PowerUp NetZero Open Call for Innovation Projects

PowerUp NetZero is an EU-funded open call providing lump-sum grants to consortia of 2–3 SMEs to develop, test and demonstrate net-zero technologies at TRL 6–7 in solar, batteries and energy storage, hydrogen, sustainable biogas/biomethane and carbon capture and storage. Each successful consortium may receive up to €120,000 (with a per‑SME cap of €60,000 across PowerUp NetZero calls) and projects must start within the agreed timeline and run for up to 10 months from agreement signature. Eligible applicants are SMEs/start‑ups established in EU Member States or countries participating in the Single Market Programme and applications must be submitted in English via the EU Survey portal with required uploads (timeline/budget KPIs, Declaration of Honour, LFV financial viability check, CVs). The submission deadline is 15 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time and selection is based on Excellence, Implementation and Impact with reporting linked to milestones.

What it funds

Scope

Competitive lump‑sum grants to consortia of SMEs to demonstrate or pilot net‑zero technologies (TRL 6 7) including solar, batteries and energy storage, hydrogen, sustainable biogas/biomethane and carbon capture and storage. Activities may include PoC, testing, pilot or demonstration actions and optimisation to address technical risks and product/solution improvements.

Available budget and award size:Total call budget €1,615,000. Each selected consortium can receive up to €120,000 as a lump sum; it is expected at least 14 projects will be funded. A single SME cannot receive more than €60,000 in total across PowerUp NetZero open calls ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: consortia of minimum 2 and maximum 3 SMEs (including start‑ups that qualify as SMEs) legally established in an EU Member State or a country participating in the Single Market Programme; each SME must have at least one closed financial year.
2. 2One application per SME and per consortium; if multiple submissions occur only the first (or last, per platform timestamp) is considered per call rules.
3. 3Project duration: up to 10 months from grant signature; expected project start mid November 2026.

How to apply:submit the application form and all supporting documents in English through the EU Survey platform. Required attachments include the activities timeline and budget (excel template), Declaration of Honour (signed), CVs, and the SME Financial Viability Self-Check result. Applications are evaluated on excellence, implementation and impact.

Submission link:Apply via the EU Survey page: PowerUp NetZero Call form ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call guidelines, templates and full application instructions are available from the project page: Call documentation and the EU submission form link above.

Call title:PowerUp NetZero Open Call for Innovation Projects. Programme: Powering Up Net Zero Applications Through the European Single Market; funded under the Single Market Programme SMP-COSME. Call opening date: 18 June 2026. Submission deadline: 15 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Expected project start date: 16 November 2026 (projects start after signature of the agreement). Maximum project duration: 10 months from signature of the Grant Agreement. Budget for this specific open call: €1,615,000 total assigned to the project. Individual award: each beneficiary consortium can receive up to €120,000 in the form of a lump sum; however, a single beneficiary SME cannot receive more than €60,000 overall from PowerUp NetZero open calls.

Objective and Scope

Objective:provide financial support for SMEs and start-ups to adopt, improve or demonstrate Net-Zero technologies and solutions in products, processes or services. The call supports proof-of-concept, testing, pilot and demonstration actions with a high degree of innovation and technical risk reduction. Target technology areas include Solar energy; Battery and energy storage; Hydrogen technologies; Sustainable biogas and biomethane; Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Expected TRL: demonstration in an operational or Virtual and Industrially Relevant environment, approximately TRL 6-7.

Eligible Applicants and Consortium Requirements

Eligible applicant types:SMEs including start-ups. Consortium requirement: consortia only. Each proposal must be submitted by a consortium of minimum two (2) and maximum three (3) SMEs (start-ups included if they qualify as SMEs). All participating SMEs must have at least one closed and validated financial year and be established in an EU Member State or in a country participating in the Single Market Programme (SMP) at the date the call was launched. Only one application per SME and per consortium is accepted for this specific call. If an entity submits more than one proposal, as a general rule only the first proposal submitted is considered eligible; other submissions will be declared non-eligible. Each SME may participate in only one consortium for this call.

Funding Mechanism and Financial Conditions

Funding type:grant in the form of lump-sum payments. Maximum per successful consortium: up to €120,000. The overall call budget is €1,615,000, and it is expected that at least 14 projects will be funded given the per-consortium cap. Payment modality: lump sum with payments linked to reporting and milestones as defined in the Grant Agreement. Limitation: a single beneficiary cannot accumulate more than €60,000 from the combined PowerUp NetZero open calls across strands.

Geographic and Sectoral Eligibility

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):SMEs established in EU Member States or countries participating in the Single Market Programme (SMP) at the call launch date. Target sectors: cleantech and green transition technologies, specifically Solar energy; Battery and energy storage; Hydrogen technologies; Sustainable biogas and biomethane; Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The call targets industries aligned with NACE sectors such as energy supply, manufacturing of electrical equipment, chemicals, waste management and remediation, ICT and R&D services.

Project Types, Expected Maturity and Activities

Project stage and activities:proposals should demonstrate an innovative net-zero technology or solution at TRL 6-7. Accepted activities include proof-of-concept or testing of new/improved environmentally friendly products, demonstration and pilot actions, optimization of technology processes and operational parameters, improvement of product/solution characteristics, and virtual or physically operational validation. Large-scale commercial production is not required; focus is on de-risking and demonstration in relevant environments.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Application method:single-stage open call. Submission channel: online via the EU Survey platform: ec.europa.eu. Language: all documentation must be submitted in English. Evaluation steps: 1) Eligibility check (deadline by 25 September 2026); 2) Evaluation by an Evaluation Panel which scores relevance, impact and implementation; 3) Applicants notified of final results (by 19 October 2026); 4) Agreement signature for selected applications with one of the partner organisations (FPI or EnviPark) (deadline 13 November 2026).

Scoring Criteria and Application Structure

The proposal template in the EU Survey form is structured to match the evaluation criteria. Evaluation sections and maximum points: Section 1 Excellence (max 30 points) covering ambition, innovation and coherence; Section 2 Implementation (max 30 points) covering consortium appropriateness, workplan soundness, cost-effectiveness and co-funding explanation; Section 3 Impact (max 40 points) covering industrial and market relevance, environmental and climate impact, ESG improvements and business scaling potential. Proposals must address one of two strands: Strand A (topics and challenges related to the five Net-Zero Technologies) or Strand B (City of Turin challenges). Each consortium must propose activities addressing only one strand and at least one challenge within it.

Application form and required fields:Applicants fill a single EU Survey application form. The Coordinator SME completes contact details and PIC where available, NUTS2 region, organisation size, sector, description, cluster membership (if applicable), and declarations. For each partner SME, similar contact and organisational information is required. Project description fields mirror evaluation criteria and ask for project main goal, chosen PowerUp NetZero topic, ambition, innovation, coherence, consortium roles, workplan tasks and deliverables, risks and mitigation, cost-effectiveness and co-funding breakdown, KPIs, expected environmental/climate impacts, ESG and SDG alignment, business impact and scaling/replicability. Additional administrative uploads include CVs for team members, the Activities timeline, budget and KPIs excel template, signed Declaration of Honour for each partner, and the SME Financial Viability Self-Check (LFV Simulation) results. All mandatory checkboxes and declarations must be ticked for eligibility.

1. 1Mandatory supporting documents to upload: Activities timeline, budget and KPIs (Excel template supplied), Declaration of Honour (signed PDF, template provided), CVs of project team members (PDFs), SME Financial Viability Self-Check results for each applicant (LFV Simulation).
2. 2Submission platform: EU Survey online form. The Coordinator submits on behalf of the consortium; an email confirmation is sent to the main contact upon receipt.
3. 3Language: English only for form and supporting documents.
4. 4One application per SME and per consortium; in case of multiple submissions only the last received will be considered (timestamp-based) for applications on the piemonteinnova site; in the EU Survey, instruction states first submitted considered—applicants must follow the specific rules indicated in guidance.

Financial Viability, Co-funding and Eligibility Checks

Co-funding requirement:applicants must describe co-funding foreseen by each SME in the project and indicate the percentage coming from private financial sources. The call asks for a clear explanation of co-funding but does not state a fixed mandatory co-funding percentage; cost-effectiveness and co-funding are assessed under Section 2.3. Financial viability: each SME must upload the result of the SME Financial Viability Self-Check (LFV Simulation). Eligibility checks include: SMEs must have at least one closed and validated financial year and be established in an eligible country; Declaration of Honour signed and dated by the legal representative of each partner; absence of conflicts of interest with the PowerUp NetZero Consortium; compliance with ethical principles and research integrity declarations; and acceptance of privacy policy.

Application Timeline, Stages and Success Rate Indicators

Application stages:single-stage submission followed by 1) eligibility check, 2) expert evaluation by the Evaluation Panel, 3) notification of results, 4) grant agreement signature for selected proposals. Number of stages: effectively 4 distinct administrative/evaluation stages. Key dates: call opens 18 June 2026; eligibility check completion by 25 September 2026; final results by 19 October 2026; grant signature by 13 November 2026; projects may run up to 10 months from signature. Success rates: not explicitly provided. Based on available budget (€1,615,000) and maximum per-consortium award (€120,000), the call anticipates funding at least 14 projects; actual success rate depends on number of eligible applications received and final award sizes. Applicants should assume competitive selection and limited slots.

Contact, Resources and Further Information

Contact email for enquiries:punz@piemonteinnova.it. Application submission link (EU Survey): ec.europa.eu. Call guidelines, templates and supporting documentation are available from the project website hosted by Piemonte Innova: piemonteinnova.it and related resources on the ECCP profile and LinkedIn pages. Project profile on ECCP: profile.clustercollaboration.eu. Project LinkedIn: linkedin.com.

Key Rules, Restrictions and Good-to-Know Details

Limitations and restrictions:consortia must be composed exclusively of SMEs (start-ups allowed if they qualify as SMEs). Large enterprises (more than 250 employees) are not eligible to be part of the consortium for funding. Each SME can only be part of one consortium and each consortium may submit only one application. There is a per-beneficiary cap across PowerUp NetZero calls (max €60,000 per SME across PowerUp NetZero open calls). Only one application per SME and per consortium will be considered; duplicate submissions are disqualified except as specified by the timestamp rule. Projects must comply with EU and national rules on export controls, restrictive measures and legal obligations as applicable. The project promotes gender balance, diversity protection and social inclusion; applicants are asked to describe measures addressing these principles in the consortium and implementation.

• Expected deliverables and reporting: project deliverables and reporting schedule must align with the uploaded Activities timeline and KPIs template and will be used to trigger lump-sum payments as defined in the Grant Agreement.
• Intellectual property and ethics: applicants must confirm compliance with ethical principles and research integrity; IP arrangements should be documented within the consortium and according to grant conditions.
• Cluster membership: applicants are asked whether they are members of PowerUp NetZero clusters (for example Fondazione Piemonte Innova - FPI or Clúster de Movilidad y Logística de Euskadi – MLC).

Mentioned countries and regions:Explicitly mentioned region: European Union and countries participating in the Single Market Programme (SMP). Specific organisations/clusters are based in Italy and Spain (examples: Fondazione Piemonte Innova - FPI: Italy, Clúster de Movilidad y Logística de Euskadi – MLC: Spain). No exhaustive list of eligible third countries is provided; eligibility is defined by SMP participation.

Templates and Application Form Structure (practical guide)

Application form structure and templates are provided through the EU Survey form and the project website. Required uploaded templates include: Activities timeline, budget and KPIs (Excel template to be completed and uploaded), Declaration of Honour (PDF template to be signed by each legal representative), and CVs of the project team (PDFs). The online EU Survey fields map to evaluation criteria and request the following sections and inputs: project acronym and summary, coordinator SME details (PIC, country, NUTS2, headcount, sector), partner SME details, description of consortium competences, gender and diversity measures, main project goal, selected strand and challenge, detailed workplan with tasks, duration and deliverables, budget and cost-effectiveness explanation, co-funding breakdown by SME and source, KPIs and timeline, environmental and ESG impact metrics, scaling and business exploitation plan, and mandatory declarations. Applicants should download and complete provided templates before starting the online submission to ensure all required fields and uploads are available and in English. The Excel budget template must be used to summarise costs and planned activities and serves as the basis for Section 2.2/2.3 descriptions in the application text.

Final summary

What is this opportunity about and how to explain it:The PowerUp NetZero Open Call for Innovation Projects is a competitive European SME-targeted grant scheme under the PowerUp NetZero cluster initiative funded by the Single Market Programme. It aims to accelerate adoption and demonstration of Net-Zero technologies across European SMEs by funding collaborative innovation projects (consortia of 2-3 SMEs) to carry out proof-of-concept, pilot or demonstration activities that address climate and environmental impacts. Projects should demonstrate technologies at TRL 6-7 in areas such as solar energy, batteries and energy storage, hydrogen, sustainable biogas/biomethane and carbon capture and storage. Funding is provided as lump sums up to €120,000 per consortium from a call budget of €1,615,000. Applicants must submit a single-stage application in English via EU Survey, upload standard templates (budget timeline, Declaration of Honour, CVs, LFV simulation results), and pass eligibility and expert evaluation stages that assess excellence, implementation and impact. The call promotes inclusion and ESG objectives, demands financial viability evidence and co-funding explanation, and imposes per-beneficiary caps across PowerUp NetZero calls. Interested SME consortia in eligible countries should prepare detailed workplans, complete the supplied Excel and declaration templates, run the LFV financial viability check, and submit before the deadline 15 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Reference links and useful resources:Call page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and submission form: ec.europa.eu and ec.europa.eu. Call guidance and templates available from Piemonte Innova: piemonteinnova.it. ECCP profile: profile.clustercollaboration.eu. Contact email: punz@piemonteinnova.it ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Templates, guidance documents, and submission instructions are hosted on Piemonte Innova pages and the EU Survey form. Always download the Activities timeline, budget and KPIs Excel template and the Declaration of Honour template from the provided links and complete them in English before uploading.

What This Funding Supports

This EU-funded open call provides financial support to SMEs and start-ups to develop, test, and validate innovative net-zero technologies in operational or industrially relevant environments (TRL 6–7). The call targets collaborative projects focused on Proof of Concept (PoC) development, net-zero solution implementation, and pilot/demonstration activities ¹.

Target Net-Zero Technologies:Proposals must address at least one of the following five technologies: Solar energy, Battery and energy storage, Hydrogen (H2) technologies, Sustainable biogas and biomethane, and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) ².

Who Can Apply

Applicants must form a consortium of at least 2 and no more than 3 SMEs (including start-ups that qualify as SMEs). All consortium members must be established in an EU Member State or a country participating in the Single Market Programme (SMP) and have at least one closed and validated financial year ³.

1. 1Consortia must include 2–3 SMEs/start-ups
2. 2All members must be SMP-eligible (EU 27 + associated countries)
3. 3Each SME can participate in only one consortium for this call
4. 4Only one application per consortium is accepted

Funding Amounts and Conditions

The grant is awarded as a lump-sum, meaning payments are linked to reporting milestones rather than detailed cost reimbursement. Beneficiaries must sign an agreement with a designated partner (e.g., FPI or EnviPark) and submit operational, mid-term, and final reports ⁴.

Key Deadlines and Timeline

1. 1Call Opening: 18 June 2026
2. 2Submission Deadline: 15 September 2026 at 17:00 (Brussels time)
3. 3Eligibility Check: By 25 September 2026
4. 4Results Notification: By 19 October 2026
5. 5Agreement Signature: By 13 November 2026
6. 6Project Start: 16 November 2026

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted in English via the EU Survey platform. Required documents include: (1) Online application form, (2) Activities timeline, budget, and KPIs (Excel template), (3) Signed Declaration of Honour for each partner, (4) SME Financial Viability Self-Check results for all members, and (5) CVs of project team members for each SME ⁵.

Evaluation Criteria:Proposals are scored on Excellence (30 pts), Implementation (30 pts), and Impact (40 pts). A minimum overall score of 70 points is required for selection. Evaluation is conducted per strand: Strand A (5 Net-Zero Technologies) and Strand B (City of Turin Challenges) ⁶.

Additional Information for Applicants

The project emphasizes gender balance, diversity, and social inclusion. Applicants should describe how their consortium promotes equal opportunities and addresses diversity (e.g., disabled people, older consumers). At least one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) must be referenced in the proposal ⁷.

For support, contact punz@piemonteinnova.it or visit the official guidelines page:PowerUp NetZero Guidelines. The application portal is: EU Survey Form.

Footnotes

1. 1Official call description: PowerUp NetZero Open Call
2. 2Target technologies confirmed: techland.org PowerUp NetZero
3. 3Eligibility rules: Polo CLEVER PowerUp NetZero
4. 4Funding terms and duration: techland.org PowerUp NetZero
5. 5Required documents: EU Survey Application Form
6. 6Evaluation criteria and strands: EU Survey Form Details
7. 7Diversity and SDG requirements: EU Survey Form Diversity Section