European medium temperature heat for industrial processes: needs, barriers, and opportunities for direct use renewable heat technologies

CINEA is procuring a 24-month service contract (estimated €500,000) to map medium-temperature industrial process heat demand (approx. 100–400°C) per Member State and to catalogue existing heating technologies. The study must identify available and emerging direct-use renewable heating technologies, including thermal energy storage where applicable, assess technical potential and deployment barriers (technical, regulatory, financial), and compile best-practice demonstrators and pathways for secondary waste heat use. Eligible applicants are economic operators or consortia established in the EEA with relevant technical and professional capacity, and submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal using eSubmission. The deadline for requesting additional information is 26 August 2026 and the submission deadline is 1 September 2026 at 15:00:59 Brussels time, with award criteria weighted approximately 70% quality and 30% price.

What it funds

Scope (high level)

A service contract to map medium temperature industrial heat demand across EU Member States, identify current and emerging direct-use renewable heating technologies (and thermal storage where relevant), assess technical, regulatory and financial deployment barriers, produce a catalogue of best-practice demonstrators by industry and temperature range, and cover integrated pathways for secondary use of industrial waste heat.

Estimated contract value:Approximately €500 000 for the contract. Full tender documents and financial forms are available from the contracting authority Tender page ¹.

Who can apply

Open to legal entities (private or public) able to deliver EU-wide analytical and technical services: consultancies, research organisations, technical experts or consortia demonstrating relevant professional capacity and the ability to manage a 24-month service contract.

Key outputs required

1. 1EU Member State-level mapping of medium temperature heat demand by industry and temperature range
2. 2Inventory of available and emerging direct-use renewable heating technologies and thermal storage potential
3. 3Analysis of technical, regulatory and financial barriers to deployment
4. 4Catalogue of best-practice demonstrators by industry and temperature range
5. 5Integrated pathways for secondary use of industrial waste heat where relevant

Applications and full tender specifications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal. See the contracting authority page for annexes, draft contract and submission instructions.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details and supporting documents available at the Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Core objective

Procurement by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) to commission a 24-month study mapping the European medium temperature industrial heat landscape. The contractor will map medium temperature heat demand per Member State, identify temperature requirements and industry types, catalogue current heat supply technologies, identify available and emerging direct-use renewable heating technologies (including thermal energy storage where applicable), assess their potential to meet industry heat demands, identify technical regulatory and financial barriers to deployment, compile a catalogue of best-practice demonstrators by industry and temperature range, and explore integrated pathways for secondary use of industrial waste heat.

Administrative facts and deadlines

Call identifier CINEA/2026/OP/0016. Lead contracting authority:European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Procedure type: public procurement of services. Estimated overall contract value: €500,000. Planned contract duration: 24 months. Publication date: 2026-06-11. Tender submission method: eSubmission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Official closing date/time: 1 September 2026, 15:00:59 (Europe/Brussels). An open tender event (likely contract award / opening) is scheduled for 2 September 2026 at 12:00 (Brussels time).

Estimated contract value:€500,000 (estimated overall contract amount).

Contract duration:24 months (planned period).

Who can apply (eligible applicant types)

This is a services procurement open to legal entities able to conclude a direct contract with the contracting authority. Eligible applicant types typically include: private consultancy companies, engineering firms, market research organisations, universities and academic research institutes, non-profit research organisations, industry associations, NGOs with technical capacity, and consortiums of such entities. The tender documents require standard procurement selection and exclusion checks (financial, legal, professional capacity). Subcontracting is allowed (Annex 4 List of subcontractors) and third-party commitments are supported (Annex 5.1 and 5.2). The tender is not marked SME-suitable.

Funding type and nature of support

This opportunity is a public procurement (tender) for services. The winning bidder will receive a service contract financed by the EU (CINEA). Beneficiaries will receive monetary payment under a direct service contract (procurement), not a grant. The contracting authority will issue a draft contract and annexes defining contractual, security and payment terms. The service is financed by EU funds under the programmes managed by CINEA.

Consortium requirement and contracting model

The tender is for a single service contract awarded to one economic operator (single contractor). However, bidders may present consortiums, joint ventures or use subcontractors to demonstrate required technical/professional capacity. The procurement documentation includes templates for power of attorney and agreements between partners, a list of subcontractors, and commitment letters for identified subcontractors or third parties.

Geographic eligibility (beneficiary scope)

Procurement is issued by an EU executive agency (CINEA) and targets suppliers able to contract under EU procurement rules. The action covers all EU Member States for the mapping work. Eligible tenderers will normally be legal persons established in the EU or in countries eligible to conclude contracts with the EU; the submission portal and procurement rules will specify exact nationality/establishment eligibility. The scope of the study itself is EU Member States (per Member State mapping).

Target sectors and technical themes

Primary thematic sectors:industry (medium-temperature industrial heat users), energy and clean energy technologies, decarbonisation, thermal energy storage and waste heat recovery. Technical themes include direct-use renewable heating technologies (solar thermal, biomass boilers/tile systems where direct use applies, geothermal (direct use), industrial heat pumps, concentrated solar thermal for industry, hybrid systems), thermal energy storage solutions suitable for medium-temperature ranges, integration and secondary uses of waste heat, regulatory and market barriers, and best-practice demonstrators across industry types and temperature ranges.

Project maturity / expected project stage

The contract is for mapping, analysis and recommendations:research, data collection, analysis, synthesis, and catalogue/demonstrator compilation. Expected project stage: research / analysis / validation (desk research, stakeholder engagement, case study review, assessment of technology readiness and deployment pathways) rather than demonstration or deployment of new technology.

Detailed deliverables and scope elements

Required outputs and tasks (non-exhaustive, extracted from tender description and tender specifications):

1. 1Comprehensive mapping of medium-temperature industrial heat demand across EU Member States broken down by industry type and temperature ranges.
2. 2Inventory of current technologies used to supply medium-temperature heat in the identified industries and Member States.
3. 3Identification and characterisation of available and emerging direct-use renewable heating technologies, including where applicable thermal energy storage technologies and configurations.
4. 4Assessment of potential for direct-use renewable heating technologies (and thermal storage) to satisfy the heat demand of the mapped industrial sectors (technical potential and constraints).
5. 5Identification of technical, regulatory and financial barriers to deployment of direct-use renewable heating in medium-temperature industrial processes.
6. 6Catalogue of best-practice demonstrators (examples) mapped by industry type and by temperature range, highlighting direct-use renewable heating demonstrators across Europe.
7. 7Analysis and pathways for integrated secondary use of industrial waste heat where relevant, including reuse opportunities across sectors or local networks.
8. 8Recommendations for policy, market and technical actions to accelerate deployment and overcome barriers.
9. 9Final report and datasets, plus policy-oriented summaries and dissemination materials as required by CINEA.

Evaluation and award criteria

Award criteria are split into quality and price. The published procurement metadata indicates a weighting of roughly 70 for quality and 30 for price. Bidders must consult the tender specifications and annexes for full award methodology and scoring rubrics. Quality assessment will focus on technical/professional capacity, proposed methodology, team experience, work plan and deliverables. Price will be evaluated against submitted financial tender form (Annex 6 Financial Tender).

Application and submission process

Application type:open public tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with compulsory electronic submission (eSubmission). Bidders must register on the Portal, download the Invitation to Tender and Tender Specifications, prepare all requested administrative, technical and financial documents, and upload them before the deadline. Additional information requests must be submitted before the specified cut-off (additional information request period ends 26 August 2026).

Stages of selection and contracting

Typical procurement stages reflected in the documentation:1) Submission of tender (single-stage submission), 2) Administrative and exclusion/selection checks (eligibility, legal and financial capacity), 3) Evaluation of technical and financial offers against award criteria, 4) Contract award and notification, and 5) Contract signature and mobilisation. The tender documents provide draft contract and annexes for review prior to signature. The procurement metadata lists tender validity period 9 months.

Success rates

The procurement listing does not provide historical success rates. As a single-winner public tender, the success rate depends on the number of valid bids received; this information is not disclosed in the call documents. No explicit success-rate percentage is provided in the tender documentation.

Co-funding or matching requirements

This is a fee-for-service public contract; bidders do not need to provide co-funding for the tasks described. Costs of delivering the contracted service must be included in the price proposal and will be reimbursed under the contract terms. Subcontracting and third-party contributions are permitted and documented via commitment letters but do not constitute co-funding requirements.

Tender documentation and templates available

A comprehensive set of procurement documents has been published with the call. Relevant documents and templates include (file names as published):

1. 1EN-Invitation_to_tender_CINEA2026OP0016_EU Medium temperature industry_V1.pdf (Invitation to tender)
2. 2CINEA2026OP0016_MediumTindustry_TS_260608_V1.pdf (Tender specifications / Technical specifications)
3. 3Draft_Contract-direct-service_CINEA2026OP0016_V1.pdf (Draft contract)
4. 4Annex 6_Financial Tender_CINEA 2026 OP 0016_V1.xlsx (Financial offer form template)
5. 5Annex 2 Declaration-honour - CINEA2026OP0016_V1.docx (Declaration on honour / Exclusion and selection declarations)
6. 6Annex 2.1-Technical Professional capacity-CINEA2026OP0016_May 2023 final_V1.doc (Technical / professional capacity template)
7. 7Annex 3 Agreement_Power of attorney - CINEA2026OP0016_May 2023_V1.docx (Power of attorney / partner agreement template)
8. 8Annex 4 List of subcontractors - CINEA2026OP0016_May 2023_V1.docx (Subcontractor list template)
9. 9Annex 5.1 Commitment letter Identified subctr_CINEA2026OP0016_V1.docx and Annex 5.2 Commitment letter Third party - CINEA2026OP0016_May 2023_V1.doc (Commitment letters for subcontractors/third parties)
10. 10Annex III Declaration on list pre-existing rights_CINEA2026OP0016_V1.pdf and Annex IV Group members share VAT - April 2023_CINEA2026OP0016_V1.pdf (contract/draft annexes on IP and VAT shares)
11. 11Appendix 2 Security requirements - CINEA2026OP0016 (security appendix)

Bidders must use the financial offer form (Annex 6) and provide the requested administrative and technical annexes. Power of attorney or partnership agreements are required for joint bids and for named subcontractors. Declarations on pre-existing rights and confidentiality/security requirements are part of the draft contract package ¹.

Evaluation preparation checklist for applicants

1. 1Register and login to the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; confirm eSubmission access and credentials.
2. 2Download and study the Invitation to Tender and the Tender Specifications in full, including the draft contract and annexes.
3. 3Prepare completed Annex 6 Financial Tender spreadsheet according to instructions and ensure prices are complete and consistent.
4. 4Complete Annex 2 Declaration on honour and Annex 2.1 Technical Professional capacity demonstrating relevant experience mapping industrial heat, energy technologies, and policy analysis.
5. 5Assemble team CVs and evidence of previous projects and demonstrators across EU Member States; include case studies of similar mapping or technology assessment projects.
6. 6If bidding as a consortium or with subcontractors, prepare Annex 3 power of attorney/agreement and Annex 4 subcontractor list, with commitment letters (Annex 5.1 / 5.2).
7. 7Address security and confidentiality requirements in the draft contract Appendix 2 and ensure compliance with data handling rules for industry data.
8. 8Plan a technical methodology emphasising data collection approach, stakeholder engagement (industry associations, national authorities), TRL and deployment assessment, economic/financial barrier analysis, and deliverable formats.
9. 9Submit the full eSubmission package before the deadline and retain proof of submission.

Mentioned countries and geographic references

Explicit geographic focus:EU Member States (the study must map medium-temperature industry per Member State). The contracting authority is CINEA (European agency). No individual non-EU countries are listed in the published metadata; the scope is EU-wide.

Success factors and recommendations

Strong proposals will demonstrate:pan-European data collection capacity and networks; proven track record in industrial heat assessments or energy systems analysis; technical knowledge of direct-use renewable heat technologies and thermal storage; experience with waste heat recovery and industrial integration; ability to produce policy-relevant recommendations; clear quality management and stakeholder engagement plans; and competitive, realistic budgeting aligned to Annex 6.

Summary: What this opportunity is about and how to explain it

This is a CINEA-led public procurement for a strategic 24-month study that will provide a European-level, Member State-differentiated mapping of medium-temperature industrial heat demand, current supply technologies and the potential for direct-use renewable heating technologies (including thermal storage where relevant) to substitute fossil-based heat. The contractor will catalog best practice demonstrators, analyse barriers (technical, regulatory and financial) to technology deployment, and identify pathways for secondary use of waste heat. The contract is worth an estimated €500,000 and is awarded through an open eSubmission public tender process. Bidders must submit administrative, technical and financial offers using the provided templates and annexes, demonstrate experience across the EU, and propose a robust methodology for data collection, stakeholder engagement and policy-oriented recommendations. The outcome will support EU policymaking and industry decarbonisation by providing a granular evidence base and deployment pathways for medium-temperature direct-use renewable heat technologies.

Reference and access:Full tender documentation and all annexes are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the tender details page (Call ID CINEA/2026/OP/0016). Use the portal for eSubmission and to download the file set and draft contract CINEA Tender Page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Published procurement documents include Invitation to Tender, Tender Specifications, Draft Contract and Annexes (security, IP/pre-existing rights), Financial Offer form (Annex 6), Declaration on honour and templates for technical capacity, subcontractors, power of attorney and commitment letters. These documents must be consulted and completed by bidders and are available from the call page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Opportunity Purpose and Scope

This tender seeks to map European medium-temperature industrial heat demand (approx. 100–400°C) per Member State, identifying heat requirements, industry types, and current heating technologies ¹. The study will evaluate available and emerging direct-use renewable heating technologies, including thermal energy storage, and assess their potential to meet industrial heat demand while identifying deployment barriers (technical, regulatory, financial) ².

Key Deliverables:The action requires a comprehensive industry map, an analysis of renewable heating technologies and barriers, a catalogue of best practices with demonstrator examples per industry and temperature range, and an integrated approach to secondary waste heat use pathways ¹.

Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are economic operators (natural or legal persons) submitting as a sole tenderer or a joint tender (consortium); participation is not reserved for specific organization types ². Applicants must demonstrate technical and professional capacity relevant to energy sector consulting and industrial heat analysis ².

Eligibility and Requirements Highlights

1. 1Must be an economic operator (sole or consortium) with no reservation of participation
2. 2Entities must not be subject to exclusion criteria (e.g., fraud, bankruptcy)
3. 3Place of performance covers the entire European Economic Area
4. 4In-person meetings required in Brussels unless replaced by online sessions
5. 5Technical capacity in energy consulting and industrial process heat assessment required

Contract Details and Timeline

Technical Context: Medium Temperature Heat in Industry

Medium-temperature heat (100–400°C) represents a critical segment for industrial decarbonization, with sectors like pulp and paper, food processing, and textiles being prime candidates for electrification via heat pumps and electric boilers ⁴. Heat pumps reaching 100°C can currently meet 11% of EU industrial process heating demand, while those reaching 200°C could cover an additional 26% ⁴.

Technology Potential:Direct electrification could meet 90% of non-electrified energy demand in European industry if fully deployed, reducing fuel demand by 62% and significantly cutting carbon emissions ³. Thermal storage is a key enabler to reduce electricity costs and support grid integration for these technologies ⁵.

Submission and Contact Information

Submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the ESUBMISSION method ². The contracting authority is CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency), formerly INEA ². All procurement documents, including tender specifications and draft contracts, are available on the official portal page ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official tender details and documents available at CINEA Tender Page.
2. 2Eligibility and procedure details from Development Aid tender summary at Development Aid Tender.
3. 3Direct electrification potential data from Agora Industry study at Agora Industry Report.
4. 4Heat pump technology status and potential from JRC Publications at JRC Heat Pump Report.
5. 5Policy recommendations for high-temperature heat decarbonization from Future Cleantech Architects at FCA Technical Report.