Support to the implementation of an EU policy framework for CO2 transport and storage infrastructure

The grant opportunity HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-31 focuses on supporting the implementation of an EU policy framework for CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. It is part of the Horizon Europe program and categorized as a Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. The total budget available for this opportunity is €5,000,000 with a single grant expected to be awarded.

The planned opening date for applications is December 3, 2026, and the submission deadline is March 31, 2027. The projects funded will assist stakeholders involved in the CO2 infrastructure network to implement the legislative framework addressing issues like market and cost structures, cross-border integration, interoperability, technical harmonization, and investment incentives.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of stakeholders such as research organizations, consultancy firms, industry associations, and government bodies from EU member states and associated countries. While the specific consortium arrangement is not mandated, diverse expertise is encouraged to effectively fulfill the project requirements.

The call emphasizes the importance of analyzing technical feasibility, costs, synergies with existing systems, and the regulatory barriers that could impede the integration of CO2 infrastructure with renewable gases. The funding is structured as a lump sum to simplify financial management, requiring no detailed documentation for individual activities, allowing beneficiaries flexibility in budget allocation.

This opportunity promotes coordination among stakeholders to ensure comprehensive support for the EU's overarching climate policy goals, which target significant CO2 storage capacity by 2030. The single-stage proposal process requires complete submissions directly to the Funding & Tenders Portal, which is intended to streamline participation without preliminary expressions of interest. Due to expected competition and limited funding, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate deep expertise in the relevant fields.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-31, focused on supporting the implementation of an EU policy framework for CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. It falls under the BATTERIES and ENERGY call (HORIZON-CL5-2027-02) within the Horizon Europe program. The type of action is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is forthcoming with 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 outcome of the projects funded under this call is to ensure that stakeholders involved in the CO2 infrastructure network are well-positioned to implement the upcoming legislative framework for CO2 infrastructure.

The scope of the project involves assisting stakeholders in the CO2 infrastructure network to implement the legislative framework. Key issues to be addressed include:

Market and cost structure
Cross-border integration
Interoperability and planning
Technical harmonisation and investment incentives for new infrastructure
Third-party access
Along-chain liability
Competent regulatory authorities
Tariff regulation
Ownership and contractual models
Baseline of the state of play of current legislation on various aspects of the value chain

The project deliverables should include a review and report on the current state of play regarding the challenges of repurposing existing infrastructure for CO2, while also considering the infrastructure needs of renewable gases. Important issues to analyse are:

Technical feasibility
Costs
Synergies between new (multimodal) CO₂ infrastructure and existing systems
Regulatory barriers to integrating CO₂ infrastructure with industrial clusters
CO2 quality
Flexibility
Robustness
Interconnections between CO2 and energy infrastructures

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 in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions have been made for non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for details.

Other eligible conditions include the requirement that projects using satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed 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.

Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of July 7, 2021, authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme. Further details are available in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE CSA) and the standard evaluation form (HE CSA).

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums.

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
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview lists several topics with their respective budgets, stages, opening dates, deadlines, contributions, and indicative number of grants.  For example, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-31 has a budget of 5,000,000 EUR, is a single-stage action, opens on 2026-12-03, closes on 2027-03-31, and expects to award around 1 grant. Other topics include HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D2-05, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D2-06, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-07, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-08, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-09, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-10, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-15, HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-24 and HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-30.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

For 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 facilitate the implementation of a policy framework for CO2 transport and storage infrastructure by providing support and coordination actions. It seeks to address key challenges and promote the development of necessary infrastructure for CO2 management and renewable gases, with a focus on technical feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory compliance. The call encourages collaboration and provides various resources to assist applicants in preparing and submitting their proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe calls, eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other relevant stakeholders involved in research and innovation. The specific eligibility criteria are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the "Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]" designation. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, Horizon Europe often encourages or requires consortia, especially for Innovation Actions. The specific requirements would be detailed in the specific topic description of the Work Programme.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The opportunity also mentions that 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.

Target Sector: The program targets the energy and climate sectors, specifically focusing on CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, renewable gases, and related technologies. It falls under the broader theme of Climate, Energy and Mobility as indicated by "HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility".

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to EU member states, associated countries, and non-EU/non-associated countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The opportunity includes both Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). Innovation Actions typically focus on demonstration and validation, while Coordination and Support Actions focus on networking, dissemination, and policy support. Therefore, the expected maturity of projects varies depending on the specific action type.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic. For example:
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D2-05: EUR 18,800,000 (around EUR 9,400,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-31: EUR 5,000,000 (around EUR 5,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-09: EUR 43,000,000 (around EUR 43,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
The funding amounts are lump sums.

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.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For example, a topic with a budget of EUR 5,000,000 and an indicative number of 1 grant suggests a higher success rate compared to a topic with a similar budget but aiming to fund multiple projects.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required for HORIZON-COFUND actions. For other actions, the need for co-funding is not explicitly stated but may be implied or detailed in the specific topic descriptions.

Summary:

This opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under the BATTERIES and ENERGY call (HORIZON-CL5-2027-02). It aims to support the implementation of an EU policy framework for CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. The call includes various topics, each with a specific focus and budget, ranging from Innovation Actions (IA) to Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). The projects are expected to assist stakeholders in the CO2 infrastructure network in implementing the upcoming legislative framework. This includes addressing issues such as market and cost structure, cross-border integration, technical harmonization, and investment incentives. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is a single-stage open call. Eligible applicants include a wide range of stakeholders from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding arrangements. The call emphasizes the importance of analyzing the challenges of repurposing existing infrastructure for CO2 and integrating renewable gases, focusing on technical feasibility, costs, synergies, and regulatory barriers. The submission deadline is March 31, 2027, and the submission system is planned to open on December 3, 2026.