Optimal integrated onboard renewable energy solutions, by considering Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (ZEWT Partnership)

The EU funding opportunity titled "Optimal integrated onboard renewable energy solutions, by considering Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (ZEWT Partnership)" falls under Horizon Europe, specifically in Cluster 5 for Climate, Energy, and Mobility. This grant is a Horizon Innovation Action with a budget-based grant agreement model. The application deadline is September 4, 2025, and the opening date was May 6, 2025.

Eligible applicants include consortia composed of research institutes, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, large enterprises, and maritime industry stakeholders from the EU and EEA. The funding aims to develop and demonstrate methodologies for integrating wind-assisted propulsion systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel efficiency in maritime transport.

Funding amounts can range from 1.6 million to 22.5 million euros, depending on the project specifics, while the total budget for this opportunity is around 7.5 million euros with one grant anticipated to be awarded. The program emphasizes collaboration among entities across at least three EU or associated countries, facilitating cross-sector innovation.

The target sector includes maritime transport and renewable energy, focusing on solutions that incorporate wind-assisted propulsion technologies such as rotor sails and rigid wing sails. Projects should demonstrate full-scale solutions, optimize design frameworks, utilize advanced monitoring systems for performance tracking, and assess environmental benefits. The overarching goal is to support the EU's agenda for sustainable and competitive waterborne transport, aligning with international maritime regulations.

Co-funding is likely expected, reflecting typical requirements within Horizon Europe projects. Proposals should address technical and operational challenges, scalability, market confidence in WAP solutions, and contribute to the strategic autonomy of the EU waterborne industry. The competitive success rates for Horizon Europe projects generally range between 10% and 39%.

Overall, this initiative prioritizes innovation in renewable energy integration for maritime applications, contributing to European missions on climate neutrality and transportation efficiency by targeting significant reductions in emissions and establishing industry standards.

The EU Funding Opportunity HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-15, titled "Optimal integrated onboard renewable energy solutions, by considering Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (ZEWT Partnership)", 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 Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline. The opening date was May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submission is September 4, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this funding opportunity are:

Development and demonstration of a standardized methodology for monitoring, recording, and verification of energy used from Wind Assisted Propulsion (WAP) devices directly into ship propulsion. This methodology should allow for the integration of wind energy used in ship propulsion directly into calculations of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) intensity of the energy used on-board, aligning with both Fuel EU maritime regulations and International Maritime Organization (IMO) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines.

Provision of a standardized framework to ensure certainty in claims regarding fuel, GHG, and other polluting emission reductions by WAP systems, thereby strengthening the implementation of the FuelEU Maritime Regulation.

Exploration and establishment of uniform rules, regulations, assessment criteria, and sea-trial procedures for WAP solutions, facilitating the market uptake of these systems.

Support for standardization efforts to implement the IMO Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines.

Facilitation of market uptake of WAP systems into existing vessels within the coming decade by introducing a set of standardized design alternatives and decision-making criteria as part of a standardized framework.

Addressing concerns about the safety and operational impacts on ships, ports, and other land infrastructure, as well as addressing the lack of market confidence in the technology.

Contribution to the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the EU waterborne sector, in line with the Communication on European Economic Security Strategy. This involves increasing the competitive advantage of the EU waterborne industry, including shipyards and equipment manufacturers, through the development of key and cost-effective solutions for WAP systems.

The scope of this funding opportunity focuses on Wind-Assisted Propulsion (WAP) systems, such as rotor sails, rigid wing sails, soft wing sails, and ventilated foil systems. These systems have gained attention as a means of reducing ship fuel consumption, GHG emissions, and other emissions. They are also considered as primary means of propulsion for future newbuild cases. While several ongoing EU-funded projects are already working on WAP systems, focusing on holistic optimized ship design, control, and operation, including changes in conventional propeller propulsion for Deep Sea Shipping (DSS), several barriers and challenges remain. The main challenges are providing certainty on emission saving performance, defining standards, and facilitating WAP retrofitting. The aim of this topic is to develop a methodology that will allow to quantify and monitor the real impact of WAP systems into ship propulsion.

Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the following aspects:

Demonstration of at least one full-scale WAP solution and its management and monitoring on-board. This demonstration will be used to validate the methodology for integrating the energy provided by the WAP devices to the ship propulsion.

Development of a holistic framework for the design optimization of wind-assisted propulsion, either as a means of enhanced energy efficiency or as a primary propulsion solution. The framework should function as a design tool to facilitate the industry uptake of WAP technologies by introducing tailor-made solutions for various ship types, based on their operational profiles and navigation routes.

Use of systems for advanced monitoring of energy consumption, performance optimization, energy savings, and mitigation of GHG and other polluting emissions. The project should make optimal use of state-of-the-art sensor and digital technologies to achieve continuous monitoring of energy made available from WAP devices. The methodology should cover various types of WAP and should be applicable for all types of ships and operations.

Assessment of environmental and wider benefits, including reduced emissions of air and water pollutants, underwater noise, biodiversity, and cost-effectiveness for either standalone WAP solutions or combinations with other low and zero-emission technologies and/or energy efficiency measures.

Focus on safety and operational aspects, addressing any technical and operational challenges that may arise from the introduction of WAP systems, including possible combinations with other energy efficiency solutions, for ships and ports, including other land infrastructure.

Addressing scalability and adaptability issues to the existing fleet, such as efforts to promote the standardization of different solutions, and application of the solution considering the real environmental conditions and the impact of climate change in wind patterns.

Examination of a variety of business cases and proposal of a number of market measures to address the lack of market confidence in WAP solutions and the uptake of such systems in the maritime industry.

Proposals are expected to explain the contribution of their objectives, results, IP management, and exploitation strategy to the EU added value creation and strategic autonomy throughout the supply and value chain. This includes the competitiveness of the EU waterborne industry, enhancement of the EU’s R&I capacity, technological know-how capabilities and human capital, and resilience of the EU industrial and manufacturing base. Proposals are encouraged to prioritize shipyards, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers located in the EU and EEA.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT). Projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

The admissibility conditions include 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 available in the Submission System.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other eligible conditions are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are not applicable.

The application form templates specific to this call are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA). Evaluation form templates will be used with the necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the HE MGA and HE Unit MGA.

Call-specific instructions are not applicable.

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

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In summary, this Horizon Europe funding opportunity seeks to promote the development and adoption of Wind-Assisted Propulsion (WAP) systems in the maritime sector to reduce fuel consumption, GHG emissions, and other pollutants. The goal is to establish standardized methodologies, frameworks, and regulations to ensure the effective integration and market uptake of WAP technologies, contributing to a more sustainable and competitive EU waterborne industry. Applicants are expected to demonstrate full-scale WAP solutions, develop design optimization frameworks, utilize advanced monitoring systems, assess environmental benefits, address safety and operational aspects, and examine business cases to promote market confidence in WAP solutions. The funding opportunity encourages collaboration with EU and EEA-based shipyards, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers. The total budget for the HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-15 topic is 7,500,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 1 grant to be awarded. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of September 4, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but the call is open to entities eligible for funding under the Horizon Europe program. Given the focus on the waterborne industry, eligible applicants likely include shipyards, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, research organizations, universities, and other entities involved in maritime technology and innovation. The call encourages the prioritization of shipyards, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers located in the EU and EEA.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically through HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe program. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and the need for demonstration of full-scale WAP solutions, development of holistic frameworks, and assessment of various aspects, a consortium is highly probable. The partner search announcements further suggest that collaboration is encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes the EU and EEA countries. While non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding, the emphasis is on the EU and EEA waterborne industry.

Target Sector: The target sector is the waterborne transport industry, with a focus on climate, energy, and mobility. Specifically, it targets the development and implementation of Wind-Assisted Propulsion (WAP) systems to reduce ship fuel consumption, GHG emissions, and other polluting emissions. The program also addresses the broader waterborne sector, including ship design, shipbuilding, port infrastructure, and maritime operations.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions the EU and EEA.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the demonstration and validation stage, with a focus on full-scale WAP solutions. The call aims to facilitate market uptake and standardization, suggesting a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or higher.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from EUR 1,600,000 to EUR 22,500,000. The indicative number of grants per topic also varies, typically between 1 and 2.

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 grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates for this opportunity are not explicitly stated in the provided text.

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

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call focuses on "Optimal integrated onboard renewable energy solutions, by considering Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems (ZEWT Partnership)". The primary goal is to develop and demonstrate standardized methodologies for monitoring and verifying the impact of Wind-Assisted Propulsion (WAP) systems on ship propulsion, aiming to reduce fuel consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and other pollutants in the waterborne transport sector.

The call seeks proposals that address several key aspects: demonstrating full-scale WAP solutions, developing holistic design frameworks for wind-assisted propulsion, utilizing advanced monitoring systems, assessing environmental benefits, focusing on safety and operational aspects, addressing scalability and adaptability, and examining business cases to promote market confidence in WAP solutions.

Eligible applicants include shipyards, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, research organizations, and other entities involved in the EU and EEA waterborne industry. The funding is provided through Horizon Innovation Actions (IA), Horizon Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Horizon Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) with a single-stage submission process. The funding amounts vary from EUR 1,600,000 to EUR 22,500,000 depending on the specific topic, with an opening date of May 6, 2025, and a deadline of September 4, 2025.

The projects are expected to contribute to the European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT) and align with the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and IMO Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines. The overarching aim is to enhance the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the EU waterborne sector by fostering the adoption of WAP systems and promoting sustainable maritime transport.