Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (IA)

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity titled "HORIZON-CL4" focuses on the development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern within various industries. This initiative is part of the Cluster 4 segment, specifically targeting sectors related to materials, chemistry, energy, mobility, construction, electronics, technical textiles, and medical devices. Eligible applicants for this funding include a diverse consortium of legal entities, such as large enterprises, SMEs, universities, and research organizations, with a notable requirement for demonstrated research and commercialization capacity. The total budget for this opportunity is €38 million, with each project expecting funding between €6 million and €7.5 million. The application process is structured in two stages. The first stage requires blind evaluation submissions due by March 17, 2026. Proposals must not disclose identifying information during this stage. Successful proposals will advance to the second stage with a deadline of October 13, 2026. The funding mechanism is purely grant-based, with the aim to support mature projects with clear market use cases and the potential for technical innovation in sustainable production processes. This call emphasizes the importance of minimizing potential health and environmental risks associated with traditional substances, aligning with the "Safe and Sustainable by Design" framework. Successful projects will support the European Union’s goals for a cleaner, more sustainable economy by developing alternatives that enhance industrial competitiveness and promote secure supply chains. Geographic eligibility covers all EU member states and associated countries, plus specific provisions for some third countries. Co-funding is generally required as part of the standard terms in Horizon Europe projects. This initiative also encourages collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and EU Innovation and Substitution Hubs for enhanced technical support. The overall focus of this grant opportunity is to accelerate innovation cycles, enhance sustainability in industrial practices, and ensure that new materials are compliant with existing and forthcoming regulatory frameworks. As it stands, the success rates for similar projects vary significantly, generally hovering between 10% and 39%, indicating a highly competitive funding environment.

This is a Horizon Europe grant opportunity focused on the "Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (SoCs)". It falls under the INDUSTRY-two-stage call (HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-two-stage) and is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA). The goal is to make safer, more sustainable alternatives to substances of concern available to industries, enhancing their competitiveness and supporting a clean, autonomous economy.

The expected outcomes include:

Making safer and more sustainable alternatives to substances of concern available to industries, offering products with targeted performances and supporting their competitiveness.

Speeding up the innovation cycle within a value chain important for European industry.

Enhancing competitiveness of the industries by reducing regulatory and operational costs, while making supply chains more secure.

Production processes, chemicals, materials and products that are inherently safer and more sustainable for a clean and autonomous economy.

Demonstrating how the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) chemicals and materials framework can guide innovation and encourage innovators to minimise the use of substances of concern, reducing negative impacts on human health, climate and ecosystems.

The scope of the grant is centered around finding alternatives to Substances of Concern (SoCs) as defined in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product regulation (EU) 2024/1781. The projects should aim for an innovation cycle that includes redesign, development, production processes, and integration into manufacturing. This includes developing related processes and technologies to ensure alignment with industrial manufacturing. If relevant, proposals should identify challenges in adapting existing production lines and propose solutions.

The proposals should focus on developing new chemical substances, innovative advanced materials, or technologies to replace existing SoCs in areas like:

Energy

Mobility

Construction

Electronics

Technical textiles

Medical devices

Proposals must demonstrate a clear use case, market potential, and growth prospects for the proposed alternative. They should also identify substitution barriers and propose effective mechanisms to maximize substitution within targeted value chains.

The SSbD framework should be applied throughout the innovation process, integrating safety and sustainability principles into decision-making. Data generated should be shareable with the Common Data Platform for Chemicals. The new alternatives must meet technical requirements while aligning with the SSbD framework.

Cooperation with relevant projects and the EU Innovation and Substitution Hub(s) is encouraged. Proposals should include a business case and exploitation strategy. Involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is also encouraged to add value to the operationalization of the SSbD framework.

Key regulations and frameworks mentioned include:

REGULATION (EU) 2024/1781 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products

Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework

General conditions for admissibility include:

Applicants for blind evaluations must not disclose organization names, acronyms, logos, or personnel names in the proposal abstract or Part B of the first-stage application.

The page limit in Part B of the General Annexes is extended by 3 pages for second-stage proposals to include a business case and exploitation strategy.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) can participate as a consortium member with zero funding or as an associated partner, but cannot participate in proposal preparation or submission.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

First-stage proposals will be evaluated blindly, according to 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.

The granting authority may object to ownership transfer or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the action's end, as per Annex 5.

Legal and financial setup is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. The standard application form is HE RIA IA Stage 1 BLIND, and the evaluation form is Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1 BLIND).

Guidance documents include:

HE Programme Guide

HE MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, Framework Partnership Agreement FPA

Detailed budget table (HE LS)

Information on financial support to third parties (HE)

Information on clinical studies (HE)

Guidance:"Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction, 7. Digital, Industry and Space, 14. Horizontal Activities, 15. General Annexes

EIC Work Programme 2026

ERC Work Programme 2026

HE Programme Guide, Framework Programme 2021/695, 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, Terms and Conditions, Privacy Statement

The budget overview indicates the following topics:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-51-two-stage:HORIZON-RIA, €30,000,000, contributions of 4,000,000 to €6,000,000, 5 grants

HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-53-two-stage:HORIZON-RIA, €30,000,000, contributions of 4,000,000 to €6,000,000, 6 grants

HORIZON-CL4:HORIZON-IA, €38,000,000, contributions of 6,000,000 to €7,500,000, 6 grants

The opening date is planned for 16 December 2025, with deadlines on 17 March 2026 and 13 October 2026.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration.

Support resources include:

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 and ETSI Research Helpdesk

European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment

Partner Search

In summary, this Horizon Europe grant opportunity aims to foster the development and adoption of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern in various industries. It encourages innovation in chemical substances, advanced materials, and technologies, emphasizing the importance of the SSbD framework, industrial integration, and a strong business case. The grant provides funding and support for projects that can demonstrate a clear path to market and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable European economy.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe Innovation Actions (IA) and Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), the eligible applicants can include: startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofit organizations, and other types of organizations. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) can 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]. The call includes both HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity appears to require a consortium, as the Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that multiple partners are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries. See the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for more information.

Target Sector:The target sectors include: chemicals, advanced materials, energy, mobility, construction, electronics, technical textiles, and medical devices. The program targets the substitution of substances of concern (SoCs) with safer and more sustainable alternatives, focusing on production processes, chemicals, materials, and products.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are mentioned, but the eligibility extends to EU member states, associated countries, and potentially other non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions.

Project Stage:The project stage is focused on innovation and demonstration, including development, production processes, and integration into manufacturing. The call aims to speed up the innovation cycle and enhance the competitiveness of industries.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic:

HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-51-two-stage:€4,000,000 to €6,000,000

HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-53-two-stage:€4,000,000 to €6,000,000

HORIZON-CL4:€6,000,000 to €7,500,000

Application Type:The application type is a single-stage call, with a planned opening date of 16 December 2025 and a deadline of 17 March 2026 and 13 October 2026.

Nature of Support:The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages:The application process involves at least one stage, with the possibility of a two-stage evaluation for some topics.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants is provided for each topic, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the number of expected applications.

Co-funding Requirement:The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call focuses on the development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (SoCs) in various industries, including energy, mobility, construction, electronics, technical textiles, and medical devices. The goal is to foster innovation, enhance industrial competitiveness, and reduce the negative impacts of SoCs on human health and the environment. Projects should develop new chemical substances, innovative advanced materials, or technologies to replace existing SoCs, demonstrating a clear use case, market potential, and effective substitution mechanisms. The SSbD framework should be applied throughout the innovation process, and cooperation with the EU Innovation and Substitution Hub(s) is encouraged. The call is structured as a single-stage application process, with funding amounts ranging from €4,000,000 to €7,500,000 depending on the specific topic. Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizations, such as startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, and research institutes, primarily from EU member states and associated countries. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) can also participate as part of a consortium. The overall aim is to promote a clean and autonomous economy by making safer and more sustainable alternatives available to industries.