Novel holistic intelligent tools for variable retrofit and decarbonised scenarios (ZEWT Partnership)

The grant opportunity HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-13, titled "Novel holistic intelligent tools for variable retrofit and decarbonised scenarios," falls under the Horizon Europe framework. This initiative is specifically part of Cluster 5, focusing on climate, energy, and mobility. It seeks to develop innovative digital tools aimed at retrofitting ships to achieve zero-emission waterborne transport.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises, large enterprises, and public-private partnerships, promoting a collaborative approach. The funding type is a grant, specifically categorized as a Horizon Lump Sum Grant, which supports typically 70% of eligible costs for profit entities and up to 100% for non-profits. A consortium is required to enhance multidisciplinary collaboration.

The geographic scope is primarily the European Union and Horizon Europe-associated countries, although provisions exist for certain non-EU participants. The targeted sector encompasses waterborne transport, focusing on retrofitting existing vessels to support climate-neutral operations.

Projects are expected to operate at a development and demonstration stage, with an anticipated Technology Readiness Level ranging from 4 to 7. Funding amounts are expected to be between 4 million and 22.5 million euros, dependent on the specific project focus areas.

Applications must be submitted through a single-stage open call process, with a deadline of 4 September 2025. The nature of the support is monetary, provided as a lump sum, aimed at simplifying financial reporting.

Success rates for applications are estimated between 10% and 39%, indicative of a competitive selection process. Co-funding is typically required, particularly for profit-oriented entities, mandating a 30% contribution from their own resources.

The project’s primary goal is to create a novel intelligent design tool that integrates various decarbonization strategies, evaluates multiple retrofitting options, considers life-cycle impacts, and undergoes preliminary validation through model scale testing. Final demonstrations will involve applying these tools across different ship types, ensuring input from ship owners and operators to facilitate market deployment of the resulting solutions. This venture aligns with the EU’s broader objectives for climate neutrality and enhancing the competitiveness of the European maritime industry through innovative approaches to retrofitting.

Support resources for applicants include national contact points and various online tools to guide the submission process, ensuring access to necessary information and assistance in developing robust proposals. Overall, this opportunity aims to advance Europe toward sustainable maritime operations while fostering collaborative innovation across the region.

The EU funding opportunity is HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-13, titled "Novel holistic intelligent tools for variable retrofit and decarbonised scenarios (ZEWT Partnership)". It falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the Cluster 5 Call 04-2025 (WP 2025) (HORIZON-CL5-2025-04). It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is currently open for submission as a single-stage application. The opening date was 06 May 2025, and the deadline for submission is 04 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The project aims to develop novel holistic intelligent tools for variable retrofit scenarios and new operational modes, demonstrating them through a retrofit ship test case. It seeks to address limitations in current design tools that don't account for interferences among retrofit systems. The goal is to contribute to retrofitting existing aging EU fleets, increase the competitiveness of European shipyards and marine equipment providers, and accelerate regulatory approval processes for cost-effective, climate-neutral solutions.

The scope includes:

Development of an intelligent design digital tool integrating decarbonising concepts like alternative fuel propulsion, auxiliary propulsion, and renewable energy sources for retrofit concepts.

The design tool should consider multiple decarbonisation solutions, accounting for reciprocal influences, and integrate existing loading instruments for stability, weight, and hull strength control.

Evaluation of retrofit configurations, including changes in operational modes (e.g., slow steaming, weather routing), against human and organisational risk factors.

Inclusion of a life-cycle perspective from design to scrapping.

Preliminary validation of the design tool through model scale testing of original versus refitted ship solutions, assessing environmental impacts (biodiversity, air quality, noise).

Final demonstration involving six virtual demonstrations, one for each ship type detailed in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda of the Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport Partnership, considering multiple decarbonisation solutions and producing optimised refitted designs for operational environment testing.

Ensuring participation of ship owners and operators in virtual demonstrations to facilitate market deployment and real retrofitting operations.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT), and projects must report results to the ZEWT partnership to support KPI monitoring.

The general conditions include:

Admissibility conditions related to 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 as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other eligible conditions, including restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria 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.

Legal and financial set-up of the grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, and Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions state that this is not applicable.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the 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 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility

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

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview lists various topics under the call, including HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-13, which has a budget of 4,000,000 EUR for the year 2025. It is a single-stage application with an opening date of 06 May 2025 and a deadline of 04 September 2025. The indicative number of grants for this topic is 1.

Partner search announcements indicate that there are 5 searches for partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, applicants need to access the Electronic Submission Service and select the appropriate type of action and MGA.

Support is 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, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to foster the development and implementation of innovative tools for retrofitting ships to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. It seeks to address the limitations of current design approaches by promoting holistic, multidisciplinary solutions that consider the complex interactions between different retrofit systems and operational modes. The call encourages the use of AI and digital technologies to create intelligent design tools that can be validated through virtual demonstrations and real-world testing, ultimately contributing to the transition to zero-emission waterborne transport and enhancing the competitiveness of the European maritime industry. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and applicants are encouraged to seek partners and utilize the available support resources to develop strong and impactful proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe calls, eligible applicants typically include a mix of entities such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The call encourages participation from ship owners and operators, suggesting that these entities are also considered eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the Type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) being HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The actions supported are HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) 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 objectives of the call, particularly the need for multidisciplinary approaches and demonstration activities, it is highly likely that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not required. The partner search announcements further suggest a consortium approach.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for EU member states and associated countries, as this is a Horizon Europe call. However, the text 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," suggesting some flexibility for participants from other countries under specific conditions.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is the waterborne transport sector, with a specific focus on retrofitting existing ships to achieve zero-emission waterborne transport. This includes aspects of energy, environment, climate, and ICT (specifically AI simulators and digital tools). The call also targets shipyards, marine equipment providers, and repair yards.

Mentioned Countries: The text does not explicitly mention any specific countries. However, it refers to the EU and non-EU/non-Associated Countries, implying a focus on European countries and associated countries within the Horizon Europe framework.

Project Stage: The project stage ranges from development to demonstration. The call expects the development of novel intelligent design digital tools, their validation at model scale, and final demonstration through virtual demonstrations on six ship types. This suggests a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) range of 4-7, spanning from technology validation in a lab environment to demonstration in an operational environment.

Funding Amount: The funding amount varies depending on the specific topic within the call. Based on the "Budget overview," the indicative funding ranges are:
HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA): EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 22,500,000
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA): EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 15,000,000
HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA): EUR 1,600,000 to EUR 4,500,000

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 a lump sum grant to support their research, development, and demonstration activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage, as indicated by "single-stage" in the call information.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned. However, the "Indicative number of grants" provides some insight. For instance, a topic with a budget of EUR 20,000,000 might have an indicative number of 2 grants, while a topic with EUR 5,000,000 might have 1 grant. This suggests that the competition is likely to be stiff, and the success rate could be below 10 to 39%.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, as the eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, it is possible that the funding will cover 100% of the eligible costs, but this needs to be verified in the specific call documents.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on developing innovative digital tools and AI simulators for retrofitting existing ships to achieve zero-emission waterborne transport. The call aims to address the limitations of current design tools, promote multidisciplinary design optimization, and account for the interferences among various retrofit systems. Projects are expected to develop and validate intelligent design tools, demonstrate their application through virtual demonstrations, and contribute to the competitiveness of the European maritime technology sector. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the call is open to a range of eligible entities from EU member states and associated countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries under specific provisions. The call is a single-stage open call, and applicants are encouraged to form consortia to address the complex challenges of retrofitting ships for zero-emission transport. The projects should develop a novel intelligent design digital tool which can fully integrate decarbonising concepts and can be used for retrofit concepts. The design digital tool should have the capability of considering together multiple decarbonisation solutions for operating vessels, accounting for reciprocal influences, and be able to integrate existing loading instrument (software or data package) for stability, weight and hull strength control. Retrofit configurations might include changes in operational modes (e.g., slow steaming, weather routing, etc.) which should also be evaluated against human and organisational risk factors introduced. The design tool should also include a life-cycle perspective from design to scrapping. Preliminary (intermediate) validation of the design tool by testing at model scale original versus refitted ship solution, also assessing the environmental impact of the solutions, including on biodiversity, air quality and aerial and underwater noise. Final demonstration, applying the tool in six virtual demonstrations, one for each one of the six ship types detailed in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda of the Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport Partnership, considering together multiple decarbonisation solutions and producing final optimised refitted designs to be tested in operational environment conditions with a given operational profile. Participation of ship owners and operators to these virtual demonstrations should be ensured to pave the way to further market deployment of the solution and real retrofitting operations.