European investment atlas of potential CO2 storage sites

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity titled "European investment atlas of potential CO2 storage sites" (HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-26) aims to enhance the carbon capture and storage (CCS) landscape in the European Union and Associated Countries. Its primary focus is to address the deficiency of clear pathways to mature CO2 storage sites, which is critical for advancing CCS technologies in alignment with the Net Zero Industry Act that targets geological storage of at least 50 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030 within the EU's jurisdiction.

Eligible applicants for this grant include research institutes, universities, industry partners in CCS, including oil and gas companies, and public-private partnerships that emphasize cross-sector collaboration. The funding type is a Horizon Lump Sum Grant, which provides defined project costs without reimbursement procedures. Even though the submission process is single-stage, a consortium is generally encouraged as typical for Horizon Research and Innovation Actions, promoting cooperation with national and regional stakeholders.

The geographic beneficiary scope includes all EU Member States and Associated Countries. The project primarily targets energy and climate sectors, focusing on geological sciences related to CO2 storage. While the grant does not prioritize specific countries, it emphasizes an EU-wide approach. Key project activities will involve the development of a digital atlas mapping potential CO2 storage sites, assessing their capacities, and ensuring necessary data access. Additionally, proposals must address environmental and security considerations.

The indicative funding amount is expected to range from €1 million to €5 million, though not explicitly stated for this grant. The application requires a single-step submission by the deadline of September 2, 2025. It is positioned as an open call with direct monetary support structured as a lump sum.

Success rates are not detailed, yet they typically range between 10% to 20% in Horizon Europe calls. Co-funding is not required due to the nature of the lump sum grant. The overarching goal is to establish a comprehensive, accessible atlas of CO2 storage sites that supports market operators in identifying viable options for large-scale storage projects and enhancing the transparency of potential sites. This initiative is pivotal in meeting EU's ambitious climate goals and advancing CCS infrastructure development across Europe.

This is a Horizon Europe call aiming to enhance the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) value chain in the European Union and Associated Countries. The primary goal is to address the current lack of clear pathways to mature CO2 storage sites, which is hindering the development of CCS. The call is structured around the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) regulation, which sets a target of storing at least 50 million tonnes of CO2 per year geologically by 2030 within the EU's territory, exclusive economic zones, or continental shelf, excluding enhanced hydrocarbon recovery.

The project's expected outcome is to significantly improve the availability of CO2 storage sites and increase transparency regarding potential CO2 storage and injection capacity, including geomechanical characteristics and pressure interference from neighboring projects. This will support market operators in planning investments and implementing large-scale storage hubs connected to shared CO2 transport infrastructure.

The scope of the project involves creating a digital atlas of investable underground storage space for CO2 in the EU and Associated Countries. This atlas will build upon the existing European CO2 Storage Atlas, which is currently being revised and updated by the GSEU project. The project aims to close data gaps and ensure access to necessary data during implementation. The Commission's Energy and Industry Geography Lab can also be utilized.

Key activities expected in proposals include:

Identifying and assessing injection and storage capacities for current and planned projects using a harmonized methodology, and comparing these capacities with storage requirements.
Identifying key regions for future pre-licence appraisal based on high estimated capacity, proximity to emitters, and transport corridors, and developing plans for pre-licence appraisal per region.
Labeling each potential storage site according to its storage readiness level, aligning with the GSEU atlas, and matching it with public data to accelerate the identification and assessment of storage capacities.
Comparing and ranking potential storage sites using a common ranking scheme based on existing schemes, including a techno-economic assessment.
Addressing environmental and security aspects.

The proposal must demonstrate the capacity to access necessary data during implementation and emphasize cooperation with national and/or regional actors, such as geological surveys or competent authorities.

General conditions for participation include:

Admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other eligible conditions as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial setup of the grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific conditions include details 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. Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme, HE Specific Programme Decision, EU Financial Regulation, decision authorizing the use of lump sum contributions, rules for legal entity validation, EU Grants AGA, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

The budget overview for the year 2025 includes several topics, each with its specific budget, stage (single-stage), opening date (May 6, 2025), deadline (September 2, 2025), and indicative number of grants. Examples of topics include:

HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-03: Innovation Actions with a budget of 20,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-06: Coordination and Support Actions with a budget of 3,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant.
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-10: Programme Cofund Actions with a budget of 69,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant.
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-26: Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 5,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks to create a comprehensive digital atlas of CO2 storage sites within the EU and Associated Countries. This atlas will serve as a crucial tool for market operators, policymakers, and other stakeholders to facilitate the development of CCS infrastructure and meet the EU's ambitious CO2 storage targets outlined in the Net Zero Industry Act. The project requires strong collaboration with national and regional authorities and a robust methodology for assessing and ranking potential storage sites. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the call is open for submission with a deadline of September 2, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe funding, eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Cooperation with national and/or regional actors in the management of the subsurface, such as geological surveys or competent authorities, will be key.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) being a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. There are also HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, but it emphasizes cooperation with relevant national and/or regional actors. This suggests that while a single applicant might be possible, a consortium approach is highly encouraged, if not implicitly required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility extends to the European Union and Associated Countries. 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.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is energy, specifically related to carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and geological storage of CO2. This aligns with climate, energy, and mobility goals.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions the European Union and Associated Countries. No specific countries are listed, but the geographic scope includes the territory of the European Union, its exclusive economic zones, and its continental shelf.

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be focused on development and validation, with an emphasis on creating a digital atlas of investable underground storage space. This suggests a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ranging from research to demonstration.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €500,000 to €69,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies per topic.
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-03 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 20 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 100000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-06 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions 3 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 30000001
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-08 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions 10 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 50000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-10 - HORIZON-COFUND HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions 69 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 690000001
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-11 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions 7 500 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 50000015
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-12 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions 500 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 5000001
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-03 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 20 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 100000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions 12 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 40000003
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-06 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 28 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 70000004
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-09 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 18 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 90000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-11 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 18 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 60000003
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-15 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions 4 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 40000001
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-16 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions 1 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 10000001
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-17 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 20 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 100000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-21 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 14 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 70000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-25 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions 10 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 50000002
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-26 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions 5 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 50000001
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-27 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions 14 000 000 single-stage2025-05-06 2025-09-02 around 70000002

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive funding 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 per topic provides some insight into the potential competitiveness.

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

Summary: This Horizon Europe call aims to foster the development of a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) value chain within the EU and Associated Countries by addressing the current lack of mature CO2 storage sites. The core objective is to create a digital atlas of investable underground storage space for CO2, enhancing the availability and transparency of potential storage sites. Projects should identify and assess storage capacities, identify key regions for future appraisal, label storage sites according to their readiness level, and compare/rank sites using a common techno-economic assessment scheme. Environmental and security aspects are crucial. Applicants must demonstrate their capacity to access necessary data and collaborate with relevant national and regional actors. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the call is open to a range of eligible entities within the EU and Associated Countries, with a strong emphasis on cooperation and data accessibility. The call includes various topics with different funding levels and types of actions (Innovation Actions, Research and Innovation Actions, Coordination and Support Actions, and Programme Cofund Actions), all contributing to the overarching goal of advancing CCS deployment in Europe.