Renewable Energy Valleys in Africa to increase energy security and energy access in Africa

The Horizon Europe call titled "Renewable Energy Valleys in Africa to increase energy security and energy access in Africa" (HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-10) aims to bolster energy security and access in Africa through innovative renewable energy projects. The call embraces a strategic partnership between the European Union and African countries, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between diverse entities from both regions.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium consisting of at least two legal entities from different African Union member states; this unique provision allows for exceptional funding eligibility for Africa-based organizations. The call supports various types of entities, including European universities, research institutions, private sector companies, and African SMEs, underscoring the importance of their roles within the renewable energy value chain.

The financial mechanism for this grant is a budget-based approach, with a total funding amount of €9 million allocated to fund two projects, expecting to provide €4.5 million per grant. The application utilizes a single-stage submission process, with the planned opening on December 3, 2026, and a deadline of March 31, 2027. Proposals are expected to emphasize innovation and the practical deployment of decentralized renewable energy systems, either in urban or rural contexts in Africa.

Projects will focus on building demonstration installations that address local energy needs while promoting socio-economic benefits, enhancing environmental sustainability, and engaging in circular economy practices. They should help accelerate compliance with the Paris Agreement targets for African nations, addressing issues of energy access, grid stability, and resource efficiency.

All proposals must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the local context, including available resources, regulatory challenges, and the socio-economic landscape. The development of local supply chains and workforce qualifications is also critical to ensure sustainable project outcomes.

Evaluation criteria include innovation quality, impact potential, and implementation feasibility, with an expectation for financial sustainability and supplementary funding streams, although there is no strict co-funding requirement.

Overall, this opportunity calls for a robust collaborative effort aimed at creating localized renewable energy solutions that not only meet energy demands but also contribute to the socio-economic development and environmental integrity of the regions involved.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-10, focused on "Renewable Energy Valleys in Africa to increase energy security and energy access in Africa." It falls under the BATTERIES and ENERGY (HORIZON-CL5-2027-02) call within the broader Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program. The action type is HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement.

The call adopts a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is December 3, 2026, and the deadline for submissions is March 31, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this call are: Strengthening the EU-AU Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Collaborative Partnership, emphasizing EU Science Diplomacy and Global Gateway Strategy; accelerating African countries' Paris Agreement targets; increasing the deployment of local/regional renewable energy solutions for electricity, heat, and fuel, promoting fair trade between Africa and Europe; creating sustainable jobs in local/regional renewable energy value chains, fostering economic growth in African communities; and enhancing the readiness, reliability, performance, and affordability of renewable energy solutions in Africa.

The scope of the call centers around Renewable Energy Valleys, defined as decentralized renewable energy systems offering solutions to energy challenges. These systems emphasize local production and consumption, reduced transmission losses, greater operational flexibility, and reduced dependence on fuel imports, leading to energy autonomy, secure supply, and stable energy costs. These valleys alleviate the load on centralized grids.

Actions should focus on either urban or rural African contexts, contributing to sustainable renewable energy access and socio-economic benefits like improved health, economic wealth, skills, and jobs. Environmental stress, particularly on biodiversity, should be reduced by adopting a Water Energy Food Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach and circular economy methods.

Projects should cover the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of demonstration installations, addressing energy needs, consumption, grid stability, and reinforcement. A tailored value chain approach should be developed and implemented, identifying suitable manufacturing value chains based on local context, material supply chains, and workforce, to ensure sustainable local economic development. A gender-sensitive approach is encouraged, considering vulnerable groups like rural communities and women.

African SMEs are expected to play a significant role in the value chain, identifying needs. EU private sector participation is encouraged, aligning with the Global Gateway Strategy. Actions should identify technical and vocational education needs, proposing relevant training and qualification activities. A market and business strategy should be defined, considering European and international financial instruments and development finance programs for commercial uptake.

Social innovation is a key consideration. Business plans should consider available financial support instruments to enhance market deployment. Regulatory environment and local communities’ governance needs/impacts should also be addressed.

Proposals must include a life cycle analysis demonstrating the impact of proposed solutions on the environment, climate change targets, and socio-economic dimensions, using a cradle-to-grave viewpoint encompassing design and operation phases, adopting a circular economy approach, and mitigating identified negative impacts.

Since the demonstration installation will be in Africa, African partners must participate in project implementation. Balanced involvement of European and African partners is an asset. Actions should participate in and contribute to the African Union-European Union collaborative research action on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy, particularly through cooperation with the LEAP-SE project (www.leap-re.eu). Alignment with Global Gateway activities on renewable energy in Africa should be prioritized, including collaboration with EU Delegations, EU private sector actors in Africa, the Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA), and Cluster 6’s topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage.

Lessons learned from European Renewable Energy Valleys projects like REFORMERS and CRETE VALLEY should be considered. Proven access to necessary land and/or permits for operation, or convincing risk management regarding delayed availability of land or permits, is expected in the proposal.

Regarding admissibility conditions, proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding. Legal entities from all African Union member states are exceptionally eligible for Union funding.

Other eligibility conditions include the mandatory use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for projects using satellite-based earth observation data. A consortium must include at least two legal entities established in two different African Union member states as beneficiaries.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria 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. An addition to the general award criteria is that demonstrated access to necessary land and/or permits for operation, or convincing risk management regarding delayed availability, is a major element in evaluating the 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation' criterion.

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. Legal and financial setup of the grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) are available in the Submission System. The standard application form is HE RIA, IA, and the standard evaluation form is HE RIA, IA. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, and the MGA is the HE MGA.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget for this topic in 2027 is 9,000,000 EUR. The action type is HORIZON-IA (Horizon Innovation Actions). The opening date is December 3, 2026, and the deadline is March 31, 2027. The indicative number of grants is 2, with contributions around 4,500,000 EUR.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the Portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

General FAQs and support are 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, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks to foster the development and implementation of renewable energy valleys in Africa, promoting energy security, access, and socio-economic development while adhering to circular economy principles and ensuring environmental sustainability. It requires strong collaboration between European and African partners, with a focus on African SMEs and alignment with EU strategies and policies. The call provides funding for innovation actions, emphasizing demonstration installations and the creation of sustainable value chains.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include legal entities established in EU member states, African Union member states, and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions. African SMEs are specifically mentioned as important players in the value chain. Participation of EU private sector actors is also encouraged. The consortium must include at least two legal entities established in at least two different African Union member states as beneficiaries.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The actions are mainly HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and some HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. Specifically, the consortium must include at least two legal entities established in at least two different African Union member states as beneficiaries. A balanced involvement of European and African partners is considered an asset.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and African Union member states. 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. Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all African Union member states are exceptionally eligible for Union funding. The demonstration installation will be located in Africa.

Target Sector: The program targets the renewable energy sector, with a focus on decentralized renewable energy systems, grid stability, grid reinforcement, sustainable energy access, and the Water Energy Food Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus. It also addresses socio-economic benefits such as improved health, economic wealth, skills, and jobs, and environmental sustainability, including biodiversity. The program encourages social innovation and circular economy approaches. It also touches upon agriculture/food through the mention of the Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and Cluster 6’s topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-FARM2FORK-02-two-stage.

Mentioned Countries: African Union member states, European Union member states.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the demonstration stage. Actions are expected to cover the design, construct, commission, and operate the demonstration installation. The projects should aim for a quick and viable commercial take-up of the technological solution demonstrated.

Funding Amount: The budget overview provides specific budget allocations for different topics under the call, all for the year 2027. The funding amounts vary depending on the specific action:
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D2-05 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 18,800,000 (indicative EUR 9,400,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D2-06 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 37,800,000 (indicative EUR 18,900,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-07 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 12,000,000 (indicative EUR 6,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-08 - HORIZON-COFUND: EUR 30,000,000 (indicative EUR 30,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-09 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 43,000,000 (indicative EUR 43,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-10 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 9,000,000 (indicative EUR 4,500,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-15 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 36,000,000 (indicative EUR 12,000,000 per grant, 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-24 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 20,000,000 (indicative EUR 10,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-30 - HORIZON-IA: EUR 16,000,000 (indicative EUR 8,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-31 - HORIZON-CSA: EUR 5,000,000 (indicative EUR 5,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)

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 to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential number of successful projects.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding may be required, particularly for HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND). The specific requirements for co-funding are not detailed in the provided text but would likely be outlined in the specific call conditions.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the BATTERIES and ENERGY theme, focuses on promoting Renewable Energy Valleys in Africa to enhance energy security and access. The call seeks to strengthen the EU-AU Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Collaborative Partnership, accelerate the achievement of African countries' Paris Agreement targets, and increase the deployment of local renewable energy solutions. Projects should cover the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of demonstration installations in either urban or rural African contexts. A strong emphasis is placed on creating socio-economic benefits, environmental sustainability, and adopting a circular economy approach. Consortia must include at least two legal entities from different African Union member states, and balanced involvement of European and African partners is encouraged. The call utilizes a single-stage application process with funding provided as a HORIZON Action Grant. The indicative budgets for the different topics range from EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 43,000,000. The call aims to foster innovation, create sustainable jobs, and promote fair trade between Africa and Europe in the renewable energy sector.