Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) for robust, fast curing sealants and coatings for manufacturing and final assembly (IA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for Europe partnership)

The EU funding opportunity focuses on developing Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) specifically for robust, fast-curing sealants and coatings targeted at manufacturing and final assembly processes, under the Horizon Europe program. This call, identified as HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-two-stage, emphasizes the need for collaboration among various stakeholders, as it is categorized as an Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) offering a lump-sum grant.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and public-private partnerships. The opportunity encourages a consortium approach, requiring at least three entities from different EU member states or associated countries. Submissions must adhere to a two-stage deadline process, with the first stage due on September 23, 2025, and the second stage on April 14, 2026.

The funding amount is substantial, with each project receiving approximately €6.5 million. The expected outcomes include extending the lifespan and performance of industrial components through IAMs, reducing environmental impact via improved resource efficiency, and facilitating industrial uptake of these materials.

Projects should aim to enhance the recyclability and safety of materials while decreasing production costs and resource consumption. Research activities are encouraged to span multiple disciplines, addressing the development and validation of new IAMs and incorporating new digital technologies for improved scalability and process efficiency.

International collaboration, particularly with Japan, is encouraged, and proposals must align with the objectives of the Innovative Advanced Materials for EU Partnership (IAM4EU). Co-funding is not explicitly required due to the full-cost coverage by lump-sum grants, but leveraging additional funding sources is recommended.

Overall, this grant aims to promote advancements in materials science, addressing the entire value chain from development to end-of-life management, while fostering sustainability in industrial practices.

The EU Funding Opportunity is focused on Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) for robust, fast-curing sealants and coatings for manufacturing and final assembly, under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically call INDUSTRY two-stage (HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-two-stage). It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement.

The call opened for submission on 22 May 2025, and follows a two-stage deadline model. The first deadline is 23 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the second deadline is 14 April 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this opportunity are to: Support the implementation of the Commission Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership; Prolong lifespan and performance of components and products across sectors using IAMs-based coatings, functionalised surfaces and/or sealings to withstand specific or challenging requirements and/or harsh environments; Lower maintenance needs and overall reduced Cost of Ownership for essential, structural or functional components and products; Lower environmental impact through improved resource efficiency, reduced energy consumption, increased recyclability at end of life and/or substitution of hazardous substances; Provide proof of concept of the ‘safe and sustainable by design’ (SSbD) framework during the development phase of the new IAMs; and Promote industrial uptake of IAMs by facilitating scalability and/or integration into leaner industrial production processes.

The scope of this opportunity involves developing new and/or improved IAMs-based coatings, functionalised surfaces and/or sealings that improve recyclability, circularity and safety of developed materials and products, and reduce (raw) materials consumption, costs of production, manufacturing and disassembly. This should be achieved by: Combining multiple functionalities, e.g. fast curing and drying, self-curing, mechanical and durable robustness, protection from environmental agents (sun, rain, snow, humidity, corrosion, erosion, temperature), or a combination of beneficial thermal, acoustic, magnetic, electrical and tribological properties; Satisfying multiple requirements across different application areas such as electronics; (renewable) energy production and storage; automotive; maritime; aviation and rail infrastructures; construction, including HVAC components.

Multidisciplinary research activities should address at least two of the following: Develop strategies to accelerate the time-consuming performance evaluation step to greatly reduce the times to prototyping and then to market; Develop functionalised surfaces (directly functionalised or via coatings), which can substantially improve the integrity, efficiency and overall performance of products and can cope with sometimes extreme surface areas (small/large) and complex and/or high aspect ratio geometries requiring advanced processing and tooling; Design and develop new sealants and coatings that can be applied by automated processes (higher speed and precision by digitalization), cured at room temperature (no extra heating or air conditioning of large paint shops or hangars required) and with curing times reduced by at least 90% compared to the state-of-the-art (in terms of increased productivity and/or decreased energy consumption); Master batch synthesis of IAMs with cutting-edge properties that allow production and processing of robust, fast and/or self-curing sealants and coatings to be applied in the manufacturing and final assembly lines in industries, and transferable between sectors; Produce and share new knowledge on underlying multi-scale and multi-physics phenomena to better understand materials behaviour during their lifetime, develop and validate methodologies and suitable models to predict material degradation and assess release rates from coatings and sealants used in harsh environments.

In addition, all proposals should: Use new digital technologies including data driven approaches to push the frontiers of designing and producing IAMs with new functionalities/performance, improve materials scalability and related processes and use analytical technologies and infrastructures to characterise the efficiency, quality and effectiveness of developed sealants, coatings or surfaces; Contribute to the availability of FAIR data and methods for safety and sustainability assessment of IAMs and for decision-making processes (at the design, engineering and end-of-life stage of IAMs and products); Explore possibilities to transfer and use developed IAMs or technologies in other sectors; Assess safety, sustainability and circularity of all components during the entire innovation cycle as well as how to decompose and sort for enhanced recyclability of all components at the end of life, in line with the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) framework.

Proposals need to address both the IAM development and all the supporting technologies (digital and physical) needed (not existing yet) to cover the entire value chain (material development, validation, production, processing, use and end of life). Any existing technologies that do not require development or adaptation should be mentioned in the proposal. Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. Research should build on existing standards or contribute to standardisation of technologies for IAM-based sealings and coatings. Interoperability for data sharing should be addressed, in accordance with the FAIR data principles. Projects should build on, or seek collaboration with, existing projects in EU Member States and Associated Countries and develop synergies with other relevant European, national or regional initiatives, funding programmes and platforms. Where relevant, projects are encouraged to take advantage of and connecting to European research infrastructures and services in the area of analytical research infrastructures. International cooperation is encouraged, especially with Japan.

The integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement. This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership Innovative Advanced Materials for EU (IAM4EU). Proposals funded under this topic are part of the partnership portfolio and are expected to develop synergies with the related stakeholder community and contribute actively to the objectives of the partnership. The different stakeholder communities in IAM4EU are encouraged to coordinate amongst and across each other and foresee adequate resources for this as well as for the overall coordination with IAM4EU in the proposals.

The general conditions include: Admissibility Conditions regarding proposal page limit and layout, Eligible Countries, Other Eligible Conditions, Financial and operational capacity and exclusion. The evaluation and award process includes: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds, Submission and evaluation processes, and Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement. Legal and financial set-up of the grants are also described.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Guidance is provided through the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), Call-specific instructions, Detailed budget table (HE LS), Information on financial support to third parties (HE), Information on clinical studies (HE), and Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?". Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions.

The budget overview for the year 2025 includes several topics: HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-42-two-stage (30 000 000 EUR, around 6000000 EUR per grant, 5 grants), HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-43-two-stage (30 000 000 EUR, around 6000000 EUR per grant, 5 grants), HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-51-two-stage (30 000 000 EUR, around 7000000 EUR per grant, 4 grants), HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-11-two-stage (13 000 000 EUR, around 6500000 EUR per grant, 2 grants), HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-21-two-stage (10 000 000 EUR, around 5000000 EUR per grant, 2 grants), and HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-35-two-stage (48 000 000 EUR, 8000000 to 12000000 EUR per grant, 5 grants).

There are 29 partner searches available for collaboration on this topic.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to foster innovation in advanced materials, specifically IAMs, for creating robust, fast-curing sealants and coatings. The goal is to enhance product lifespan, reduce environmental impact, and promote industrial leadership through sustainable and circular material solutions. The call encourages multidisciplinary research, international cooperation, and the integration of digital technologies to address the entire value chain, from material development to end-of-life management. Successful projects are expected to contribute to standardisation, data sharing, and synergies with other European initiatives, ultimately driving the industrial uptake of IAMs across various sectors.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the context of Horizon Europe, HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) and HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), eligible applicants can include: startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofit organizations, and other legal entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Given the emphasis on industrial leadership and the involvement of the Innovative Advanced Materials for EU (IAM4EU) partnership, it is likely that consortia including industrial partners are particularly encouraged.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) frameworks.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to favor a consortium approach, as it encourages collaboration with existing projects in EU Member States and Associated Countries, and emphasizes synergies with other relevant European, national, or regional initiatives. The call also mentions the need for different stakeholder communities in IAM4EU to coordinate amongst and across each other, suggesting that a consortium is expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The call 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 primary target sector is advanced materials, specifically Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) used in coatings, functionalized surfaces, and sealings. The program also targets industries that can benefit from these materials, including: electronics, renewable energy production and storage, automotive, maritime, aviation and rail infrastructures, construction (including HVAC components), and manufacturing.

Mentioned Countries: Japan, EU Member States, and Associated Countries are explicitly mentioned.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity ranges from development to validation and demonstration, with a strong emphasis on industrial uptake and scalability. The call aims to bridge the gap between research and commercialization, focusing on projects that can demonstrate a clear path to market.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-42-two-stage: around €6,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-43-two-stage: around €6,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-51-two-stage: around €7,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-11-two-stage: around €6,500,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-21-two-stage: around €5,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-35-two-stage: €8,000,000 to €12,000,000

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves two stages.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe often encourages applicants to leverage other sources of funding and demonstrate a commitment to the project's long-term sustainability.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the INDUSTRY two-stage program (HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-two-stage), focuses on "Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) for robust, fast curing sealants and coatings for manufacturing and final assembly." It aims to support the development and industrial uptake of advanced materials that can prolong the lifespan and performance of products across various sectors, while also reducing environmental impact and promoting circularity. The call is structured around several specific topics, each with its own budget and expected outcomes. Projects should develop new or improved IAMs-based coatings, functionalized surfaces, and sealings that enhance recyclability, reduce material consumption, and lower production costs. Multidisciplinary research is encouraged, addressing areas such as accelerating performance evaluation, developing functionalized surfaces for complex geometries, designing automated application processes, synthesizing IAMs with cutting-edge properties, and understanding material behavior over their lifetime. Proposals should also incorporate new digital technologies, contribute to FAIR data principles, explore cross-sectoral transferability, and assess the safety and sustainability of all components. International cooperation, particularly with Japan, is encouraged. The call implements the co-programmed European Partnership Innovative Advanced Materials for EU (IAM4EU), and proposals are expected to develop synergies with the related stakeholder community. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) frameworks, and the application process involves a two-stage submission.