Industrial scale up and circularity pathway for IPV technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)

The call titled "HORIZON-CL5:Industrial scale up and circularity pathway for IPV technologies" is a Horizon Europe funding opportunity aimed at advancing Integrated Photovoltaic (IPV) technologies. This call is part of the broader effort under Cluster 5, focusing on Climate, Energy, and Mobility. It emphasizes the need for industrial-scale manufacturing, recycling, and the commercialization of innovative technologies related to solar energy.

The funding amount totals €31.5 million, divided into three grants of €10.5 million each, and the call aims to support projects that can address the specific production challenges associated with IPV technologies. The submission period opens on December 18, 2025, and closes on March 31, 2026.

Eligible applicants are expected to form consortia comprising various entities, including SMEs, research institutions, universities, and larger enterprises engaged in the energy sector. Projects should be at the demonstration and commercialization stages, focusing on demonstrating innovative IPV manufacturing technologies, establishing flexible pilot production lines, and developing effective recycling processes for diverse IPV technologies.

Essential requirements for project proposals include robust plans for exploitation and dissemination, with a clear business case demonstrating scalability and commercial viability. Co-funding is expected from all beneficiaries, with contributions typically ranging from 30 to 40%.

While specific success rates for this funding opportunity are not disclosed, the competitive nature of Horizon Europe suggests that applicants should prepare strong proposals. The call's context highlights the importance of sustainability, with a critical focus on reducing the environmental impact of IPV technologies and introducing new business models.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call is a strategic initiative targeting the European energy transition through innovation and sustainability in photovoltaic technologies, and it encourages collaborative efforts to overcome existing barriers in the market.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a Horizon Europe call focused on "Industrial scale up and circularity pathway for IPV technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)" under topic HORIZON-CL5. This call falls under the broader "BATTERIES and ENERGY (HORIZON-CL5-2026-03)" call. It is a HORIZON-IA (Innovation Action) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is December 18, 2025, and the deadline for submission is March 31, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of projects funded under this topic is to address the specific production challenges associated with Integrated PV (IPV) technologies. These challenges arise from the diversity of IPV products in terms of format, shape, material, and technical constraints. While IPV technologies offer a significant opportunity for the European energy transition by unlocking the potential of solar PV, their market entry is hindered by the lack of suitable infrastructure for demonstrating innovative technologies at scale, both technically and economically. Furthermore, the non-standardized nature of IPV components, coupled with their technological, material, and size variability compared to conventional modules, necessitates the demonstration of dedicated recycling and material recovery processes.

Project results are expected to contribute to:Increasing the potential for commercialization of IPV technologies, creating a competitive technological know-how for the European PV industrial base. Increasing recyclability and minimizing the environmental impact of IPV. Introducing new business models and opening new markets in IPV manufacturing, reuse, and recycling. Supporting the execution of the solar energy joint research and innovation agenda.

The scope of the call requires proposals to demonstrate:Suitable IPV manufacturing, technically and economically innovative technologies at scale. Flexible IPV production pilot lines to test the 100kWp+ scale (with linked demonstration sites). Demonstration of recycling processes for various sizes, materials, and technologies of IPV products (BIPV/IIPV, agriPV, VIPV, floating…).

Proposals should include a plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results, featuring a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, including preliminary plans for scalability, commercialization, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating potential funding sources, particularly the Innovation Fund.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics (EUPI-PV), and projects will be expected to report results to the EUPI-PV to support the monitoring of its KPIs.

Regarding general conditions, the proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and 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. If projects use satellite data, they must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C, while evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in Annex D. Submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F and the Online Manual, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in Annex G, with the granting authority retaining the right to object to ownership transfer or exclusive licensing for up to 4 years after the action's end. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) are available, with application form templates accessible in the Submission System (Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)) and evaluation form templates to be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and the HE MGA.

Additional documents include:HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. 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 lists several topics under the call, including HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D2-02 (€14,200,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-01 (€9,000,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-12 (€15,000,000), HORIZON-CL5 (€31,500,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-18 (€20,000,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-19 (€24,000,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-20 (€14,000,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-21 (€12,000,000), HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-22 (€12,000,000), and HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-29 (€25,000,000). Each topic is a single-stage application, opens on December 18, 2025, and closes on March 31, 2026. The indicative number of grants varies per topic.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration, and the submission system will open on the date stated on the topic header. General FAQs and support are available through 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, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search tools.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to foster innovation and circularity in Integrated Photovoltaic (IPV) technologies. It seeks to address the unique challenges in manufacturing, deployment, and recycling of IPV products, ultimately contributing to the European energy transition and the competitiveness of the European PV industry. The call encourages proposals that demonstrate innovative technologies at scale, establish flexible production lines, and develop effective recycling processes, all while considering the economic viability and scalability of the proposed solutions. Successful projects will contribute to the EU's solar energy agenda and report their progress to the European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics (EUPI-PV).

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting research and innovation actions, as well as innovation actions. This likely encompasses a range of organizations such as research institutions, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and other relevant stakeholders involved in the photovoltaic sector. The call is open to entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically through HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. These actions are budget-based grants.

Consortium Requirement:The information does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scale and scope of the expected outcomes, it is highly probable that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not required, to bring together the necessary expertise and resources. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that consortia are common.

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 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 program targets the energy sector, specifically focusing on integrated photovoltaic (IPV) technologies. It aims to address the production challenges and promote the commercialization, recyclability, and environmental sustainability of IPV technologies, including BIPV/IIPV, agriPV, VIPV, and floating PV.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states and associated countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage:The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity ranges from development to demonstration and commercialization. The call seeks proposals that demonstrate suitable IPV manufacturing technologies at scale, flexible IPV production pilot lines, and recycling processes, indicating a need for projects that are beyond the initial research phase and ready for practical implementation and scaling.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €9,000,000 to €31,500,000. The indicative number of grants per topic also varies, typically ranging from 2 to 5. For example, HORIZON-CL5 has a budget of €31,500,000 and expects to award around 3 grants, while HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-29 has a budget of €25,000,000 and expects to award around 5 grants.

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 grants to support their projects.

Application Stages:The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants and the total budget provide some insight. For instance, a topic with a €20,000,000 budget and an indicative number of 2 grants suggests a higher funding probability than a topic with a similar budget but a higher number of expected grants.

Co-funding Requirement:The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe Innovation Actions, which aim to bring research results closer to the market, it is possible that some level of co-funding or demonstration of leveraging additional investment may be beneficial in the evaluation process.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the BATTERIES and ENERGY theme (HORIZON-CL5-2026-03), focuses on "Industrial scale up and circularity pathway for IPV technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)". The call aims to foster innovation and sustainability in the integrated photovoltaic (IPV) sector. It seeks proposals that can demonstrate technically and economically innovative IPV manufacturing technologies at scale, establish flexible IPV production pilot lines, and demonstrate effective recycling processes for diverse IPV products. The ultimate goal is to increase the commercial potential of IPV technologies, enhance their recyclability, minimize their environmental impact, and introduce new business models in the IPV sector, thereby supporting the European energy transition and the solar energy joint research and innovation agenda. The call is structured as a single-stage application process, with a planned opening date of December 18, 2025, and a deadline of March 31, 2026. The funding is provided through HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), with varying budgets per topic ranging from €9 million to €31.5 million. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries, with a likely preference for collaborative consortia. Successful projects will be expected to report on their results to the European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics (EUPI-PV) to support the monitoring of its KPIs.