Support of the new EU renewable and low carbon fuel ecosystem for waterborne transport

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-16 focuses on supporting the development and deployment of renewable and low-carbon fuels for waterborne transport within the European Union. This grant falls under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically within Cluster 5, targeting climate, energy, and mobility, and is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) providing a lump sum grant.

Eligible applicants include diverse entities such as startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research institutes, universities, public-private partnerships, and industry stakeholders involved in maritime transport and renewable energy. Emphasis is placed on collaborative efforts, suggesting that consortiums of multiple applicants are likely required to facilitate ecosystem development.

The grant initiative promotes geographic eligibility for EU member states, the European Economic Area (EEA), and countries associated with Horizon Europe. It also allows for the potential involvement of non-EU countries as part of international collaborations associated with the Global Gateway strategy.

Target sectors for this funding include renewable and low-carbon fuels, maritime transport, and environmental initiatives aimed at emission reduction and climate resilience. The funding amount for projects under this call is anticipated to be within the range of €1 million to €5 million. The application process is an open call with a single-stage submission, set to close on September 4, 2025.

The specific nature of support includes financial assistance as a lump sum grant, alongside additional resources for project development, such as analytical financial tools, workshops, and dissemination activities. The expected outcomes align with EU climate targets, particularly the European Green Deal, fostering competitive production of renewable fuels and increased market uptake of sustainable solutions in maritime transport.

Success rates for applications are estimated between 10% and 39%, typical for competitive grants under Horizon Europe. There is no co-funding requirement specified for this particular grant, making it accessible for a wide range of applicants.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to advance the EU's renewable fuel capabilities in waterborne transport, demonstrating a commitment to innovative solutions that contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and achieving sustainability goals.

This is a comprehensive summary of the Horizon Europe funding opportunity focused on supporting the new EU renewable and low carbon fuel ecosystem for waterborne transport. The call, HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-16, falls under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically Cluster 5 Call 04-2025 (WP 2025). It is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline model. The opening date was 06 May 2025, and the deadline for submission is 04 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this call are: EU fuel producers, fuel infrastructure developers, and bunkering facilities will jointly benefit from the creation of relevant business models that will accelerate the deployment of renewable and low carbon fuels for waterborne transport. EU fuel producers will become more competitive in the production of renewable and low carbon fuels for waterborne transport. There will be a significant increase in pipeline projects supported by various programs and institutions in relation to renewable and low carbon fuels production and usage. A diverse portfolio of scientifically sound mature proposals for the deployment of technological solutions to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions, in line with the EU climate targets, especially taking into account the Fitfor55 package, will be developed. Added value creation and increased competitiveness within the EU waterborne transport fuel ecosystem is also expected.

The scope of this funding opportunity is described as follows: The European Commission is involved in several initiatives to accelerate the deployment of renewable and low carbon fuels. These include the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, which sets GHG intensity reduction targets for maritime vessels, and the Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Alliance, which aims to facilitate investment in these fuels for waterborne and aviation transport. The Revised ETS directive allocates revenues to green shipping projects, and the Commission is preparing calls under the Hydrogen Bank for maritime applications. The Commission is also working on a study about the Global Gateway Green Shipping Corridors (GGGSC) to identify strategic ports outside the EU and support partner countries in ensuring the availability of renewable and low carbon fuels.

Furthermore, the Commission has published studies on building industrial capacity for advanced biofuels, and Horizon Europe includes a call for activities related to the SET Plan Key Action area Renewable fuels and bioenergy. Synergies with the Innovation Fund program are encouraged. Projects funded under this call are expected to build upon these initiatives and address the following aspects: Project development support: Provide support to at least 20 proposals within the renewable and low carbon fuel ecosystem for waterborne transport. This support aims to increase applications to programs like Horizon Europe, Innovation Fund, CEF AFIF, EIB Loans, structural funds, and the Global Gateway strategy. Coordination with existing EU project assistance providers, such as the EIB Advisory project development assistance scheme, is required to avoid duplication. Proposals should include KPIs related to additional projects and activities. Support should be provided through a competitive selection process, prioritizing projects admitted to the RLCF Alliance Project Pipeline and/or Global Gateway. The proposal must detail the project selection methodology. Analytical financial tool: Create a tool that allows users to model projects and understand the economic rationale of a business case. This tool should identify critical assumptions, drivers, and barriers to financial and economic viability. The projects for which the tool will be developed should produce renewable and low carbon fuels for the waterborne transport sector, with a wide European geographical coverage. The models must consider the results delivered through the Roundtable 4 of the RLCF Alliance in their financial analysis and aim to preserve the industrial competitiveness of the EU industry, in alignment with RED, FuelEU maritime and ETS, also considering any potential unlevelled playing field risks/challenges vis-a-vis other countries outside the European Union. These models will examine the scalability potential of the fuel considering production, transport and distribution, security of supply in ports in and outside Europe, GHG emission saving on Well to Wake basis, distance continuously sailed on the fuel, size of ship in terms of installed power, total distance sailed and transparency on the project costs. Synergies between RFNBOs and advanced biofuels technologies development should be identified and utilized. Workshops/trainings: Develop and conduct workshops/trainings with financial institutions and relevant waterborne stakeholders, in collaboration with the RLCF Alliance, to facilitate the market uptake of waterborne and renewable and low carbon fuel production solutions. These workshops should focus on access to capital for demonstration projects with higher technological risk profiles and dissemination of best practices for accessing financing and funding. Dissemination: The project must carry out dissemination activities to communicate the results to relevant policymakers and stakeholders from industry and civil society.

The general conditions for this call include: Admissibility conditions related to 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. Eligible countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds, as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes, as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. Legal and financial setup of the grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes also applies.

Specific conditions for this call are not applicable.

The application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), include: Application form templates available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE CSA). Evaluation form templates (Standard evaluation form HE CSA). Guidance documents such as the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) including the Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions. A detailed budget table (HE LS). Guidance on lump sums.

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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for the call includes several topics, each with its own budget, stage, opening date, deadline, contributions, and indicative number of grants. All topics are single-stage and have the same opening and deadline dates (06 May 2025 and 04 September 2025, respectively).

The topics and their corresponding budgets and indicative number of grants are: HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-01 (EUR 20,000,000, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-02 (EUR 10,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-03 (EUR 5,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-04 (EUR 7,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-05 (EUR 12,000,000, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-06 (EUR 5,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-07 (EUR 2,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-08 (EUR 15,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-10 (EUR 22,500,000, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-11 (EUR 15,000,000, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-12 (EUR 4,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-13 (EUR 4,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-14 (EUR 5,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-15 (EUR 7,500,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-16 (EUR 2,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-18 (EUR 1,600,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-19 (EUR 2,000,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D6-01 (EUR 12,000,000, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D6-02 (EUR 4,500,000, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D6-11 (EUR 10,000,000, around 2 grants), and HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D6-12 (EUR 8,000,000, around 2 grants).

Partner search announcements and a start submission button are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

For help and support, applicants are encouraged to consult 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, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to foster the development and deployment of renewable and low carbon fuels in the waterborne transport sector. It seeks to support project development, create financial tools, and facilitate collaboration between stakeholders to achieve EU climate targets and enhance the competitiveness of the EU waterborne transport fuel ecosystem. The call encourages applicants to build upon existing initiatives and provides resources and support to ensure successful project implementation. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and applicants should carefully review the general and specific conditions, as well as the available guidance documents, before preparing their proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include a wide range of entities such as EU fuel producers, fuel infrastructure developers, bunkering facilities, research organizations, and other stakeholders in the waterborne transport sector. The call also encourages participation from national, regional, and international entities, including those involved in the Global Gateway strategy. SMEs are specifically mentioned as a focus for the Enterprise Europe Network support.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) framework.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the nature of the activities, particularly the need for project development support, creation of analytical tools, and collaboration with the RLCF Alliance, suggests that a consortium of multiple applicants is highly encouraged, if not required. The call mentions partner search announcements, further implying that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility primarily focuses on EU member states and associated countries. However, the mention of the Global Gateway strategy and the identification of ports outside the EU of strategic interest suggests that international collaboration with non-EU countries is also relevant, particularly those involved in green shipping corridors.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: renewable and low carbon fuels, waterborne transport, maritime, aviation, energy, climate, environment, finance, and innovation. Specifically, it focuses on accelerating the deployment of solutions relevant for the market uptake of renewable and low carbon fuels in waterborne transport and aviation.

Mentioned Countries: The text explicitly mentions the European Union (EU) and refers to non-EU and non-Associated Countries, as well as partner countries within the context of the Global Gateway Green Shipping Corridors.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity ranges from development to demonstration. The call aims to support mature proposals for technological solutions to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and facilitate the market uptake of renewable and low carbon fuel production solutions. It also targets projects admitted to the RLCF Alliance Project Pipeline and/or Global Gateway, suggesting a focus on projects that are already in a relatively advanced stage of development.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from EUR 1.6 million to EUR 22.5 million. The indicative number of grants per topic also varies, with some topics expected to fund one project and others expected to fund two.

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 lump sum grant. The support also includes non-monetary services such as project development support, access to analytical financial tools, workshops/trainings, and dissemination activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, the call encourages leveraging potential synergies with other funding programs and initiatives, which may indirectly imply the need for or benefit of co-funding.

This opportunity is a Horizon Europe call focused on supporting the development and deployment of renewable and low carbon fuels within the waterborne transport sector. It aims to foster collaboration among EU fuel producers, infrastructure developers, and bunkering facilities to create viable business models and accelerate the transition to sustainable fuels. The call encourages projects that provide project development support, create analytical financial tools, and conduct workshops to facilitate market uptake. It also emphasizes the importance of aligning with EU climate targets and leveraging synergies with other funding programs. The geographic scope is primarily focused on the EU and associated countries, but also includes international collaboration within the Global Gateway strategy. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage.