Operational stakeholders’ group to support the deployment of Clean Aviation aircraft concepts and technologies

Operational Stakeholders' Group to Support Clean Aviation Deployment (Topic HORIZON-JU) seeks proposals to establish a group of operational stakeholders to assess operational implications of innovative aircraft concepts and disruptive technologies and to deliver recommendations for deployment readiness by 2035. This HORIZON-JU-CSA coordination and support action has an indicative budget of €0.5 million, funds CSAs at 100% of eligible costs, and the maximum project duration is up to 48 months. Eligible applicants include legal entities under Horizon Europe rules such as airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, MROs, research organisations and industry associations, with submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; the call opens 31 March 2026 and the deadline is 19 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Proposals will be evaluated on excellence, impact and quality and efficiency of implementation following Horizon Europe criteria and must follow the topic description, templates and Q&A documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Operational stakeholders’ group to support the deployment of Clean Aviation aircraft concepts and technologies

Call & Action Type

HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04-CSA-01 (Clean Aviation CfP 04) — Coordination and Support Action

What it funds: Formation and operation of a group of operational stakeholders (airlines, operators, airports, ground handlers, regulators and similar) to assess operational implications, identify gaps and risks, and deliver recommendations to the Clean Aviation JU and project coordinators to support seamless deployment of disruptive aircraft concepts and technologies in operations from 2035. Activities include stakeholder engagement, gap analysis, risk assessment and production of actionable recommendations and liaison with projects and the JU.

Who can apply:Eligible applicants are legal entities eligible under Horizon Europe (coordinators and consortium members such as operators, airports, air navigation service providers, research organisations, industry associations). Consortia rules and national/associate country eligibility follow Horizon Europe General Annexes ¹.

1. 1Minimum: single-stage call; follow Horizon Europe eligibility and consortium rules as set in the Work Programme.
2. 2Typical applicants: operators, airport or ground handling organisations, trade associations, research organisations, regulators or consortia including these entities.
3. 3Activities must focus on civil aviation operational readiness and be aligned with Clean Aviation programme objectives.

Timing and submission: call planned to open 31 March 2026; single-stage deadline 19 May 2026 17:00 Brussels time. Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; proposal templates and topic documents available on the portal. See call page for updates and Topic Description for full scope ¹.

Indicative funding scale:This topic is part of the Clean Aviation CfP 04 portfolio within an overall indicative call budget of approximately €329.5 million for the package. Individual CSA awards are typically modest compared to IAs/RIAs and should be budgeted in line with the topic description and Work Programme guidance.

What evaluators expect: clear consortium with operational stakeholders, demonstrable ability to assess operational impacts and risks, credible plan to deliver recommendations to CA JU and project coordinators, realistic budget and clear deliverables mapped to deployment readiness by 2035.

Footnotes

1. 1Call publication and all topic-specific documents (topic description, application templates, guidance, Q&A and Work Programme General Annexes) are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Topic HORIZON-JU.

Operational stakeholders’ group to support the deployment of Clean Aviation aircraft concepts and technologies (HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04-CSA-01)

Programme: Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking under Horizon Europe (Clean Aviation CfP 04). Type of action: HORIZON-JU-CSA (Coordination and Support Action). Deadline model: single-stage. Planned opening date: 31 March 2026. Deadline: 19 May 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time. Submission: via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Topic focus and expected outcome: This CSA will establish and run an operational stakeholders’ group of operators to assess operational implications of innovative aircraft concepts and disruptive technologies addressed by the Clean Aviation programme. The group will identify operational gaps and risks, and issue recommendations to the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) and Clean Aviation project coordinators. The purpose is to ensure adequate anticipation of operational needs and enable a seamless deployment of Clean Aviation technologies in operations from 2035. The detailed scope and requirements are set out in the topic description document published with the call.

Primary reference links:Official topic page: HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04-CSA-01. Funding & Tenders Portal entry point: EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Categorisation and Structured Information

Eligible Applicant Types:Any legal entity established in an eligible country may participate under Horizon Europe rules, provided it has the capacity to carry out the coordination and support activities foreseen by the topic. Typical applicants include, but are not limited to: airlines and air operators, airport operators, air navigation service providers, aircraft lessors and MRO providers, OEMs and Tier suppliers acting in an operator capacity within the scope of the group, aviation industry associations and alliances, standards bodies tied to operations, universities and research organisations with strong operational expertise, consulting and advisory entities specialised in aviation operations and deployment, public authorities and public bodies related to aviation operations, international and European organisations active in aviation. Under Horizon Europe General Annexes, legal entities from Member States, Associated Countries and certain other eligible countries may participate; entities from non-associated third countries may participate without EU funding unless conditions for exceptional funding are met.

Funding Type:Grant. This topic funds a HORIZON-JU-CSA (Coordination and Support Action) under Clean Aviation. CSAs support activities such as coordination, networking, stakeholder engagement, analyses, roadmapping, standardisation input, and similar non-R&I tasks.

Consortium Requirement:Single-stage submission. For CSAs, applications may be submitted by one or more legal entities. Horizon Europe allows mono-beneficiary CSAs or multi-beneficiary consortia. Clean Aviation rules further allow, by derogation when set at topic level, eligibility of a single legal entity established in a Member State or Associated Country to Horizon Europe. Applicants should check the topic description for any specific composition requirements. Absent stricter topic-specific rules, both single beneficiary and consortia are admissible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Eligibility follows Horizon Europe General Annex B. Applicants may be established in EU Member States (including outermost regions) and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Certain other countries are eligible for funding per the Programme Guide; other non-associated third-country entities may participate without funding unless exceptional funding is justified and allowed. Entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate. Restrictions applicable to Innovation Actions for entities established in China do not apply to this CSA type. Additional security-related participation restrictions from the Work Programme apply if stated; none are specified for this CSA.

Target Sector:Aviation and air transport operations. The CSA interfaces with Clean Aviation’s disruptive technology thrusts, including ultra-efficient short- and medium-range aircraft, hybrid-electric regional aircraft, and hydrogen-powered aircraft, to assess and de-risk operational deployment. Cross-cutting areas include safety, interoperability, certification-readiness inputs, airport and airspace operations, ground handling, maintenance and reliability in service, fuel and energy infrastructure (including hydrogen and SAF interfaces), and standards and regulatory pathways relevant to operations.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity is open at EU level under Horizon Europe. Geographic eligibility references comprise EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries as per General Annex B. The call text also notes general Horizon Europe conditions for third countries and indicates that some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have domestic funding schemes enabling participation.

Project Stage:Coordination and support (non-R&I). Activities focus on forming and operating an operational stakeholders’ group, performing operational implications assessments, identifying gaps and risks, developing recommendations, liaising with Clean Aviation projects, and supporting deployment-readiness for 2035 operations. No technology development is funded; rather, analysis, coordination, standardisation input, and stakeholder engagement are expected.

Funding Amount:The total indicative budget shown for the entire Clean Aviation CfP 04 call package is €329,500,000 across multiple topics (IAs, RIAs, and CSAs). The specific budget envelope for this CSA topic is not stated in the public summary and will be defined in the Full Description of Topics and the call budget tables. Applicants should consult the Full Description of Topics and the call budget annex for the precise topic budget.

Application Type:Open call, single-stage, via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission system is planned to open by the end of March 2026. Partner Search functionality is available on the Portal to facilitate consortium building.

Nature of Support:Financial support (grant funding). Under Horizon Europe, CSAs are funded at 100% of eligible costs. Payments follow the standard prefinancing, interim (if any), and balance payments process defined in the Model Grant Agreement.

Consortium and Application Stages:Number of stages: 1 (single-stage). Evaluation uses Horizon Europe procedures: individual evaluation, consensus group, Topic Panel review, and, where appropriate, a Call Panel review. Hearings with applicants may be organised if needed to clarify technical or portfolio-integration aspects.

Success Rates:No success-rate statistics are provided for this forthcoming topic. Outcome notifications generally follow Horizon Europe timelines: information on evaluation outcome in approximately 5 months from the call deadline and grant agreement signature in approximately 8 months from the call deadline.

Co-funding Requirement:For CSAs, the Horizon Europe funding rate is 100% of eligible costs. No mandatory co-funding is required. The EU financial provisions apply: no-profit, no double funding, eligibility, record-keeping, and audit obligations.

Scope of Work and Technical Content

• Set-up and management of an operational stakeholders’ group composed of relevant operators across the aviation ecosystem.
• Systematic assessment of operational implications of Clean Aviation aircraft concepts and disruptive technologies (e.g. changes to flight operations, ground handling, maintenance, energy and fuel supply, turnaround, safety, and interoperability).
• Identification and prioritisation of operational gaps and associated risks for 2035 service entry, including dependencies on infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, training, and operational procedures.
• Development of recommendations to CAJU and Clean Aviation project coordinators to anticipate and address operational barriers, including guidance for standardisation and regulatory readiness.
• Targeted interfaces with CAJU demonstrators and projects to feedback operator perspectives, define deployment pathways, and align roadmaps with operational realities.
• Preparation of knowledge outputs (e.g. gap/risk registers, deployment playbooks, operational readiness checklists), and contributions to standardisation and certification-readiness dialogues, as relevant to operations.
• Stakeholder engagement, workshops, and dissemination to ensure broad operational buy-in and to foster alignment across airlines, airports, ANSPs, OEMs, MROs, energy providers, and regulators.

Evaluation, Award and Implementation Rules

Eligibility, Admissibility and Submission:Eligibility and admissibility follow Horizon Europe General Annexes A, B and E. Proposals must be complete, respect the indicated page limits for CSAs (normally 30 pages for Part B unless the call specifies otherwise), and be submitted electronically before the deadline. Geographic eligibility follows General Annex B. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria apply per General Annex C. Specific Clean Aviation rules, including the possibility of single-entity eligibility when set at topic level, are laid out in CAJU rules for submission and evaluation.

Award criteria and scoring (CSA):Proposals are evaluated on three criteria: Excellence (clarity and pertinence of objectives; quality of proposed coordination and support measures and soundness of methodology); Impact (credibility of pathways to achieve expected outcomes and impacts specified in the Work Programme; suitability and quality of measures to maximise outcomes and impacts including dissemination, exploitation and communication); and Quality and efficiency of implementation (quality and effectiveness of work plan, risk assessment, appropriateness of resources; capacity and roles of participants and the extent to which the consortium brings the necessary expertise). Scores range 0-5 with thresholds of 3 per criterion and 10 overall for full proposals.

Evaluation process and timeline:Phases include Individual Evaluation, Consensus Group, Topic Panel Review and, where appropriate, a Call Panel Review for cross-topic portfolio alignment. Hearings may be used to clarify technical or portfolio aspects. Indicative timing: outcome of evaluation in approximately 5 months from deadline; grant agreement signature in approximately 8 months from deadline.

Ethics, security and values:Projects must comply with ethical principles, EU values and applicable EU, international and national law. If relevant, an ethics review will be performed and ethics requirements will be integrated as contractual obligations. Proposals must be exclusively for civil applications.

Funding Rate, Costs, and Legal Framework

Funding rate and eligible costs:Coordination and Support Actions under Horizon Europe are funded at 100% of eligible costs. Eligible cost categories follow the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement, typically including personnel, subcontracting where justified, purchase costs (travel, equipment depreciation, other goods and services), and any other categories explicitly allowed by the call and Work Programme. Indirect costs are covered by a 25% flat rate of eligible direct costs, excluding specific exceptions such as subcontracting and financial support to third parties (if any are foreseen). No double funding and no profit principles apply.

Grant agreement and payments:The Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement applies (HORIZON-AG). Payments generally include pre-financing, interim (if any), and balance, subject to approval of technical and financial reports. Record-keeping and audit rights apply for a standard period after project end (typically up to 2 years for audits and reviews and up to 5 years for impact evaluation, depending on the grant’s data sheet).

Templates and Application Structure

Applicants must use the application forms available in the Submission System once the call opens. The following indicative templates and references are provided for preparation:

• Application Form (Part A online forms; Part B PDF upload).
• Standard evaluation form for HE CSA (criteria and sub-criteria to be addressed).
• HE Programme Guide and General Annexes (admissibility, eligibility, award criteria, procedures, legal and financial set-up).
• CAJU-specific evaluation template for CSAs (Evaluation Form CAJU CSA).
• CA JU Model Consortium Agreement (recommended for multi-beneficiary projects).
• Clean Aviation contract template for provision of services by EASA (where relevant to projects interacting with EASA under Article 71 SBA).
• Guidance documents: Lump sums (if used), financial support to third parties (if foreseen at topic level), and other call-specific instructions.

Outline of proposal Part B (indicative):Excellence: objectives, relation to the topic expected outcomes, and soundness of the proposed CSA methodology. Impact: pathways to specified outcomes and impacts, dissemination and exploitation plan including communication, stakeholder engagement strategy, risk and barrier mitigation related to operations and deployment-readiness. Implementation: work plan (work packages, deliverables, milestones), management structures, quality assurance, consortium roles and expertise (or single applicant capacity), resource allocation and justification, risk management. Applicants should mirror the CSA evaluation criteria and address all sub-aspects explicitly.

Call Management, Q&A and Support

• Two Q&A releases are foreseen prior to the deadline: first on 17 February 2026 and second on 17 April 2026. Check the topic page for “Topic Updates” and Q&A documents.
• Partner Search: available on the call page; LEARs, Account Administrators and users with a public person profile can post partner requests for open/forthcoming topics.
• Support services: National Contact Points for Horizon Europe, the Funding & Tenders Portal IT Helpdesk, the Online Manual, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks (for standardisation), and the European IPR Helpdesk.

Key Dates and Process

Comprehensive Summary

This Clean Aviation CSA will create and lead an operational stakeholders’ group to ensure that Europe’s next-generation aircraft concepts and disruptive technologies can be introduced into airline and airport operations smoothly from 2035. The group will analyse the operational consequences of Clean Aviation demonstrators and workstreams, identify gaps and risks across flight operations, maintenance, airports, airspace management, and energy infrastructure, and produce actionable recommendations to CAJU and project coordinators. Activities are coordination and support in nature: stakeholder engagement, analysis, roadmapping and deployment-readiness actions that feed directly into project portfolios, standardisation and regulatory dialogues. The call runs under Horizon Europe rules (single-stage submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal), with CSAs funded at 100% of eligible costs. Admissibility, eligibility, and award criteria follow the Horizon Europe General Annexes, with CSA-specific evaluation criteria focusing on excellence, impact, and implementation quality. Applicants can be single entities or consortia; eligible legal entities include operators across the aviation value chain, public and private bodies, research organisations, and industry associations, provided they have the capacity to deliver the CSA’s operational focus. The call opens on 31 March 2026 and closes on 19 May 2026, with Q&A releases planned in February and April 2026. This opportunity is designed to accelerate the operational uptake of Clean Aviation technologies by aligning demonstrator outcomes with the concrete needs of airlines, airports, ANSPs, MROs, and other operators, thereby de-risking deployment and supporting Europe’s aviation climate neutrality objectives.

Footnotes

1. 1Official topic page and call documents: HORIZON-JU-CLEAN-AVIATION-2026-04-CSA-01. General conditions: Horizon Europe General Annexes; CAJU rules for submission and evaluation. Q&A releases foreseen on 17 February 2026 and 17 April 2026. Applicants must consult the Full Description of Topics, Work Programme 2026-27 and the Model Grant Agreement on the topic page.

Operational Stakeholders' Group to Support Clean Aviation Deployment

Opportunity Overview

This call seeks proposals to establish a group of operational stakeholders, primarily aircraft operators, to evaluate the operational implications of innovative aircraft concepts and disruptive technologies developed under the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (JU) programme. The group will identify operational gaps, risks, and deliver recommendations to the Clean Aviation JU and project coordinators to facilitate seamless technology deployment from 2035 onwards. Topic ID: HORIZON-JU, part of Clean Aviation CfP 04 under Horizon Europe.

Key Dates and Process

1. 1Planned opening date: 31 March 2026
2. 2Deadline: 19 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time
3. 3Single-stage submission
4. 4Submission system opens end of March 2026
5. 5Q&A releases: 17 February 2026 and 17 April 2026
6. 6Evaluation results expected within 5 months of deadline
7. 7Grant agreement signature around 8 months from deadline

Funding Details

Indicative Budget:€0.5 million for this topic. Up to 1 project expected. Total call budget: €329.5 million across 18 topics. Type of action: HORIZON-JU-CSA (Coordination and Support Action). Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based (HORIZON-AG).¹

Funding rate: 100% for CSA actions. Maximum project duration: Up to 48 months. Proposals must demonstrate compliance with general Horizon Europe conditions (admissibility, eligibility, financial capacity, exclusion) as per Annexes A-G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Minimum consortium: 3 independent legal entities from different countries, including at least one from an EU Member State and two from different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Legal entities from EU Member States, Associated Countries, and low/middle-income countries are eligible for funding. Non-EU entities may participate as associated partners without funding.

Special Conditions:Proposals must form a group of operators (airlines, airports, air traffic management, maintenance organisations) to assess operational implications. Consortium should include diverse stakeholders with aviation operations expertise. Check topic page for updates on eligible countries and other conditions.

Evaluation Criteria

CSA-specific template: Evaluation Form CAJU Coordination and Support Actions. Full details in CAJU Specific Rules for submission, evaluation, selection, award and review procedures.

Expected Outcomes and Scope

Form a group of operators to assess operational implications of Clean Aviation technologies. Identify gaps and risks, deliver recommendations to Clean Aviation JU and project coordinators. Ensure anticipation of operational needs for 2035 deployment. Full details in topic description document on the F&T Portal.

Key Deliverables and Activities

• Assess operational implications of innovative aircraft concepts and disruptive technologies
• Identify operational gaps and risks
• Deliver recommendations to Clean Aviation JU and coordinators
• Support seamless technology deployment from 2035

Application Process and Documents

Submit via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposal templates available now for preparation. Required: Proposal Application Form, CAJU Model Consortium Agreement. Check topic page regularly for updates. Proposal page limits per Horizon Europe General Annexes.

Key Documents:Clean Aviation Work Programme 2026-27, Full Description of Topics, Q&A Document (releases 17.02.2026 and 17.04.2026), Model Cooperation Agreement v2026, CAJU SRIA, HE Work Programme General Annexes.

Additional Considerations for Applicants

• In-kind contributions expected from industry members (IKOP/IKAA)
• Potential EASA involvement for certification advice (contract template available)
• Cooperation Agreements for synergies with other Clean Aviation projects
• Impact monitoring and programme alignment required
• Gender equality plans required for public bodies, research organisations, higher education establishments

Applicants should monitor the topic page for updates, including Q&A and document changes. Partner search available on F&T Portal. Support via NCPs, EEN, IT Helpdesk.

Risks and Recommendations

High competition within €329.5M call. Focus on operational expertise from airlines/operators. Demonstrate clear pathways to 2035 deployment impact. Ensure consortium diversity and compliance with SME/university participation incentives in related topics. Early EASA engagement recommended for credibility.

Footnotes

1. 1Budget from F&T Portal topic page and CAJU documents. Full details at Clean Aviation Topic Page.