Support to the SET Plan stakeholders’ groups in geothermal energy

Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL5-2027-02 (BATTERIES and ENERGY) invites single-stage proposals for a HORIZON-CSA Coordination and Support Action (lump sum) to support the SET Plan geothermal stakeholder fora (ETIP and SET Plan IWG) with coordination, roadmapping, policy analysis, stakeholder engagement and sustainability planning. The topic reference is HORIZON-CL5, the planned portal opening is 3 December 2026 and the submission deadline is 31 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Indicative EU contribution is approximately €380,000 for one project of about 18 months and the action must comply with Horizon Europe eligibility, ethics, data and lump sum provisions. Eligible applicants are legal entities from Horizon Europe eligible countries forming a consortium able to represent geothermal stakeholders across several SET Plan countries, including industry, research organisations, universities and civil society where relevant.

Call: BATTERIES and ENERGY (HORIZON-CL5-2027-02) — Topic HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-33

Type of action: HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Action). Single-stage. Deadline 31 March 2027, 17:00 Brussels time.

Footnotes

1. 1Lump sum grant rules for Horizon Europe are set out in the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe: ec.europa.eu

Purpose, Scope and Expected Outcomes

Key Specific Deliverables and Activities (Scope Details)

Grant Modality and Financial Model

Deadlines, Timetable and Submission

Eligibility, Consortium and Geographic Scope

Application and Evaluation

Compliance, Legal and Financial Framework

Reporting, Data and Dissemination

Deliverables and reporting will be managed through the Portal Continuous Reporting and standard periodic reporting tools. Outputs feed into SETIS, the SET Plan progress report and the Clean Energy Technology Observatory. Data and analyses should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). Project must plan dissemination and networking (joint workshops, webinars, thematic conferences) and propose a communication strategy. Projects must prepare finance and sustainability plans to ensure continuation of stakeholder fora beyond EU funding.

Project Duration and Work Plan Expectations

Key Compliance Requirements and Cross-Cutting Priorities

Application Guidance and Templates

Use the online Application Form in the Submission System (part A and part B) and relevant annex templates from the Funding & Tenders Portal Reference Documents: Application Form templates, Information on financial support to third parties (if applicable), Evaluation Form templates (HE CSA), Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement guidance and HE Programme Guide. Proposals must respect Part B page limits and layout. Consult the Online Manual and National Contact Points (NCPs) for support.

Application Templates and Required Annexes

Use the application form in the Submission System (Part A and Part B), follow page limits and layout in General Annexes (Annex A and E). Annexes and templates available on Funding & Tenders Portal: Application Form templates, Evaluation form (HE CSA), Lump Sum MGA guidance, Information on financial support to third parties template (if planned), Information on clinical studies template (if applicable), and the Online Manual. Provide a clear work plan, Gantt/timeline, deliverables list, risk register, and a finance and sustainability plan for continuation of stakeholder fora activities after project end.

How to Maximise Competitiveness of an Application

Summary: What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This single-stage Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action topic HORIZON-CL5 funds one lump-sum project (~€380,000) to support the SET Plan geothermal stakeholder fora (ETIP and IWG). The successful project will coordinate and align stakeholder activities across SET Plan countries, develop research and innovation roadmaps and sector analyses, generate FAIR data and evidence to inform EU climate, energy and industrial policy (Green Deal, Net Zero Industry Act, REPowerEU), promote participation from industry (including SMEs), research and civil society, strengthen links with national authorities and Horizon Europe Partnerships, and prepare a sustainability plan to continue fora activities after the grant ends. The call is targeted at actors capable of leading and servicing a Europe-wide stakeholder platform for geothermal energy, with strong dissemination, networking and policy impact deliverables. Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal following Horizon Europe guidance and templates.

Support to the SET Plan stakeholders’ groups in geothermal energy

Key opportunity facts

The official work programme estimates that an EU contribution of approximately €380,000 should be sufficient to address the expected outcomes. The topic permits proposals requesting a different amount, but any deviation should be fully justified against the proposed work plan, outputs and resource requirements. 1

Purpose and policy context

The opportunity is designed to strengthen the role of geothermal energy within the revised Strategic Energy Technology Plan. The SET Plan is linked to the European Green Deal, REPowerEU, the Green Deal Industrial Plan, the Net Zero Industry Act and the European Research Area.

The action should help the geothermal sector provide credible, coordinated and science-based input to European climate and energy policy. It is not primarily a technology development or demonstration grant. Its central purpose is to organise and support sector-wide coordination, develop strategic evidence and ensure that geothermal stakeholders contribute effectively to EU policy implementation.

The project is expected to support two principal stakeholder structures in geothermal energy: the European Technology and Innovation Platform and the SET Plan Implementation Working Group. These fora bring together industry, research organisations and, where applicable, representatives of governments from SET Plan countries.

Expected outcomes

A successful project should contribute to all of the following outcomes:

Activities within scope

The project should provide practical and analytical support to the geothermal ETIP and IWG. Activities should be structured around the specific needs of the geothermal sector, emerging European policy priorities and coordination with other initiatives to prevent duplication.

Geothermal technology and policy coverage

The proposal should demonstrate a clear understanding of the diversity of geothermal applications and value chains, while remaining focused on coordination and strategic support rather than individual technology research. Relevant issues may include resource assessment, exploration, drilling, reservoir engineering, heat and power production, district heating, industrial applications, geothermal heat pumps, enhanced geothermal systems, environmental performance and public acceptance where relevant to the sector strategy.

Applicants should connect technical and policy analysis with market conditions, permitting, financing, regulation, industrial capacity, skills and societal needs. The strongest proposals are likely to show how evidence from different parts of the geothermal value chain will be consolidated into actionable recommendations for European and national decision makers.

Who can apply

The topic conditions refer applicants to the Horizon Europe General Annexes for eligible countries, admissibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion rules and evaluation procedures. Organisations should therefore verify their legal status and country eligibility in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and the final submission system before forming the consortium. 2

A credible consortium should include organisations able to coordinate and represent the geothermal stakeholder ecosystem across several SET Plan countries. The proposed partnership should normally combine complementary roles rather than consist only of one type of institution.

The call does not specify a named mandatory consortium composition in the supplied conditions. Nevertheless, a proposal that cannot demonstrate broad stakeholder participation across several SET Plan countries would carry a significant strategic and implementation risk.

Geographical participation

Participation should extend across several SET Plan countries and should include mechanisms to widen involvement from EU Member States and associated countries. Non-EU and non-associated country participation is subject to the Horizon Europe eligibility rules. Some countries may have specific arrangements allowing their participants to receive funding, while other participants may need to participate without EU funding or as associated partners. 2

Core applicant requirements

Expected outputs and deliverables

Funding and financial conditions

The grant uses a lump sum model. Eligible costs are not expected to be reimbursed through the usual actual-cost claim process. Instead, the consortium will agree a lump sum budget linked to the work packages and the action’s planned activities and outputs. The proposal must therefore present a credible, sufficiently detailed and internally consistent resource plan.

The topic provides an indicative EU contribution of approximately €380,000 and an indicative total topic budget of €380,000 for one project. The supplied topic information does not state a separate topic-specific co-financing percentage. Applicants should not treat the indicative amount as an automatic entitlement or assume that costs will be adjusted after award to compensate for underestimation.

The lump sum approach makes the quality of the work plan particularly important. The consortium should allocate resources to work packages in a way that is proportionate to the required stakeholder coverage, evidence production, events, data work, communication and sustainability planning. Excessive concentration of the budget on administration or events without strong analytical outputs may weaken the proposal.

Financial support to third parties is not identified as an activity of this topic in the supplied opportunity conditions. Applicants should not include cascade funding, prizes or grants to third parties unless the final topic documents expressly permit and require it.

Eligibility and compliance conditions

Evaluation and award

The topic is a single-stage call. Applications will be assessed against the standard Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action criteria of Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of implementation. Each criterion has an individual threshold of 3 out of 5, with an overall threshold of 10 out of 15 unless the final call documents specify otherwise. 3

Because only one project is expected to be funded, merely passing the thresholds is unlikely to be sufficient in practice. The proposal should aim for a clearly differentiated strategic approach, strong geothermal sector legitimacy, measurable outcomes and a consortium that can demonstrate access to the relevant European stakeholder landscape.

Recommended project architecture

Proposal development priorities

Main risks and mitigation

Overall assessment

This is a narrowly targeted strategic coordination opportunity rather than a conventional research, pilot or infrastructure funding call. It is best suited to a well-connected European geothermal consortium capable of convening stakeholders, producing authoritative sector intelligence and translating technical evidence into policy and investment priorities.

The relatively small grant of approximately €380,000 and the expected award of only one project create a competitive environment. A strong application should avoid generic networking language and instead demonstrate concrete added value, measurable policy influence, broad but purposeful participation, high-quality analytical outputs and a credible post-funding sustainability model.

The opportunity is particularly relevant for European geothermal associations, research organisations, universities, energy companies, SMEs, civil society bodies and policy-oriented organisations that already participate in or can credibly support the geothermal ETIP and SET Plan Implementation Working Group. Organisations focused solely on technology development, demonstration or commercial deployment would be better aligned with other Horizon Europe topics unless they contribute a clearly defined coordination, evidence or stakeholder role in this action.

Submission and verification

Applicants should use the final application form in the Funding and Tenders Portal when the submission system opens. Before submission, the consortium should verify the final topic conditions, General Annexes, application page limits, eligible country rules, Model Grant Agreement provisions and any call-specific instructions because forthcoming topics can be updated before opening.

The official work programme identifies this topic as a €380,000 Coordination and Support Action with an expected contribution of approximately €380,000, one indicative grant, a planned opening date of 3 December 2026 and an indicative duration of one and a half years. 1

Footnotes

Footnotes

1. 1Official Horizon Europe Cluster 5 Climate, Energy and Mobility Work Programme 2026 to 2027 and topic information for HORIZON-CL5. Official work programme
2. 2The topic conditions refer applicants to the Horizon Europe General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for eligible countries, admissibility, financial and operational capacity and exclusion conditions. Funding and Tenders Portal topic
3. 3The standard Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action evaluation form assesses Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of implementation, with individual thresholds of 3 out of 5 and an overall threshold of 10 out of 15 unless call-specific rules provide otherwise. Horizon Europe CSA evaluation form