Development of hydropower technologies and water management schemes allowing for win-win situation of flexible hydropower and biodiversity improvement – Societal Readiness Pilot

The EU grant opportunity, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-04, focuses on developing hydropower technologies and water management schemes that foster a win-win situation between flexible hydropower generation and biodiversity enhancement. It is part of the Horizon Europe Program, specifically within Cluster 5, and emphasizes societal readiness, requiring interdisciplinary approaches that include relevant social sciences and humanities expertise. The funding mechanism is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, allowing for full coverage of eligible costs without co-funding requirements.

Eligible applicants may include research institutions, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and NGOs. The call encourages consortia of at least three partners from different EU member states or associated countries. The project scope targets the energy sector with a focus on renewable sources, particularly hydropower, while also addressing ecological and societal impacts.

The budget allocated for this call is €12 million, with an indicative expectation of awarding three grants, averaging around €4 million each. The application process is single-stage, open from May 6, 2025, until September 2, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The projects should aim to develop innovative solutions that enhance both the operational flexibility of hydropower systems and the ecological integrity of river ecosystems, considering societal needs and stakeholder engagement.

Key aspects include the importance of involving local communities and addressing concerns related to hydropower's impact on ecosystems. The proposals should ensure that enhancements in environmental performance do not compromise hydropower generation efficiency. Exclusions apply to research on pumped storage hydropower and unrelated water management schemes.

Evaluation criteria, application submission processes, and specific eligibility conditions are outlined in the Work Programme General Annexes. The call encourages collaboration and emphasizes social acceptability and community benefits in the solutions developed. Overall, this grant represents a significant opportunity for innovative projects aimed at bridging the gap between energy production and ecological conservation.

This EU grant opportunity, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-04, focuses on the development of hydropower technologies and water management schemes that create a win-win situation between flexible hydropower generation and biodiversity improvement. It is a Societal Readiness Pilot under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically within Cluster 5, Call 02-2025 (WP 2025). The type of action is HORIZON-RIA, which stands for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, and it utilizes a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement.

The call is currently open for submission as of May 6, 2025, with a deadline of September 2, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this grant are:

Enhanced capacity and flexibility of the hydropower fleet to contribute to renewable energy systems and management of water flows.

Increased technology leadership, competitiveness, and technology export potential of the European hydropower industry.

Enhanced sustainability of hydropower with positive effects on river ecosystems and biodiversity, while considering adaptation to climate change.

Responsiveness to a deeper understanding of the needs and concerns of diverse social groups, citizens, and civil society involved in or potentially affected by the R&I development, thereby increasing the potential for beneficial societal uptake and building trust in results and outcomes.

The scope of the projects should include:

Developing hydropower technology solutions or improved water management schemes, or a combination of both, that allow for synergies between flexible hydropower energy generation and local ecosystem management for existing run-of-river hydropower or reservoir hydropower plants or cascades of such plants connected to the grid.

Addressing thematic areas such as hydropeaking, floodplain biotopes, sediment transport, river morphology restoration, and environmentally efficient water flows, also considering the effects of climate change.

Considering societal needs and the participation of local communities in decision processes to build trust.

Enhancing the flexibility of hydropower generation according to current and expected power grid needs and water availability, while being highly sustainable and creating positive impacts on river ecosystems and biodiversity through equipment, material, and digital innovation, nature-inclusive design, ecosystem restoration solutions, and innovative and sustainable reservoir and water flow operation and management.

Ensuring that developed solutions do not reduce hydropower generation efficiency and equipment functionality while improving environmental performances in a win-win optimization.

Assessing the respective impacts for both energy and biodiversity.

Exclusions:

Research and Innovation on pumped storage hydropower.

Water management schemes not related to hydropower or not directly connected to natural water bodies.

Societal Readiness Pilot:

Proposals should follow the instructions applying to the Societal readiness pilot, as described in the introduction of the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme 2025 for Climate, Energy and Mobility. This involves using an interdisciplinary approach to deepen consideration and responsiveness of research and innovation activities to societal needs and concerns.

SSH Expertise:

The topic requires effective contribution of relevant Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) expertise, including the involvement of SSH experts in the consortium, to meaningfully support Societal Readiness. SSH expertise is expected to facilitate the socio-technological interface and enable the design of project objectives with Societal Readiness related activities.

Admissibility Conditions:

Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. The page limit is extended by two pages to 52 to address Societal Readiness-related issues.

Eligible Countries:

Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions:

Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and Operational Capacity and Exclusion:

Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and Award:

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal and Financial Set-Up:

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of July 7, 2021. This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal.

Specific Conditions:

Described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and Evaluation Forms and Model Grant Agreement (MGA):

Application form templates are available in the Submission System.

The standard application form (HE RIA, IA) has a page limit extended by two pages to 52 to address Societal Readiness-related issues.

Guidance:

HE Programme Guide

Model Grant Agreements (MGA): Lump Sum MGA

Call-specific instructions: Detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on lump sums.

Additional Documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Budget Overview:

The total budget for HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-04 is 12,000,000 EUR. The opening date is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is September 2, 2025. The indicative number of grants is around 3, with an average contribution of 4,000,000 EUR per grant.

Partner Search:

There are 8 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The submission session is now available for the following topics: HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-09, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-26, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-11, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-15, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-11, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-17, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-25, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-12, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-16, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-10, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-04, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-03, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-21, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-27, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-03, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-06, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-08, HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-06.

This Horizon Europe call seeks to fund research and innovation projects that can develop hydropower technologies and water management strategies that not only enhance the flexibility and sustainability of hydropower generation but also positively impact river ecosystems and biodiversity. The focus is on creating solutions that address the societal needs and concerns related to hydropower, ensuring that local communities are involved in the decision-making processes. The projects should aim for a win-win scenario where energy production and environmental preservation are optimized together. The call encourages interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of social sciences and humanities expertise to ensure that the developed solutions are socially acceptable and beneficial. Projects focusing solely on pumped storage hydropower or water management schemes unrelated to hydropower are excluded. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and proposals should adhere to specific guidelines regarding page limits and content, with an extended page limit to address societal readiness aspects comprehensively.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) funding, eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other types of organizations involved in research and innovation activities. The inclusion of Societal Readiness pilot suggests that participation of local communities and consideration of societal needs are important, implying that NGOs and other civil society organizations could also be relevant participants.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are also HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions, HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions and HORIZON Innovation Actions.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the call encourages interdisciplinary approaches and the involvement of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) expertise, suggesting that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred to ensure a comprehensive approach to the topic. Partner search announcements are available, further suggesting that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for EU member states and associated countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. However, the text mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is energy, specifically renewable energy with a focus on hydropower. This includes the development of hydropower technologies, water management schemes, and ecosystem management related to hydropower plants. It also touches on environment, climate, and biodiversity.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states and associated countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The opportunity targets both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA), suggesting that it covers a range of project stages from research and development to demonstration and validation. The focus on Societal Readiness indicates an interest in projects that are closer to deployment and have considered societal impacts.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €500,000 to €69,000,000. For the specific topic "Development of hydropower technologies and water management schemes allowing for win-win situation of flexible hydropower and biodiversity improvement," the budget is €12,000,000, with an indicative number of 3 grants, suggesting an average grant size of around €4,000,000.

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 is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For the specific topic "Development of hydropower technologies and water management schemes allowing for win-win situation of flexible hydropower and biodiversity improvement," the indicative number of grants is 3, which gives a rough idea of the expected success rate based on the number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) explicitly require co-funding. For other actions, co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, but it is common for Horizon Europe projects to require some level of co-funding from the applicants or other sources.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on the development of hydropower technologies and water management schemes that can enhance the flexibility and sustainability of hydropower generation while also improving river ecosystems and biodiversity. It is a Societal-Readiness pilot, emphasizing the importance of considering societal needs and involving local communities in the decision-making processes. The call is open to a wide range of applicants from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-associated countries. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is single-stage. The call aims to support projects that are at various stages of development, from research and innovation to demonstration and validation, with a particular emphasis on projects that are closer to deployment and have considered societal impacts. The total budget for the call is significant, with individual topics ranging from €500,000 to €69,000,000, and the specific topic of interest has a budget of €12,000,000 with an expected 3 grants to be awarded. The call encourages interdisciplinary approaches and the involvement of SSH expertise to ensure that the developed solutions are not only technologically advanced but also socially acceptable and beneficial.