R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal: Clean Technologies for Climate Action

This summary outlines the Horizon Europe grant opportunity identified as HORIZON-CID-2026-01-02, part of the initiative aimed at advancing clean technology innovation in support of climate action and industrial decarbonization in the European Union.

The overall goal of this funding scheme is to strengthen the EU's position in clean technology manufacturing and deployment. The call has a total budget of €150 million, with projected funding for approximately 8 projects. Each project can receive between €15 million and €25 million, emphasizing substantial financial support aimed at helping innovative clean tech solutions achieve full technological maturity and market readiness.

Applicants must form industry-driven consortia, ideally containing up to ten members, including clean tech suppliers, energy users, universities, research institutions, and other stakeholders in the clean technology sector. The opportunity places significant emphasis on collaboration across the value chain, encouraging participation from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as larger enterprises.

The targeted sectors include integrated net-zero emissions energy systems, enhanced zero-emission power technologies, and storage technologies, including renewable fuels and carbon capture and utilization solutions. Projects should aim to demonstrate commercial viability, address climate neutrality, enhance resource efficiency, and respect biodiversity principles. Proposals must include a comprehensive business plan and a market-readiness strategy outlining necessary steps to achieve deployment, as well as a clear "go/no-go" decision moment before project initiation.

The application process is structured as a single-stage submission, meaning all proposals must be submitted at once, with evaluations taking place in a single round without preliminary assessments. The call opens on December 18, 2025, and the submission deadline is set for September 15, 2026.

The expected success rate for applications is constrained by the competitive nature of the grant, with only a limited number of projects being funded. While co-funding is not explicitly mandated, projects that can demonstrate additional financial backing from private or public sources are favored, as this shows a potential for successful market uptake and sustainability beyond the project's conclusion.

Overall, this call for proposals represents a vital opportunity for entities involved in clean technology innovation. It aligns with EU climate objectives and positions successful applicants to contribute significantly to the transition towards a sustainable and low-carbon economy.

This is a summary of the Horizon Europe grant opportunity focused on Research and Innovation in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal, specifically targeting Clean Technologies for Climate Action. The call, identified as HORIZON-CID-2026-01-02, falls under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) funding scheme.

The primary goal of this initiative is to bolster the competitiveness, sustainability (including biodiversity considerations), and resilience of innovative clean technology solutions. Projects should demonstrate a significant increase in circular material use, reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for end-users, and contribute to the EU's industrial leadership in net-zero technologies, aligning with the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). The ultimate aim is to bring clean tech solutions to full technological maturity and market readiness, facilitating their deployment and integration across key European industrial sectors like manufacturing, energy, and transport.

The scope of the call is centered around the Clean Industrial Deal, which seeks to establish the EU as an attractive hub for manufacturing, particularly for energy-intensive industries. It emphasizes the promotion of clean technologies and circular business models to achieve ambitious decarbonization, climate neutrality, and biodiversity preservation targets. A substantial increase in the electrification of EU energy systems and end-use sectors is deemed crucial.

The call identifies three key clean tech areas with significant growth potential:

1. Integrated net-zero emissions energy systems, including energy grids, networks, and systems.
2. Enhanced zero-emission power technologies, encompassing renewable electricity, heat, and energy technologies.
3. Storage technologies, renewable fuels, and carbon capture and utilization (CCU), including batteries, energy storage solutions, renewable hydrogen, advanced biofuels, and synthetic renewable fuels.

Applicants are required to select a primary area of focus but can also integrate aspects from the other two. They have the flexibility to choose the specific value chain they wish to strengthen within these areas. Projects can also address advancements in network and infrastructure deployment to support the scaling up of trans-European energy and transport networks, such as those for electricity, heat, gas, hydrogen, CO2, batteries, and refuelling. The application of advanced materials, connected process engineering, resource efficiency, circularity, and recycling are also relevant considerations. Projects must avoid technologies with negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems.

Proposals should ensure the development of innovative technological solutions along a specific clean tech value chain, involving a combination of clean tech suppliers, energy users, and other relevant stakeholders. A sound business case, incorporating a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach, is essential. Projects must demonstrate the integration of clean tech and industrial decarbonization solutions, with a clear and quantifiable impact on competitiveness and GHG emission reduction. The reduction of harmful pollutants and positive impacts on biodiversity are also valued. The use of results from previous EU or nationally funded R&I projects is encouraged.

Industrial leadership in deployment after the project is a key expectation. Consortia should be industry-driven, composed of a manageable number of participants (ideally no more than ten), and justify their size based on the value chain coverage. SME participation is encouraged. Projects should align with the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan and relevant industrial initiatives.

The dissemination, exploitation, and communication plan must include a robust business plan and market-readiness strategy, addressing the deployment of the clean tech solution across relevant EU industrial sectors and its potential for market uptake through private/public investment. A comprehensive analysis of technological and non-technological barriers to market deployment, along with a plan to address them, is required.

A clear go/no-go moment is expected before the contracting and demonstration phase, with deliverables including detailed engineering plans, a techno-economic assessment, necessary permits, a complete business plan, and a market-readiness strategy. A credible pathway to obtaining all permits for the demonstration phase is also necessary.

Synergies and coordination with other relevant projects, including those funded under HORIZON-CID-2026-01-02, HORIZON-CID-2027-01-02, and European Partnerships like the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking and the Clean Energy Transition Partnership, are encouraged.

The proposal page limit is exceptionally extended to 60 pages to accommodate the business plan and market-readiness strategy.

Eligible countries are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific funding provisions for their participants. If projects use satellite data, they must utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

The evaluation process aims to create a balanced portfolio across the three technology areas, awarding grants based on ranking and ensuring at least one top-ranked application is funded per area, provided it meets all thresholds.

The granting authority can object to ownership transfers or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the project's end.

Application forms are available in the Submission System.

The total budget for HORIZON-CID-2026-01-01 is 125,000,000 EUR, and for HORIZON-CID-2026-01-02 it is 150,000,000 EUR. The indicative contribution per grant ranges from 15,000,000 to 25,000,000 EUR. The call follows a single-stage submission process, with the opening date planned for December 18, 2025, and a deadline of September 15, 2026. The indicative number of grants for each topic is 8.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks to fund ambitious innovation actions that will drive the development and deployment of clean technologies, contributing to the EU's Clean Industrial Deal and its climate and sustainability objectives. It emphasizes industrial leadership, market readiness, and collaboration across the value chain, with a focus on integrated energy systems, zero-emission power technologies, and storage solutions.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, the text mentions the need for an adequate combination of clean tech suppliers, energy users (e.g., manufacturing, energy, and transport), and other relevant stakeholders. It also encourages the participation of SMEs. The consortium should be industry-driven. Therefore, eligible applicants could include startups, SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, and other relevant stakeholders involved in the clean tech value chain.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe program. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The text emphasizes the need for effective collaboration among relevant stakeholders along a specific clean tech value chain. The consortium should be industry-driven and composed of a manageable number of participants, indicatively not more than ten. The consortium size should be justified based on the extent of the value chain covered.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility primarily focuses on the EU. The Clean Industrial Deal aims to secure the EU as an attractive location for manufacturing and promote clean tech in Europe. However, Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, may provide information on non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding.

Target Sector: The target sectors are clean tech, energy, environment, transport, and manufacturing. Specifically, the program targets the competitive decarbonisation of EU industry and the production of clean technologies in the EU. The three clean tech areas with strong growth potential are: Integrated net-zero emissions energy systems (e.g., including energy grids, networks, and systems), Enhanced zero-emission power technologies (e.g., including renewable electricity, heat, and energy technologies), and Storage technologies, renewable fuels, and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) (e.g., including batteries and other energy storage solutions, renewable hydrogen, advanced biofuels, and synthetic renewable fuels).

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity focuses on the European Union (EU). Horizon Europe Associated Countries are also likely eligible. The text mentions non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may have specific provisions for funding, referring to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for more information.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is demonstration and close to market-readiness. The program aims to bring innovative clean tech solutions to full technological maturity and accelerate their market deployment and/or integration in key industrial sectors in Europe. Proposals are expected to include a clear go/no go moment ahead of the contracting and demonstration phase, with deliverables including detailed engineering plans, a techno-economic assessment, permits for the demonstrator, and a business plan.

Funding Amount: The funding range is between €15 million and €25 million per project. For the topic HORIZON-CID-2026-01-01, the budget is €125 million with an indicative number of 8 grants. For the topic HORIZON-CID-2026-01-02, the budget is €150 million with an indicative number of 8 grants.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text. The indicative number of grants (8 per topic) can be used to estimate the success rate based on the number of applications received, but this information is not provided.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement. However, it mentions that proposals should address how to ensure a high potential for market uptake through further private/public investment, including relevant EU deployment programs such as the Innovation Fund, which suggests that leveraging additional investment is viewed favorably.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, part of the R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal (HORIZON-CID-2026-01), aims to bolster the EU's position as a leader in clean technology manufacturing and deployment. The call seeks to fund projects that can significantly enhance the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of innovative clean tech solutions, aligning with the objectives of the Net-Zero Industry Act. Projects should focus on bringing clean tech solutions to market readiness, demonstrating a clear and quantifiable impact on GHG emissions reduction and industrial competitiveness.

The call targets three key clean tech areas: integrated net-zero emissions energy systems, enhanced zero-emission power technologies, and storage technologies/renewable fuels/CCU. Applicants must form industry-driven consortia, ideally with no more than ten participants, including clean tech suppliers, energy users, and other relevant stakeholders. The participation of SMEs is encouraged.

Successful proposals will need to demonstrate the development of innovative technological solutions along a specific clean tech value chain, integrate relevant technological solutions effectively, and show industrial leadership for deployment after the project. A comprehensive business plan and market-readiness strategy are essential, along with a clear pathway to obtaining all necessary permits for the demonstration phase. The funding available ranges from €15 million to €25 million per project, with an indicative number of 8 grants available for each of the two topics under the call. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of September 15, 2026.