From heat-driven processes to the use of mechanical and electric forces (Processes4Planet partnership) (IA)

The EU funding opportunity titled "HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-31" is part of the Horizon Europe program and aims to transition industrial processes from heat-driven methods to mechanical and electric techniques. This initiative primarily targets energy-intensive industries, such as steel and chemicals, promoting energy efficiency and decarbonization.

Eligible applicants for this grant must form consortia that include various stakeholders, such as manufacturers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), universities, and research institutions. The funding type is a grant categorized under Horizon Innovation Actions (IA), with a consortium requirement stipulating that proposals must involve at least three independent entities from different EU countries. The geographic eligibility encompasses EU member states and associated countries, with the possibility of non-EU participation under specific conditions.

The project stage focuses on validation and demonstration, aiming for technology readiness levels (TRL) 5 to 7. The funding amount per project is projected to be between €1 million and €5 million, based on similar Horizon Europe actions. Applications are to be submitted in a single stage, with the deadline set for September 23, 2025.

Proposals should demonstrate innovative electrically driven technologies that replace traditional heating processes, ensuring energy efficiency and CO2 emission reductions. This includes integrating new technologies such as membrane systems and electrochemical processes, while also addressing safety, flexibility, and scalability. A comprehensive business case with plans for commercialization and societal impact evaluation is essential.

Co-funding or in-kind contributions are typically required, emphasizing the collaborative nature of these projects. The estimated success rate for applications is between 10 and 39%.

This funding opportunity aligns with the EU's climate objectives, aiming to enable industrial decarbonization and enhance the competitiveness of the European process industry while integrating renewable electricity into manufacturing processes. The program implements the co-programmed European partnership Processes4Planet, emphasizing the significance of sustainability in industrial operations.

Overall, this call for proposals seeks innovative solutions that pivot towards electrically powered industrial processes, contributing to a greener future and advancing the twin transitions in the industry.

This is a description of the EU funding opportunity HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-31, titled "From heat-driven processes to the use of mechanical and electric forces (Processes4Planet partnership) (IA)". This funding opportunity falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the INDUSTRY (HORIZON-CL4-2025-01) call. It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The submission process is single-stage, opening on 22 May 2025 and closing on 23 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of this funding is to benefit energy-intensive industries by: enabling the integration of renewable electricity in process industries through transitioning from heat-driven to direct electricity-driven process units in a plant; contributing to the EU's climate neutrality objective and the proposed 2040 90% GHG reduction target; achieving 25% energy savings compared to processes based on relevant Best Available Technologies (BAT); and improving the economic viability of the entire unit compared to state-of-the-art heat-driven processes, thereby increasing the competitiveness and resilience of the European process industry.

The scope of this funding opportunity is focused on developing new electrically driven industrial processes where heat input in separation and drying processes is replaced by electro-mechanical power or other forms of direct electrical input. This aims to reduce GHG emissions and save energy. Conventional electric heating or the use of heat pumps are excluded.

Proposals should: demonstrate and/or integrate highly efficient electrically driven technologies (e.g., membrane technology, power ultrasound, mechanical activation, mechanically or electricity induced forces, electrochemical processes) that can replace traditional heating processes; demonstrate and evaluate energy efficiency gains; prove the effectiveness of the technologies towards GHG emission avoidance; take a holistic approach including aspects such as redesign of equipment, requirements for advanced materials, and integrated electrified processes; ensure process safety, sufficient flexibility, and ease of process control; and showcase improved CO2 reduction potential, performance, scalability, and cost efficiency through at least one realistic and replicable use case with demonstrable economic return.

The inclusion of a GHG avoidance methodology is recommended, providing detailed descriptions of baselines and projected emissions reduction. Proposals should also include a business case and exploitation strategy, underlining how the proposal will boost the industrial decarbonisation technologies supply chain in Europe. An elaborated exploitation plan should be developed as a project output, including preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation and deployment (feasibility study, business plan, and financial model) indicating possible private and public funding sources (e.g., Innovation Fund, InvestEU, and cohesion policy funds). Societal and environmental impact, as well as implications for the workplace (including skills and organisational change), should be outlined.

This topic implements the co-programmed European partnership Processes4Planet.

The submission session is now available for multiple HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01 calls, including: HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-52, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-64, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-37, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-65, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-66, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-61, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-31, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-02, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-44, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-64, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-63, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-34, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-61, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-32, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-38, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-63, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-36, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-62, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-31, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-05, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-61, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-39, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-01, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-62, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-45, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-33, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-60, HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-62.

General conditions for participation include: 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 outlined 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 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; and legal and financial set-up of the grants as 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. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Call-specific instructions, information on financial support to third parties, and information on clinical studies are also available.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction; HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space; 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; and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates the following:

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-61 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 5.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-62 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 3,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-60 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 1,500,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-61 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 1,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-62 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 2,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-63 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 2,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-64 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 5,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 5.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-65 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 3,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-66 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 1,500,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-31 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-44 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 2,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-45 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 28,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-52 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 15,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-61 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 24,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-62 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 30,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-63 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 24,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-64 - HORIZON-COFUND: Budget 45,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-01 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 35,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 6.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-02 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 35,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 7.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-05 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 42,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 6.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-31 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 25,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-32 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 25,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-33 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 25,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-34 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 25,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-36 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 24,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-37 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 28,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-38 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 1,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-39 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 2,000,000 EUR, indicative number of grants 1.

There are 24 partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, click on the submission button next to the type of action and model grant agreement. For help, consult the 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, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to drive innovation in energy-intensive industries by supporting projects that replace heat-driven processes with electrically driven alternatives, contributing to climate neutrality and energy savings. It requires a strong business case, exploitation plan, and consideration of societal and environmental impacts. The funding is part of the Horizon Europe program and the Processes4Planet partnership, with a deadline for submissions on September 23, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe and the focus on industry, eligible applicants could include: startup, SME, large enterprise, university, research institute, public-private partnership, or other organizations involved in research and innovation within the specified sectors.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically through HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND). The type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and scale of Horizon Europe projects, a consortium is more likely to be successful, especially for Innovation Actions. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that collaboration is encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. This suggests that EU member states and associated countries are eligible, with possibilities for non-EU participation under specific conditions.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: energy-intensive industries, climate, digital, industry, space, materials, and twin transition (digital and green transition). Specifically, it focuses on industrial decarbonization technologies, renewable electricity integration, and energy savings in process industries.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions the European Commission and refers to EU climate neutrality objectives, implying a focus on EU member states and associated countries. It also mentions "non-EU/non-Associated Countries" which suggests that these countries may be eligible under specific provisions.

Project Stage: The program supports projects at various stages, including research, innovation, demonstration, and deployment. HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) suggests support for earlier-stage research and development, while HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) indicates support for demonstration and deployment of innovative solutions.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action. The budget overview provides the following ranges:
HORIZON-RIA: around EUR 6,000,000, EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 5,000,000, around EUR 14,000,000
HORIZON-CSA: around EUR 1,500,000, around EUR 1,000,000, EUR 500,000 to EUR 1,000,000, EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 1,500,000, around EUR 2,000,000, around EUR 3,000,000
HORIZON-IA: around EUR 3,000,000, around EUR 5,000,000, around EUR 8,000,000, around EUR 7,500,000, EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 7,000,000, EUR 8,000,000 to EUR 10,000,000, EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 9,000,000, around EUR 28,000,000
HORIZON-COFUND: around EUR 90,000,000

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

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

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required for HORIZON-COFUND actions, where there is a budget for both 2025 and 2027. For other actions, the text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the INDUSTRY (HORIZON-CL4-2025-01) call. It aims to support projects that contribute to the twin transition (digital and green) of energy-intensive industries. The focus is on integrating renewable electricity, reducing GHG emissions, and improving energy efficiency through innovative technologies and processes. The call includes various types of actions, such as Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and Programme Cofund Actions (COFUND), with varying funding amounts and expected outcomes. Eligible applicants include a range of organizations involved in research and innovation, such as businesses, research institutes, and universities, primarily from EU member states and associated countries. The application process is a single-stage submission, and proposals should include a business case, exploitation strategy, and plans for scalability and commercialization. The call implements the co-programmed European partnership Processes4Planet.