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Horizon Europe
2 phases
Strategic Analysis
This call targets deep decarbonisation of energy-intensive process industries by integrating efficient renewable energy sources and advanced energy management systems. A winning proposal will demonstrate innovative, economically viable solutions for both low/medium and high-temperature processes, leveraging novel materials to reduce critical raw material dependency and enhance circularity, while ensuring broad applicability across industrial sectors.
TRL 4 → 7
Advancements in the use of energy from renewable sources in production processes with improved energy efficiency.
Integrated energy systems with novel storage elements to enable a smooth operation of the plants despite variations in the availability of energy from renewable sources.
Solutions for low/medium temperature (100 - 500 °C) energy inputs in energy intensive industries including hybrid solutions and a progressive reduction of the use of fossil carriers of energy.
Solutions for high temperature (> 500 °C) energy inputs in energy intensive industries, including high temperature electricity driven processes, and high temperature energy storage.
Application of high-performance insulation materials and new innovative advanced materials that can improve heat capture, storage, and retrieval, particularly for scalable high-temperature applications. Such materials should minimize the use of critical raw material, enabling effective recycling.
A significant decarbonisation of processes (measured by the reduction of GHG emissions from the overall system) with broad applicability and economic viability.
Facilitation of the transition from fossil-based energy inputs for: low/medium thermal energy demands by introducing renewable-based alternatives and heat upgrading.
High-temperature processes, by innovative technologies for electrified and hybrid high-temperature processes, high temperature energy storage.
Clean energy usage is given a boost through innovative advanced materials, system concepts and technologies for energy integration and energy storage, supporting resilience against energy supply variations
Clean Industrial Deal adopted in February 2025;
Critical Raw Materials Act;
Advanced Materials Communication and future Advanced Materials Act planned for 2026;
Future Circular Economy Act planned for 2026;
Steel and Metals Action Plan adopted in March 2025;
European Chemicals Industry Action Plan adopted in July 2025;
Industrial action plan for the European automotive sector adopted in March 2025; and
Strategy on research and technology infrastructures, with regard to technology infrastructures and the valorisation of knowledge.
Clean Industrial Deal
highThe "Clean Industrial Deal" refers to the industrial dimension of the European Green Deal, aiming to make European industry more sustainable, competitive, and resilient. It focuses on decarbonization, circularity, resource efficiency, and the development of clean technologies and products, while ensuring a level playing field and supporting innovation.
Proposals should demonstrate how their advanced manufacturing solutions contribute to the green transition of industry, for example, by reducing emissions, improving resource efficiency, enabling circularity, or developing clean technologies. Alignment with the EU's climate and environmental objectives and enhancing industrial competitiveness are key.
Advanced Materials Communication
highThe "Advanced Materials Communication" refers to the European Commission's communication on advanced materials, which typically outlines a strategic vision and actions to foster the development, production, and uptake of advanced materials in the EU. It emphasizes their importance for the green and digital transitions, industrial competitiveness, and strategic autonomy, often highlighting the need for a supportive regulatory framework, investment, and innovation ecosystems.
Proposals should demonstrate a clear understanding of the strategic importance of advanced materials as outlined in the Communication. They should show how their project contributes to the EU's leadership in advanced materials, supports key industrial value chains, and aligns with the objectives of the green and digital transitions, potentially by addressing challenges in scaling up, market access, or sustainability.
Advanced Materials Act
highThe proposed Advanced Materials Act aims to establish a comprehensive framework to accelerate the development, testing, and deployment of advanced materials in the EU. It seeks to streamline regulatory processes, foster investment, and create a more predictable environment for innovation in advanced materials, crucial for strategic industries and the green and digital transitions.
Proposals should demonstrate how their advanced manufacturing activities align with the objectives of fostering innovation and industrial uptake of advanced materials. This could involve addressing regulatory hurdles, contributing to standardization, or showcasing pathways for rapid deployment and scaling of new materials and their manufacturing processes.
Circular Economy Act
highThe "Circular Economy Act" refers to the legislative and policy framework stemming from the EU's Circular Economy Action Plans. It aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy by promoting sustainable product design, reducing waste, increasing recycling and reuse, and fostering circular business models across key value chains.
Proposals should clearly demonstrate how their advanced manufacturing processes contribute to circularity. This includes aspects like resource efficiency, waste reduction, use of secondary raw materials, design for longevity, repairability, or recyclability, and the development of circular business models within the manufacturing context.
Processes4Planet
highProcesses4Planet is a co-programmed European Partnership under Horizon Europe. It aims to transform the European process industries (e.g., chemicals, steel, cement, ceramics, water) into a circular, climate-neutral, and competitive sector. It focuses on breakthrough technologies for resource and energy efficiency, circularity, and decarbonization, contributing to the European Green Deal objectives.
Proposals must explicitly demonstrate how they align with the strategic objectives and priorities of the Processes4Planet partnership. This includes showing contributions to climate neutrality, circularity, resource and energy efficiency in process industries, and the development and deployment of relevant breakthrough technologies.
Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU
high"Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU" refers to a co-programmed European Partnership under Horizon Europe, focused on accelerating the development, uptake, and market deployment of advanced materials. It aims to strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy and industrial leadership in materials, supporting the green and digital transitions across various sectors by fostering innovation, sustainability, and circularity in materials design and manufacturing.
Proposals must clearly articulate how they contribute to the objectives of the Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU partnership. This involves demonstrating innovation in advanced materials, addressing their sustainable production and application, supporting their market uptake, and aligning with the green and digital transition goals.
Critical Raw Materials Act
mediumSteel and Metals Action Plan
mediumThe Steel and Metals Action Plan (or similar initiatives) focuses on supporting the competitiveness and sustainability of the EU's steel and metals industries. It addresses challenges such as decarbonization, raw material supply, energy efficiency, and the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies to ensure the sector's long-term viability and contribution to the green transition.
If the advanced manufacturing project involves steel or other metals, proposals should highlight how it contributes to the objectives of this action plan, such as reducing the carbon footprint of metal production, improving resource efficiency in metal processing, or developing innovative metal products and processes.
European Chemicals Industry Action Plan
mediumStrategy on research and technology infrastructures
mediumThis strategy aims to strengthen the European Research Area by developing, integrating, and optimizing world-class research and technology infrastructures. It focuses on providing researchers with access to cutting-edge facilities, fostering collaboration, and supporting the translation of research results into innovation and industrial applications.
Proposals should demonstrate how they leverage existing research and technology infrastructures or contribute to their development and accessibility, particularly for advanced manufacturing. This could involve using shared facilities for testing, piloting, or scaling up innovative manufacturing processes, or contributing to the infrastructure's capabilities.
Industrial action plan for the European automotive sector
lowThis action plan aims to support the European automotive sector in its twin green and digital transitions, enhancing its competitiveness and resilience. It addresses challenges such as electrification, connectivity, automation, and the need for new skills, while fostering innovation in manufacturing processes and supply chains.
If the advanced manufacturing project specifically targets the automotive sector, proposals should demonstrate how their solutions contribute to the sector's transformation, for example, by enabling new production methods for electric vehicles, improving supply chain resilience, or supporting the development of autonomous driving components.
Evaluators will prioritize proposals that clearly articulate a robust innovation action (IA) with a strong focus on demonstrating technologies at TRL 4-7, leading to significant and measurable GHG emission reductions. Crucially, proposals must show a clear path to economic viability and broad applicability of the developed solutions, aligning with the strategic objectives of the Processes4Planet and Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU partnerships. Given the blind evaluation for Stage 1, the technical excellence and impact potential, without disclosing consortium identity, will be paramount.
The AI has drafted potential core elements based on the call analysis. To start building your project proposal structure, select the elements that resonate with your consortium's concept. You can refine and rewrite them fully once your project workspace is created.
Process industries are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to their reliance on fossil fuels for high-temperature heat and energy-intensive processes, hindering climate neutrality goals.
Many industrial processes suffer from suboptimal energy efficiency and a heavy dependency on fossil fuels for thermal energy demands, leading to high operational costs and environmental impact.
The integration of variable renewable energy sources into industrial plants faces challenges related to energy management, storage, and ensuring smooth, continuous operation, especially for high-temperature applications.
Current materials often lack the performance, durability, or sustainability (e.g., critical raw material content, recyclability) required for advanced heat capture, storage, and retrieval in demanding high-temperature industrial environments.
Energy-intensive industries (e.g., steel, cement, chemicals, automotive) that will directly implement and benefit from the developed energy efficiency and decarbonisation technologies.
Companies and SMEs developing and supplying renewable energy technologies, energy management systems, and advanced materials for industrial applications.
Organisations involved in the research, development, and production of high-performance insulation and advanced materials with improved heat management properties and circularity.
European and national authorities responsible for industrial policy, energy transition, circular economy, and critical raw materials, who will benefit from evidence-based recommendations for future legislation and action plans.
Academics, researchers, and R&D institutions working on industrial decarbonisation, renewable energy integration, advanced materials science, and energy storage, who will benefit from new knowledge, data, and collaboration opportunities.
To research, develop, and validate innovative systems for integrating diverse renewable energy sources into industrial production processes, significantly improving overall energy efficiency and enabling resilient plant operations despite energy supply variations.
To design, test, and demonstrate novel solutions for low/medium temperature (100 - 500 °C) energy inputs in energy-intensive industries, progressively reducing reliance on fossil carriers through renewable-based alternatives and heat upgrading technologies.
To develop, pilot, and scale innovative technologies for high temperature (> 500 °C) energy inputs, focusing on electrified and hybrid high-temperature processes, coupled with advanced high-temperature energy storage solutions.
To research, develop, and apply high-performance insulation materials and new innovative advanced materials that significantly improve heat capture, storage, and retrieval, particularly for scalable high-temperature applications, while minimizing critical raw material use and enabling effective recycling.
Contribute to the ambitious targets of the Clean Industrial Deal and related industrial action plans by achieving substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from energy-intensive process industries, fostering a greener industrial landscape.
Boost the adoption of clean energy usage by improving energy efficiency and facilitating the integration of renewable sources and novel storage elements, leading to more resilient and sustainable industrial operations.
Support the objectives of the Critical Raw Materials Act and the future Circular Economy Act by developing advanced materials that minimize critical raw material content and enable effective recycling, promoting resource efficiency in industrial applications.
Facilitate the transition from fossil-based energy inputs for both low/medium and high-temperature industrial processes, contributing directly to the goals of the Clean Industrial Deal and sector-specific action plans.