender Equality Plan in place by grant signature.

Reporting and Payment Basics

• Continuous reporting of deliverables and milestones via the Portal.
• Periodic reporting (technical and financial) per the schedule defined in the GA; payments include pre-financing, possible interim payments, and final payment.
• Funding rate (IA): 70% for for-profit entities; up to 100% for non-profit legal entities.

How to Prepare a Competitive Proposal

• Align the work plan to deliver TRL6 ground demonstrations of airframe subsystems/systems supporting hybrid-electric propulsion and quantify the 10% CO2 airframe contribution baseline versus 2020 SoA.
• Detail measurable KPIs for aerodynamic/structural efficiency, mass targets, manufacturability, maintainability, and integration readiness relevant to a 2035 EIS.
• Map certification readiness activities and envisaged engagement with EASA (e.g., concept of operations, MoC, regulatory gaps, standards development) to de-risk future certification.
• Demonstrate strong consortium capacity and clear governance, risk and quality management, with realistic schedules and resources for large-scale demonstrators.
• Provide a robust dissemination, exploitation and communication plan, including IP strategy, standardisation pathways, and industry uptake scenarios.

Summary Explanation

This Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking Innovation Action funds large-scale, industry-led R&D and ground demonstrations to advance the airframe of a hybrid-electric, ultra-efficient regional aircraft. The topic targets a 10% reduction in CO2 from airframe technologies compared to 2020, culminating in TRL6 demonstrations that pave the way for entry into service by 2035. Proposals must address the wing, fuselage, empennage and enabling systems, showing credible performance gains, manufacturability, integration with hybrid-electric systems, and pathways to certification readiness. The call follows Horizon Europe rules for admissibility, eligibility, evaluation and grant management, with IA funding rates (70% for for-profit; up to 100% for non-profits). It is a single-stage open call, evaluated by independent experts against Excellence, Impact (weighted 1.5) and Implementation. Applicants submit via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the official templates. The overall call budget is €329.5 million across multiple topics; the specific topic budget is not published. Clean Aviation may request linkages across actions and encourages early engagement with EASA (supported by a dedicated service contract template) to address regulatory and standardisation aspects. Eligible applicants span aerospace industry (large enterprises, SMEs), universities and RTOs from EU Member States and Associated Countries, under standard HE eligibility and additional regional restrictions (e.g., ineligibility of entities established in China for IAs, and exclusions concerning Russia/Belarus and non-government controlled territories of Ukraine). Proposals should present credible, quantitatively supported pathways to TRL6 airframe demonstration, robust consortium capacity, comprehensive risk and implementation planning, and clear dissemination, exploitation and standardisation strategies to maximise the Clean Aviation programme’s climate impact and European industrial leadership.

Funding Opportunity Analysis: Demonstration of Advanced Airframe for Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft

Overview

This is a Large Scale Project (LSP) Innovation Action (IA) under the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) Call 4 for Proposals. The opportunity focuses on developing and demonstrating an advanced airframe for ultra-efficient regional aircraft based on hybrid-electric propulsion, targeting a 10% CO2 reduction contribution from airframe technologies compared to 2020 State of the Art.

Key Funding Details

Opportunity Identifier:HORIZON-JU

Call Title:Clean Aviation Call 4 for Proposals

Type of Action:HORIZON-JU-IA (Innovation Action)

Submission Deadline:19 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission Opening:31 March 2026

Indicative Budget Allocation:€40 million for this specific topic (REG-01), part of the €329.5 million total Call 4 budget

Expected Number of Projects:Up to 1 project

Project Objectives and Scope

The project must develop and demonstrate an advanced airframe including the wing, fuselage, empennage, and key enabling systems for the Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft (UERA) concept based on hybrid-electric propulsion. The airframe technologies must contribute to a 10% CO2 reduction at aircraft level compared to 2020 State of the Art. Ground demonstrations must reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to support entry into service by 2035.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Consortium Composition:Unless otherwise provided in specific call conditions, consortia must include at least three independent legal entities established in different countries: at least one from an EU Member State and at least two from different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Eligible Participants:Any legal entity regardless of place of establishment, including from non-associated third countries or international organisations, may participate. However, only entities established in EU Member States, Associated Countries, or specific low- and middle-income countries are eligible for funding. Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions in any capacity.

Eligible Countries for Funding:EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories linked to Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and specific low- and middle-income countries as listed in the General Annex to the Main Work Programme.

Restrictions:Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment are not eligible. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures, those established in Russia, Belarus, or non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible. Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 are not eligible for funded roles.

Funding Rate and Financial Terms

Funding Rate:70% for Innovation Actions (except for non-profit legal entities, where up to 100% applies)

Grant Form:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant

No-Profit Rule:Grants may not produce a profit. If there is a surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs, it will be deducted from the final grant amount.

Budget Flexibility:Budget breakdown may be adjusted without amendment by transfers between participants, provided this does not imply substantive or important changes to the action description.

Eligible Costs

Eligible costs include personnel costs, subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods and services), and indirect costs calculated as a 25% flat-rate of total eligible direct costs (excluding subcontracting and financial support to third parties).

Personnel Costs:Salaries, social security contributions, taxes and other remuneration-linked costs for employees or equivalent, calculated on actual costs incurred. Daily rate is calculated as annual personnel costs divided by 215 working days. Maximum 215 day-equivalents per person per year.

Subcontracting:Costs for work programme-related activities must be awarded using beneficiary's usual purchasing practices ensuring best value for money or lowest price, with no conflicts of interest. Public procurement rules apply to contracting authorities.

Equipment:Depreciation costs only, calculated on actual costs and written off according to international accounting standards and beneficiary's usual practices. Only the portion corresponding to actual use for the action during project duration is eligible.

Ineligible Costs:Return on capital, dividends, debt service, provisions for future losses, interest, currency exchange losses, bank transfer costs, excessive expenditure, deductible VAT, costs during grant suspension, costs declared under other EU grants (except Synergy actions), staff costs of national administrations for normal activities, and costs for EU institution staff.

Evaluation Criteria and Scoring

Proposals are evaluated against three award criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Each criterion is scored 0-5 (half-marks allowed). Individual criterion threshold is 3/5. Overall threshold is 10/15. For Innovation Actions, the Impact criterion receives a weighting of 1.5 for ranking purposes.

Excellence Criterion:Clarity and pertinence of project objectives and extent to which proposed work is ambitious and goes beyond state of the art. Soundness of proposed methodology including underlying concepts, models, assumptions, gender dimension consideration, and quality of open science practices.

Impact Criterion:Credibility of pathways to achieve expected outcomes and impacts specified in work programme, and likely scale and significance of project contributions. Suitability and quality of measures to maximise expected outcomes and impacts through dissemination and exploitation plan, including communication activities.

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation Criterion:Quality and effectiveness of work plan, assessment of risks, and appropriateness of effort assigned to work packages and resources overall. Capacity and role of each participant and extent to which consortium brings together necessary expertise.

Reporting and Payment Schedule

Continuous Reporting:Beneficiaries must report on action progress (deliverables, milestones, outputs/outcomes, critical risks, indicators) in the Portal Continuous Reporting tool according to timing and conditions agreed with granting authority.

Periodic Reporting:Technical and financial reports must be submitted according to schedule set in Data Sheet. Financial statements must detail eligible costs and contributions by budget category. Beneficiaries confirm by signing that information is complete, reliable and true, costs are eligible, and can be substantiated by adequate records.

Payment Arrangements:Payments made in euro to coordinator's bank account. Initial prefinancing typically 30 days from entry into force or 10 days before starting date (whichever latest). Interim and final payments follow periodic report approval. Mutual Insurance Mechanism contribution (5-8% of maximum grant) retained from initial prefinancing. Late payment interest at ECB + 3.5%.

Project Duration and Timeline

Project starting date is normally the first day of the month following entry into force of the grant agreement. Project duration is specified in the Data Sheet. Extensions are possible only exceptionally for duly justified reasons if granting authority agrees.

Expected Evaluation Timeline:Information on evaluation outcome expected around 5 months from submission deadline. Indicative date for grant agreement signature around 8 months from submission deadline.

Key Obligations and Requirements

Proper Implementation:Beneficiaries must implement the action as described in Annex 1 in compliance with Agreement provisions, call conditions, and all applicable EU, international and national law. Breach may result in grant reduction or other measures.

Conflict of Interest:Beneficiaries must take all measures to prevent situations where impartial and objective implementation could be compromised. Any conflict of interest must be formally notified to granting authority without delay and rectified immediately. Breach may result in grant reduction, termination, or other measures.

Confidentiality and Security:Data, documents or material identified as sensitive must be kept confidential during implementation and for at least 5 years after final payment. Classified information must be handled according to applicable EU, international or national law. Breach may result in grant reduction or other measures.

Ethics and Values:Action must be carried out in line with highest ethical standards and applicable law on ethical principles. Beneficiaries must commit to and ensure respect of basic EU values including human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights. Breach may result in grant reduction or other measures.

Data Protection:Beneficiaries must process personal data in compliance with applicable EU, international and national law, particularly Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). Data must be processed lawfully, fairly, transparently, and with appropriate security. Breach may result in grant reduction or other measures.

Intellectual Property Rights:Beneficiaries must give each other and other participants access to background identified as needed for implementing the action. Granting authority does not obtain ownership of results. Granting authority has royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to use non-sensitive information and materials for policy, information, communication, dissemination and publicity purposes. Breach may result in grant reduction or other measures.

Communication and Visibility:Beneficiaries must promote action and results by providing targeted information to multiple audiences in strategic, coherent and effective manner. Communication activities must acknowledge EU support and display European flag and funding statement. Disclaimer must indicate that views expressed are author's only and do not necessarily reflect those of EU or granting authority. Breach may result in grant reduction or other measures.

Record-Keeping:Beneficiaries must keep records and supporting documents for at least 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000) to prove proper implementation and justify declared amounts. Records must be made available upon request or during checks, audits or investigations. Insufficiently substantiated costs will be rejected and grant may be reduced.

Consortium Agreement

If required by granting authority, beneficiaries must have written consortium agreement covering internal organisation, Portal access management, different distribution keys for payments and financial responsibilities in case of recoveries, additional rules on background and results rights, dispute settlement, and liability/indemnification/confidentiality arrangements. Internal arrangements must not contain provisions contrary to the grant agreement.

Applicable Law and Dispute Settlement

Applicable Law:Standard regime: EU law plus law of Belgium. Special applicable law regimes may apply to specific beneficiaries as set in Data Sheet.

Dispute Settlement Forum:For EU beneficiaries: EU General Court plus EU Court of Justice (on appeal). For non-EU beneficiaries: Courts of Brussels, Belgium (unless international agreement provides for enforceability of EU court judgements). Special dispute settlement forums may apply to specific beneficiaries.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Non-compliance with Agreement obligations may result in rejection of contributions, grant reduction, payment deadline suspension, payment suspension, grant agreement suspension, grant agreement or beneficiary termination, damages claims, or administrative sanctions. Specific consequences depend on nature and severity of breach.

Rejection of Contributions:Ineligible costs or contributions will be rejected. This may lead to other measures in Chapter 5 of the grant agreement.

Grant Reduction:Grant may be reduced if beneficiary breaches obligations under proper implementation, conflict of interest, confidentiality and security, ethics and values, data protection, intellectual property rights, communication/dissemination/visibility, or specific rules for carrying out action articles.

Suspension and Termination:Payment deadline may be suspended if beneficiary fails to submit required information or documents. Payment may be suspended if beneficiary breaches obligations. Grant agreement may be suspended by consortium request or EU-initiated. Grant agreement or beneficiary participation may be terminated by consortium request or EU-initiated for serious breaches.

Additional Important Information

Gender Equality:Beneficiaries must take all measures to promote equal opportunities between men and women and achieve gender balance at all personnel levels where possible. Public bodies, research organisations and higher education establishments from Member States and Associated Countries must have a gender equality plan in place by grant signature, covering publication, dedicated resources, data collection/monitoring, and training on gender equality.

Open Science Practices:Beneficiaries must implement appropriate open science practices as integral part of proposed methodology, including sharing and management of research outputs and engagement of citizens and civil society where appropriate.

Linked Actions:If this action is linked to other actions, beneficiaries must have arrangements with participants of other actions to ensure both are implemented and coordinated properly. If required by granting authority, arrangements must be set out in written collaboration agreement.

Seal of Excellence:Proposals judged to deserve funding but not funded due to budget limits may receive a Seal of Excellence. With prior applicant authorisation, granting authority may share proposal information and evaluation with interested financing authorities subject to confidentiality agreements.

Checks, Reviews, Audits and Investigations:Granting authority may conduct checks, reviews and audits to verify proper implementation and compliance. OLAF, EPPO and ECA may conduct audits and investigations. Beneficiaries must allow access to records and premises. Findings from other grants may be extended to this grant no later than 2 years after final payment.

Impact Evaluation:Granting authority may conduct impact evaluations up to 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000) to assess action's impact and contribution to programme objectives.

Key Deadlines and Milestones

1. 131 March 2026: Call opens for proposal submission
2. 219 May 2026 17:00 Brussels time: Submission deadline
3. 3Around August 2026: Information on evaluation outcome expected
4. 4Around November 2026: Indicative date for grant agreement signature
5. 5By end of 2026: Configuration of ATR 72-based demonstrator aircraft to be frozen (per DEMETRA project timeline)
6. 6By end of 2029: Flight tests of demonstrator aircraft expected to start (per DEMETRA project timeline)
7. 72035: Target entry into service for next-generation regional aircraft

Strategic Context

This opportunity is part of Clean Aviation's Ultra-Efficient Regional Aircraft (UERA) initiative, which envisions a next-generation regional aircraft concept with capacity for approximately 50-100 passengers and design range up to 500 Nautical Miles, typically operating on 250NM missions. The initiative targets 30% CO2 reduction and 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) compatibility, with entry into service by 2035. This specific topic focuses on the airframe component, which is expected to contribute 10% of the overall 30% CO2 reduction target. The project aligns with Clean Aviation's broader objectives to accelerate development of climate-neutral aviation technologies and support European aviation sector competitiveness and leadership.

Applicants should note that the Clean Aviation programme emphasises impact-driven approaches, with particular focus on achieving measurable environmental benefits, supporting European technological autonomy, and ensuring timely market deployment of developed technologies. The programme also prioritises synergies between projects and coordination with regulatory bodies like EASA to facilitate certification readiness.