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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to support the large-scale production and demonstration of innovative liquid advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs). The core objective is to accelerate the deployment of these fuels, particularly for hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as aviation, shipping, and energy-intensive industries. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focusing exclusively on advanced biofuels and RFNBOs. It targets a broad range of organizations capable of demonstrating and commercializing these technologies, including technology developers, fuel suppliers, end-users, and public/private authorities. The geographic scope emphasizes the use of EU sustainable biomass feedstocks and aims to build industrial capacity across the EU. The grant is part of the recurring Horizon Europe framework program, but this specific call has a defined single-stage submission period.

Financial Structure

This grant falls under the 'HORIZON Innovation Actions' type, meaning it supports projects close to market.

Total Budget for the Topic: 33,000,000 EUR (allocated for the year 2025, supporting 3 expected grants for this specific topic).
Grant Amount per Project: Successful proposals can expect to receive between 11,000,000 EUR (minimum contribution) and 11,000,000 EUR (maximum contribution).
Currency: All amounts are in EUR.
Funding Rate: The specific funding rate for this topic is not explicitly stated in the provided documents. For Horizon Europe Innovation Actions, it is typically 70% of eligible costs, or 100% for non-profit entities, but this should be confirmed in the full Work Programme General Annexes or Model Grant Agreement.
Financial Sustainability Expectations: Proposals must demonstrate the economic viability of the commercial plant and identify funding sources such as private equity, loans, grants, or public financing for both Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) and Operating Expenses (OPEX). Take-off agreements for fuel uptake are also expected.
Eligible/Ineligible Costs: General guidelines for the legal and financial setup of grants, including eligible and ineligible costs, are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this grant, applicants must adhere to the general conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. These include specific requirements for admissibility, eligible countries, other eligible conditions, and financial and operational capacity. Organizational Eligibility

Organization Type: Not explicitly restricted to a specific legal entity type (e.g., SME, large enterprise, university, research organization, public body). The scope suggests a need for consortia involving diverse stakeholders such as feedstock developers, technology developers, fuel suppliers, end-users, national bodies, and public or private authorities.
Geographic Location: Organizations from EU Member States are eligible. Additionally, participants from non-EU/non-associated countries may be eligible if specific funding provisions are made (check Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes).
- Eligible EU Member States include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Project Focus: Proposals must demonstrate large-scale production of ready-to-deploy advanced biofuels and/or renewable fuels of non-biological origin. This implies a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) suitable for 'Innovation Actions'.
Exclusion: Production of renewable hydrogen as an end-product is specifically excluded from the scope of this topic.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Submission System Opening Date: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+0000
Application Deadline: 2026-02-17 00:00:00+0000
Submission Procedure: This call follows a single-stage submission model.

Required Documentation

Application Form: Use the standard application form specific to this call, available in the Submission System. Content and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form and Annex A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Model Grant Agreement (MGA): Applicants should be familiar with the HE MGA and its annotated version, as it outlines the legal and financial obligations.

Application Support and Resources The following resources are available to assist applicants: * Online Manual: Guides on procedures from proposal submission to grant management. * Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the program's structure, budget, and political priorities. * Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management. * Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research and EU Research Framework Programmes. * National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance, practical information, and assistance for participation in Horizon Europe, including in non-EU and non-associated countries. * Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs, including guidance on EU research funding. * IT Helpdesk: For technical issues related to the Funding & Tenders Portal (e.g., passwords, access rights, submission technicalities). * European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance with intellectual property issues. * CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advice on standardization in project proposals. * Partner Search: Tool available to help find partner organizations for your proposal.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. A key aspect of the award process is ensuring a balanced portfolio across the two primary areas: * Liquid advanced biofuels * Liquid renewable fuels of non-biological origin At least one highest-ranked proposal from each area will be funded, provided all thresholds are met and budget is available. A single proposal addressing both areas can fulfill this condition. Specific evaluation priorities and expected contributions include: * Industrial Capacity Building: How the project mobilizes and establishes industrial capacity for advanced biofuels and RFNBOs, benefiting energy producers, consumers, and technology developers. * De-risking and Commercialization: Support for preparing 'first-of-a-kind' plants, de-risking innovative technologies, reducing CAPEX and production costs, and boosting market uptake. * Sustainability and Impact: Improvement of sustainability, reliability, robustness, and security of the relevant value chain. This includes a mandatory lifetime cycle analysis (LCA) for the production route, especially for RFNBOs, and an assessment of sustainability and GHG reduction from fossil equivalents (encouraged to use Innovation Fund methodology). * Policy Alignment: Contribution to national targets, such as the Renewable Energy Directive's indicative target for innovative renewable energy technology (at least 5% of newly installed renewable energy capacity by 2030), and targets under ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime. * Business Case and Exploitation: Projects must present a strong investment and business case with a sound exploitation strategy, including plans for scalability, commercialization, and deployment. This requires information on economic viability, permitting procedures, a full value chain-based business plan, and identified funding sources (e.g., private equity, InvestEU, Innovation Fund). * Local Economic Impact: Inclusion of at least one relevant local economic business case, outlining local value and supply chains and the expected number of local jobs. * Environmental and Societal Awareness: Assessment of impact on land and water use, soil, and biodiversity (e.g., in relation to marginal and degraded land feedstocks), and consideration of public awareness regarding full-scale renewable fuel plants.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance

General Compliance: Adherence to regulatory compliance, including required permits and authorizations, is implicit for large-scale industrial projects. Legal and financial setup of grants is described in Annex G.
Environmental Compliance: Projects must assess impact on land and water use, soil, and biodiversity. A life-cycle analysis (LCA) is required to demonstrate the sustainability and GHG reduction potential, ideally using the Innovation Fund methodology.
Ethical Standards: Applicants should consult The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment for general principles and requirements regarding researchers, employers, and funders.

Strategic and Project-Specific Considerations

Project Scope Limitations: Production of renewable hydrogen as an end-product is strictly excluded.
Feedstock Focus: Projects should primarily use EU sustainable biomass feedstocks, including biogenic residues and wastes, slurries, industrial wastes, and/or non-biological origin feedstocks (renewable hydrogen, CO2, nitrogen, or their compounds).
Technical Approach: Proposals are expected to demonstrate large-scale production, address the impact of actual, real-size feedstocks on plant design, and assess the feasibility of improving feedstocks externally and upstream (e.g., torrefaction, homogenization, standardization).
Exploitation and Commercialization: A strong emphasis is placed on developing a sound exploitation strategy, including plans for scalability, commercialization, and deployment. This involves providing information on economic viability, permitting procedures, a full value chain-based business plan, and identified funding sources.
Local Impact: Projects are encouraged to include a local economic business case detailing local value, supply chains, and job creation.
Innovation Context: The grant supports 'Innovation Actions', meaning it focuses on demonstrating mature, ready-to-deploy technologies rather than early-stage research.
Strategic Alignment: Projects should contribute to the Renewable Energy Directive, ReFuelEU Aviation, FuelEU Maritime, and support the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) Action for Renewable Fuels and Bioenergy.

Grant Details