Value creation pilots for scaling up innovative solutions (CSA)

The funding opportunity described is part of the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under the INDUSTRY call titled "Value creation pilots for scaling up innovative solutions." This initiative supports innovative solutions in digital, industrial, and space sectors, aiming to enhance the EU's industrial competitiveness and promote twin transitions in green and digital innovation.

Eligible applicants include SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, and public-private partnerships, requiring a consortium of at least three independent entities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries. This geographic scope focuses on EU member states, associated countries, and specific regions known as Widening Countries, which aim to enhance innovation capacity.

The funding mechanism is a lump sum grant under the Coordination and Support Action (CSA) framework, with an indicative budget of €3 million available per project. The call is structured as a single-stage application process, with a deadline set for September 22, 2025.

The expected project outcomes emphasize validation and demonstration stages, testing the effectiveness of transdisciplinary valorisation pilots to enable scale-up across Europe. This includes using mature research results and promoting collaboration among diverse stakeholders for enhanced value creation. While success rates are not explicitly provided, they are generally estimated to be moderate, given competitive bidding dynamics.

Co-funding is not required for this grant, as it operates on a lump sum basis. The application process is straightforward, entailing a single stage without multi-phased evaluations.

Additional information, including eligibility criteria and evaluation processes, is detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Potential participants are encouraged to refer to various resources and support services for guidance throughout the submission process.

This funding opportunity ultimately aims to increase innovation capacity and strategic autonomy for the EU, fostering research and collaboration to address complex challenges effectively.

This is a description of a funding opportunity within the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under the INDUSTRY (HORIZON-CL4-2025-01) call. The topic is "Value creation pilots for scaling up innovative solutions (CSA)". The funding instrument is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline of 23 September 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this topic are to increase innovation capacity through transdisciplinary research and cross-sectoral collaboration, promote twin transitions by testing and preparing for the scale-up of at least 10 valorisation pilots, and enable more value creation to be retained in Europe by testing research-based solutions with high potential for scale-up.

The scope of the topic emphasizes the importance of knowledge valorisation for boosting the Union's industrial competitiveness, resilience, and strategic autonomy. It aims to strengthen the EU's capacity to respond to complex challenges through research and innovation, increase industrial competitiveness, and make transdisciplinary research deliver for society. This involves testing the effectiveness of at least 10 transdisciplinary valorisation pilots to prepare for scale-up across Europe. The pilots will use mature results from research and innovation, unlock value-creation opportunities, and promote collaboration among stakeholders. Competition among the pilots may be encouraged. The topic also includes targeted trainings for cross-disciplinary projects with scale-up potential, methodological tools, and guidelines, including best practices in cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration.

The general conditions for this funding opportunity include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: The proposal page limit 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.

2. Eligible Countries: Eligibility is described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

3. Other Eligible Conditions: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. Further details are 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 model grant agreement (MGA) information:

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE CSA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE CSA).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is the Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums are available.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space

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

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview lists several topics under the INDUSTRY call, including:

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-61 (HORIZON-RIA): Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 5.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-DIGITAL-62 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 3,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-60 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 1,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-61 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 1,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-62 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 2,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-63 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 2,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-64 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 5,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 5.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-65 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 3,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-HUMAN-66 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 1,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-31 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-44 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 2,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-45 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 28,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-52 (HORIZON-RIA): Budget 15,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-61 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 24,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-62 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 30,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-63 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 24,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-64 (HORIZON-COFUND): Budget 45,000,000 EUR (both 2025 and 2027), Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-01 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 35,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 6.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-02 (HORIZON-RIA): Budget 35,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 7.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-05 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 42,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 6.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-31 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 25,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-32 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 25,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-33 (HORIZON-RIA): Budget 25,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-34 (HORIZON-IA): Budget 25,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-36 (HORIZON-RIA): Budget 24,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 4.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-37 (HORIZON-RIA): Budget 28,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-38 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 1,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-39 (HORIZON-CSA): Budget 2,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the provided link and select the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

For help and support, applicants can consult the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, and European IPR Helpdesk.

In summary, this Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to bolster the EU's industrial competitiveness and resilience by supporting transdisciplinary research and innovation. It focuses on testing and scaling up innovative solutions through valorisation pilots, promoting collaboration between various stakeholders, and providing training and resources to facilitate the twin transitions. The call encourages projects that can demonstrate a high potential for economic and societal impact, contributing to the EU's strategic autonomy and prosperity. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and applicants should carefully review the guidelines and conditions outlined in the relevant annexes and programme guides.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include a wide range of entities such as industry, academia, and the public sector, given the emphasis on cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration. This likely encompasses startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, and potentially governmental bodies.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the Type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) being HORIZON-AG-LS. There are also HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity emphasizes collaboration among different stakeholders, suggesting that a consortium is preferred, if not required. The scope mentions promoting collaboration of many different stakeholders from the early stages.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. The documentation mentions non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific provisions for funding, indicating that some international participation is possible, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets a broad range of sectors, including but not limited to digital, industry, space, materials, and human factors. It focuses on strengthening EU capacity to respond to complex challenges through research and innovation, increasing industrial and economic competitiveness, and promoting twin transitions (digital and green). Specific sectors mentioned in related topics include digital technologies, advanced materials, and twin transitions.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU member states and associated countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding, without naming specific countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is scale-up, as the program aims to test the effectiveness of transdisciplinary valorisation pilots to "be ready" for scale up across Europe. The pilots will use mature results from research and innovation.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary widely depending on the specific topic and type of action (RIA, CSA, IA, COFUND). The indicative funding ranges are:
HORIZON-RIA: around €6 million (1 topic with €30 million budget and 5 grants)
HORIZON-CSA: around €1 million to €3 million (multiple topics with budgets from €1 million to €5 million)
HORIZON-IA: around €3 million to €10 million, some up to €28 million (multiple topics with budgets from €3 million to €42 million)
HORIZON-COFUND: around €90 million (1 topic with €45 million budget and 1 grant, implying co-funding)
Twin Transition topics: €4 million to €14 million (budgets from €24 million to €42 million)

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 consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: Success rates can be roughly estimated based on the budget overview. For example, a topic with a €30 million budget and an indicative number of 5 grants suggests a success rate of around 16.67% if each grant is roughly the same size. However, success rates will vary significantly depending on the topic and the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is explicitly required for HORIZON-COFUND actions. For other actions, co-funding might be encouraged but is not explicitly stated as a requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on "Value creation pilots for scaling up innovative solutions" within the INDUSTRY pillar (HORIZON-CL4-2025-01). It aims to strengthen the EU's industrial competitiveness by promoting knowledge valorisation through transdisciplinary research and cross-sectoral collaboration. The call includes various topics spanning digital, industry, space, materials, and human factors, with a strong emphasis on the twin transitions (digital and green). The funding mechanisms include Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Programme Cofund Actions, each with varying budget ranges. The geographic scope is primarily EU member states and associated countries, with potential for participation from non-EU countries under specific conditions. The call seeks to support projects at the scale-up stage, utilizing mature research results to create economic and societal value. Applicants are expected to form consortia involving diverse stakeholders from industry, academia, and the public sector. The application process is a single-stage open call, with funding provided as lump sum grants.