Efficient capture / purification / utilisation of CO2 for the production of competitive products (RIA) (Processes4Planet partnership)

The Horizon Europe call titled "Efficient capture/purification/utilisation of CO2 for the production of competitive products (RIA) (Processes4Planet partnership)" is identified as HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-31. Set to open on January 6, 2026, and close on April 21, 2026, it has a total funding budget of €43.8 million, intending to support approximately seven projects with grants ranging from €5 million to €7 million each.

Eligible applicants include a broad range of legal entities from EU member states and associated countries, such as research organizations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, public bodies, and non-profit organizations. The funding type is classified as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA), structured as direct grants that cover eligible project costs through a lump sum funding mechanism, simplifying cost management and reimbursement processes.

This opportunity requires applicants to form consortia, ensuring collaboration across diverse sectors and expertise, including fundamental research, technological development, and industrial application. The geographic scope follows Horizon Europe's standards, allowing participation from eligible EU, EEA, and associated countries, with specific provisions potentially opening up opportunities for certain non-associated third countries.

The call targets sectors focused on improvements in clean technologies aimed at climate and decarbonization, particularly emphasizing CO2 capture and utilization, advanced manufacturing, and materials science. It encourages the development of methodologies and technologies that promote the smart integration of CO2 processing, renewable energy usage, and interaction with existing industrial infrastructures. Notably, the conversion of CO2 into methanol or fuels is excluded from this call's scope.

Projects are expected to demonstrate innovations at laboratory pilot scales, focusing on achieving cost reductions and energy efficiency. Proposals should illustrate clear business cases and exploitation strategies for real industrial implementation, while also addressing environmental and societal impacts.

The application process involves a single-stage submission system. The expected success rates are anticipated to be between 10% and 25%, reflecting the competitive nature of the grant. Though there are no explicit co-funding requirements, leveraging additional resources is encouraged to enhance proposal competitiveness.

Overall, this call represents a significant EU commitment to advancing CO2 utilization technology, aimed at making carbon-derived products economically viable and contributing to the broader goals of carbon neutrality and a circular economy.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-31, focusing on efficient capture, purification, and utilization of CO2 for competitive product production under the Processes4Planet partnership. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a lump sum grant agreement. The call is scheduled to open on January 6, 2026, and close on April 21, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include achieving a significant reduction in the production costs of CO2-based products to make them competitive, demonstrating processes that minimize energy consumption, and contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions by enabling the sustainable use of CO2.

The scope of the call addresses the limited number of CO2-derived products that can be competitively produced, emphasizing the need for a larger portfolio of such products. It recognizes that the high cost of CO2-based products is mainly due to the high energy demand. The call promotes the smart integration of CO2 capture, purification, and conversion to optimize processes, reduce energy consumption and capital expenditure, and overcome equilibrium limitations. It also highlights the opportunity to integrate new processes with electricity use, available heat sources, and existing infrastructures to accelerate CO2 valorization.

Proposals should develop new methodologies, processes, and technologies for the smart integration of CO2 capture, purification, and conversion, focusing on reducing energy demand and capital expenditure, and integrating with CCS infrastructure. They should incorporate renewable energy sources and innovative energy management strategies, identify and integrate available heat sources and existing infrastructures, address constraints related to CO2 conversion processes, and conduct comprehensive lifecycle and economic assessments. The call specifically excludes conversion of CO2 to methanol and fuels. Projects should showcase improved performance, scalability, and cost efficiency at the laboratory level pilot scale. The inclusion of a GHG avoidance methodology is recommended. Proposals should include a business case and exploitation strategy, demonstrating solutions at real industrial sites, with validation of benefits through simulations. Societal and environmental impacts, as well as workplace implications, should be outlined.

The admissibility conditions refer to Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, with proposal page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C, while evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in Annex D. Submission and evaluation processes are detailed in Annex F and the Online Manual, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is in Annex F.

Legal and financial aspects of the grants include the granting authority's right to object to transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the action's end. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of July 7, 2021. Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes provides further details. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application forms are available in the Submission System, with a standard application form for HE RIA and IA actions. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements include Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA. Call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table, information on financial support to third parties, information on clinical studies, and guidance on lump sums are also available. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

The budget overview lists several topics under the call, including HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-01, -04, -05, -11, -12, -13, -14, -23, -24, -31, -41, -44, -45, -46, and -48, with varying budgets, contributions, and indicative numbers of grants. The opening date for all topics is January 6, 2026, and the deadline is April 21, 2026.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header. General FAQs and support are available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points, Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to foster innovative projects that significantly reduce the cost and energy consumption of CO2-based product production, making them competitive and contributing to carbon emissions reduction. It encourages the integration of renewable energy, available heat sources, and existing infrastructures, and emphasizes the importance of lifecycle assessments and business exploitation strategies. The call provides funding through lump sum grants and offers extensive support and guidance to applicants.

The call is about finding new and better ways to turn carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into useful products. Currently, there aren't many products made from CO2 that can compete with those made using traditional methods. This is because it takes a lot of energy to convert CO2. The EU wants to change this by funding projects that can capture CO2 from industrial emissions, purify it, and then convert it into valuable materials in a cost-effective and energy-efficient way.

The projects should focus on developing new technologies and methods to integrate CO2 capture, purification, and conversion processes. They should also use renewable energy sources and find ways to use waste heat from industries to power these processes. The goal is to create a circular economy where CO2 is no longer seen as a waste product but as a valuable resource.

To get funding, applicants need to show that their ideas are not only technically feasible but also economically viable and environmentally sustainable. They should demonstrate their solutions at a pilot scale and have a clear plan for how to bring their products to market. The EU is particularly interested in projects that can help decarbonize European industries and create new jobs in the process.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to a variety of applicants as defined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, including entities from non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions. The precise types are not explicitly listed in the provided text but can be found in the linked documents.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the Horizon Europe Programme. Both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) are supported. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) are also listed.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the Partner Search section and the nature of Horizon Europe projects suggest that consortia are common and possibly preferred, though single applicants might be eligible depending on the specific topic requirements detailed elsewhere in the program documentation.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The opportunity also mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding their participants, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: industry, climate, environment, cleantech, and energy, with a focus on industrial decarbonization technologies, CO2 capture, purification, and utilization (CCU), circular economy, and renewable energy integration.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states and associated countries as the primary geographic focus. It also refers to "non-EU/non-Associated Countries" without naming specific nations, indicating a broader, though potentially conditional, eligibility.

Project Stage: The opportunity targets projects at various stages, including research, development, and innovation, with an emphasis on demonstrating solutions at laboratory level pilot scale. The program supports both Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA), suggesting a range from research-oriented projects to those focused on practical implementation and scalability.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action (RIA, IA, CSA). The provided budget overview lists several topics with indicative contributions ranging from around €800,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to €6,000,000 to €13,000,000 for Innovation Actions. Specific funding ranges for the topic "Efficient capture / purification / utilisation of CO2 for the production of competitive products (RIA) (Processes4Planet partnership)" are between €5,000,000 to €7,000,000.

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 involves a single stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe projects often involve some form of resource commitment from the participating organizations, which could be interpreted as a form of co-funding.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe funding opportunity, part of the INDUSTRY call and aligned with the Processes4Planet partnership, aims to foster research and innovation in efficient CO2 capture, purification, and utilization (CCU) technologies. The goal is to reduce the production costs of CO2-based products, making them competitive with conventional alternatives, while minimizing energy consumption and promoting sustainable practices. The program supports a range of activities, from developing new methodologies and technologies to showcasing solutions at a pilot scale. Proposals should address the smart integration of CO2 capture, purification, and conversion, incorporate renewable energy sources, integrate available heat sources and existing infrastructures, and conduct comprehensive lifecycle and economic assessments. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single-stage submission. Eligible applicants include entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions. The opportunity targets projects at various stages of development, from research-oriented activities to practical implementation and scalability, with funding amounts varying depending on the specific topic and type of action.