Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity titled "Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies" (Topic ID: HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-27) is focused on demonstrating and validating innovative technologies in energy storage and infrastructure retrofitting. The total budget for this initiative is €22.5 million, with three projects expected to receive approximately €7.5 million each. The call is part of Horizon Europe Cluster 5, which addresses climate, energy, and mobility issues, and is categorized as an Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA).

The opportunity is set to open on August 4, 2027, with a submission deadline of December 1, 2027. Eligible applicants can include a wide range of entities from EU Member States and associated countries, such as research organizations, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, technology providers, infrastructure operators, public authorities, and public-private partnerships. Individual entrepreneurs typically cannot apply as lead applicants.

Proposals must be consortium-based, requiring at least three partner organizations from different countries, ensuring collaboration and knowledge exchange. All applicants must be legal entities based in eligible countries and should demonstrate adequate financial and operational capacity.

Projects must focus on energy and climate sectors, particularly on energy storage technologies, grid flexibility, and sustainable infrastructure retrofitting. The initiatives should demonstrate innovation in repurposing old or decommissioned infrastructures, including hydropower plants, industrial facilities, and coal mines, and address the integration of renewable energy sources to improve energy security.

The funding mechanism operates on a lump sum basis, meaning that beneficiaries receive fixed amounts based on their roles within the consortium, simplifying financial management. Typically, projects are expected to secure 30% of project costs from their own resources, with non-profit organizations having the potential to receive full funding, allowing for a 100% contribution without the co-funding requirement.

The evaluation process for proposals is single-stage, with no preliminary concept notes or multi-stage submissions required. The competition for funding is expected to be high, with success rates in similar Horizon Europe initiatives ranging from 10% to 39%.

Applicants are encouraged to incorporate security-by-design principles and contribute to the BRIDGE initiative focusing on smart grid integration. They must also demonstrate sustainability, economic viability, and effective stakeholder outreach as part of their project proposals. The opportunity emphasizes the need for projects to reach Technology Readiness Levels between 6-8, indicating a mature stage of development ready for real-world application and validation.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to advance energy security and sustainability through innovative energy storage solutions applied to retrofitting existing infrastructures. It supports collaborative approaches across diverse sectors, enhancing the circular economy and addressing the broader goals of Europe’s energy transition.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call under the ENERGY (HORIZON-CL5-2027-07) program, focusing on Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies, specifically topic HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-27. It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of 04 August 2027 and a deadline of 01 December 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this call are: Improved energy security of the energy system by offering cost-effective and efficient solutions for additional diverse and flexible energy storage capacities, Improvement of the sustainability and circularity of energy storage systems, and Enhanced economic viability of energy storage by utilizing existing infrastructures.

The scope of the call involves demonstrating novel or improved technological solutions for cost-efficient, circular, and sustainable energy storage, contributing to grid flexibility and utilizing existing obsolete or outdated energy or other infrastructures. Proposals should integrate the synergies between novel or improved energy storage technologies and retrofitting of obsolete or outdated infrastructures, such as old hydropower dams and basins, decommissioned power plants, former industrial facilities, coal mines, and fossil fuel infrastructure. Optimization should occur in storage capacity and efficiency, circularity, socioeconomic and environmental sustainability, which should be addressed through stakeholder outreach and consideration of possible environmental impacts. Projects should follow a secure by design approach and integrate built-in security in the energy systems. Selected projects are expected to contribute to the BRIDGE initiative and actively participate in its activities.

The general conditions include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries 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.
3. Other Eligible Conditions: Projects using satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Also described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: 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 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). Also 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 and model grant agreement (MGA) information: Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including a standard application form (HE RIA, IA). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including a standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. The Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include a Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on lump sums.

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 for the year 2027 includes several topics:
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-11 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 17,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-16 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 28,500,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-17 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 18,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-25 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 28,500,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-26 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 28,500,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-27 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 22,500,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-28 - HORIZON-CSA with a budget of 6,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant.
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-32 - HORIZON-IA with a budget of 30,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
All topics follow a single-stage submission process, opening on 2027-08-04 and closing on 2027-12-01.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system will open on the date stated in the topic header.

For support, applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully, consult the Online Manual and Horizon Europe Programme Guide, check the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, use the Research Enquiry Service, contact National Contact Points (NCPs) or the Enterprise Europe Network, and use the IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, or CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to foster innovation in energy storage by retrofitting existing infrastructures with new technologies. It seeks to improve energy security, sustainability, and economic viability through projects that demonstrate cost-efficient and circular solutions. The call encourages the integration of various energy storage technologies with existing infrastructure, promoting stakeholder engagement and environmental responsibility. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and successful projects are expected to contribute to the BRIDGE initiative. Applicants should carefully review the general and specific conditions, utilize available support resources, and consider partner search announcements to build strong collaborative proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that this is a Horizon Europe call for Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants are likely to include a range of entities such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The participation of non-EU/non-Associated Countries is possible under specific provisions, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and nature of Horizon Europe projects, it is highly probable that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not required, especially for Innovation Actions. Coordination and Support Actions might be more amenable to single applicants, but this is not definitively stated.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is focused on EU member states and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. However, the opportunity also mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Therefore, eligibility extends beyond the EU and associated countries under certain conditions.

Target Sector: The program targets the energy sector, specifically focusing on integrated approaches for retrofitting infrastructures with innovative energy storage technologies. This includes cost-efficient, circular, and sustainable energy storage solutions that contribute to grid flexibility. It also involves the retrofitting of obsolete or outdated infrastructures such as hydropower dams, decommissioned power plants, former industrial facilities, coal mines, and fossil fuel infrastructure.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states and associated countries. It also refers to non-EU and non-associated countries that have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects. No specific countries are named, but the eligibility extends to countries beyond the EU under certain conditions.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the demonstration and innovation stage, as indicated by the focus on "Demonstration of novel or improved technological solutions" and the "HORIZON Innovation Actions" funding type. The projects are expected to integrate and optimize storage capacity, efficiency, circularity, and socioeconomic and environmental sustainability, suggesting a move towards validation and demonstration.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic. For the calls opening in 2027, the budgets are:
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-11: €17,000,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €8,500,000, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-16: €28,500,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €9,500,000, 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-17: €18,000,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €6,000,000, 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-25: €28,500,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €9,500,000, 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-26: €28,500,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €9,500,000, 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-27: €22,500,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €7,500,000, 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-28: €6,000,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €6,000,000, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-07-D3-32: €30,000,000 (Indicative grant amount: around €10,000,000, 3 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 a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the ENERGY (HORIZON-CL5-2027-07) program, focuses on "Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies." It seeks to fund projects that demonstrate novel and improved technological solutions for cost-efficient, circular, and sustainable energy storage. These solutions should enhance grid flexibility and utilize existing, obsolete infrastructures like old hydropower dams, decommissioned power plants, and former industrial facilities. The call aims to improve energy security, sustainability, and the economic viability of energy storage systems. Eligible applicants include a variety of organizations from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries under specific provisions. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage. Projects are expected to contribute to the BRIDGE initiative and actively participate in its activities. The call emphasizes the integration of energy storage technologies with retrofitting outdated infrastructures, optimizing storage capacity and efficiency, and addressing socioeconomic and environmental sustainability.