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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to significantly improve the reliability and optimize the operations and maintenance of wind energy systems. The core objective is to limit risks associated with wind energy projects (operational, financial, climate) and to strengthen the European wind energy supply chain's strategic autonomy, technology leadership, and competitiveness. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant focused on the renewable energy sector, specifically wind energy. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Organizations involved in research and innovation, including research institutions, universities, public bodies, and private companies (SMEs and large enterprises) engaged in wind energy technology development. - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Applicants must be from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, as defined in the Work Programme General Annexes. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Projects must focus on advanced research and innovation for wind energy system reliability and O&M, require a collaborative approach (consortium), and align with Horizon Europe objectives. - Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the multi-year Horizon Europe programme (2021-2027), indicating recurring opportunities.

Financial Structure

Funding type: Lump sum contribution, as authorized by the 'Decision of 7 July 2021'.
Total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-07): EUR 15,000,000.
Expected number of grants: 3 projects.
Maximum grant amount per project: EUR 5,000,000.
Minimum grant amount per project: EUR 5,000,000.
Currency: EUR.
Reimbursement rate: The lump sum will cover up to 100% of the estimated eligible costs agreed upon during grant preparation for Research and Innovation Actions. Payments are made upon successful completion of work packages, not based on actual incurred costs.
Eligible costs for lump sum calculation: Applicants must propose a lump sum based on estimated direct and indirect costs, including personnel costs (employees, contractors, SME owners), subcontracting, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, services), and other specific cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, research infrastructure access).
Indirect costs: Calculated at a flat rate of 25% of direct costs that qualify under Horizon Europe rules, and this is included in the lump sum calculation.
Payment mechanism: Payments are contingent on the proper implementation of the corresponding work packages. If conditions for a work package are not met, that portion of the lump sum will not be paid.
Financial guarantees/retention: 5-8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Financial reporting and audits: Beneficiaries are not required to document actual costs incurred for the action. Financial ex-post audits are minimised; checks focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Structure

Eligible organizations are those capable of participating in Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), typically including:
Research organizations
Universities
Public bodies
Private companies (SMEs and large enterprises)
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be from eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This generally includes EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.

Financial & Operational Capacity

Requirements regarding financial and operational capacity are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal & Financial Set-up

Grants will take the form of a lump sum contribution, as defined in the 'Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme'. This means funding is tied to the successful completion of defined work packages.
Admissibility conditions: Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and in Part B of the Application Form.

Application Process

Application Process Steps

Submission Model: Single-stage application procedure.
Planned Opening Date: 2025-09-16.
Application Deadline: 2026-02-17 23:00:00+0000 (latest confirmed deadline, UTC).
Submission Platform: Application forms are available and submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Submission System.

Required Documentation and Materials

Standard application form for Research and Innovation Actions (HE RIA, IA).
Detailed budget table (HE LS) specific for lump sum grants, where applicants provide a breakdown of the lump sum per work package and per beneficiary, based on their estimated direct and indirect costs.

Support and Guidance

Comprehensive guidance is available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
Assistance provided by National Contact Points (NCPs) in EU and associated countries, Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesk.
A Partner Search facility is available to help organizations form consortia.

Project Implementation Timeline & Reporting

Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Project implementation should aim to reduce downtime, operational costs, enhance safety, and increase asset lifespan/efficiency.
Reporting obligations are tied to the completion of specific work packages, which are clearly defined in the grant agreement.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the standard Horizon Europe award criteria: 'Excellence', 'Impact', and 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation'. These are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific Scoring Factors

Projects are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
Limiting risks related to wind energy systems (e.g., operational, financial, climate) to reduce project uncertainties.
Strengthening the European wind energy supply chain's strategic autonomy, technology leadership, competitiveness, and technology export potential.
Proposals are expected to address at least four of the following aspects:
Developing and validating solutions to increase the reliability of wind energy systems and their components.
Developing new methods, computational techniques, and tools to analyze and predict wind energy system reliability, considering failure modes and new analytical approaches, technologies, and materials.
Developing new methods and tools for condition and health monitoring of wind energy systems and components.
Developing and validating solutions to optimize operation and maintenance (e.g., improved scheduling, predictive maintenance, autonomous tools, semi-automated inspection, advanced repair methods).
Developing and validating new components for structures to improve on-site safety and efficiency during wind farm maintenance.
Developing and validating innovative digital tools for wind farm operation and maintenance (e.g., interoperability, decision-making support, condition monitoring, sensors), ensuring increased cybersecurity and data sharing.
Solutions must provide solid evidence for the choice of critical sub-systems and components (e.g., dynamic cables, moorings for floating offshore wind).
Data produced must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Projects should aim at reducing downtime and operational costs, enhancing safety protocols for maintenance crews, and increasing the overall lifespan and efficiency of wind energy assets.
Solutions should be easily standardized or take into account current standardization efforts, regardless of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) envisaged.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as specified in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Compliance with EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Data and Digitalization

Data produced within the project must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Digital tools developed should ensure increased cybersecurity and facilitate data sharing.
Digitalization plays a prominent role, particularly for improved predictive maintenance, advanced sensor technologies for diagnostics, condition/health monitoring, and structural health assessment.

Standardization

Solutions should be easily standardized and/or consider current standardization efforts to maximize broader applicability and impact.

Intellectual Property (IP)

IP policies are governed by the Model Grant Agreements (MGA) and the general Horizon Europe rules. Refer to the 'EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement' for detailed provisions.

Risk Management

The grant explicitly seeks solutions that limit risks related to wind energy systems (operational, financial, climate) and reduce project uncertainties.
Focus on ensuring the security of supply.

Ethical Standards

Projects must adhere to general ethical standards and requirements applicable under Horizon Europe. Specific guidance can be found in relevant Horizon Europe documents.

Special Characteristics of Lump Sum Funding

The funding model shifts the focus from cost reporting to the achievement of technical outcomes and deliverables. Payments are tied to the completion of agreed work packages, rather than detailed financial expenditures. This implies a higher emphasis on robust project planning and technical reporting.
While financial controls are reduced, technical checks, reviews, and audits will focus heavily on validating the fulfillment of work package conditions, ethics, research integrity, dissemination, exploitation of results, management of intellectual property, and gender equality.

Grant Details