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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to support research and innovation in safe and clean processing technologies and products, primarily for energy-intensive industries. The core objective is to reduce the use and proliferation of hazardous substances, minimize health and environmental impacts (excluding GHG emissions), and develop novel industrial processes beyond CO2 reduction. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Organizations involved in research and innovation, typically consortia of legal entities, including companies and research institutions. - MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC (focused on Industry, particularly energy-intensive industries and processing technologies). - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Eligible countries as defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (primarily EU Member States and Associated Countries). International cooperation is encouraged. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Projects must demonstrate reduction of hazardous substances, develop novel processing technologies with reduced health/safety/environmental impacts (excluding GHG), and address pollution to air, water, and soil. Must be a Research and Innovation Action (RIA). - Grant frequency and program context: Part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, implemented under the co-programmed European partnership Processes4Planet.

Financial Structure

Funding for this grant will be provided as a lump sum contribution.
The lump sum amount will be determined by the granting authority based on the applicant's estimated direct and indirect project costs.
The lump sum must be an approximation of eligible underlying actual costs and exclude ineligible costs.
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a flat rate of 25% to the direct cost categories that qualify under Horizon Europe rules.
Budget range for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-TWIN-TRANSITION-36):
- Minimum contribution per grant: EUR 6,000,000
- Maximum contribution per grant: EUR 8,000,000
- Total budget for the topic: EUR 24,000,000 (for 4 expected grants).
Eligible cost categories for lump sum estimation include: personnel costs, subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, equipment, other goods, works and services), and other cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services).
Payments are not dependent on actual costs incurred but on the proper implementation of corresponding work packages as defined in the grant agreement.
Co-financing principles apply, meaning the total estimated costs of the action should be greater than the estimated Union contribution if the EU contribution does not cover 100% of the total estimated costs.
Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
There is no obligation for beneficiaries to document costs incurred for the action; checks and audits will focus on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type and Legal Status

Legal entities established in eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions (IA) in any capacity. This specific grant is a Research and Innovation Action (RIA), so this exclusion may not directly apply, but applicants should verify.

Geographic Location

Organizations must be established in countries listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This typically includes EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
International cooperation is encouraged, but funding eligibility is tied to the specified eligible countries.

Project Type

This grant is specifically for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

Consortium Requirements

Applications are typically expected to be submitted by consortia (multi-beneficiary projects), as is common for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions.
The grant allows for partner search, indicating a collaborative approach is expected or highly beneficial.

Admissibility Conditions

Proposals must adhere to the page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Application forms specific to this call are available in the Submission System.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Submission deadline: 2025-09-23T00:00:00+0000
The submission session became available on: 2025-05-22
The application process follows a single-stage submission model.
Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Applicants must use the standard application form (HE RIA, IA) available in the Submission System.
Proposals must include a comprehensive business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the destination introduction.
A detailed budget table (HE LS) for lump sum proposals is required to provide the estimated breakdown of costs per work package and per beneficiary.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts according to standard Horizon Europe procedures.
The review process and indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Selection criteria and priorities are based on excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation.

Post-Award Requirements and Compliance

Projects are encouraged to build on, or seek collaboration with, existing projects and develop synergies with other relevant European, national, or regional initiatives and funding programmes.
Where relevant, projects are encouraged to take advantage of European research infrastructures and services (e.g., ARIE network, ESFRI portfolio).
Projects are encouraged to inform the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) of their work plan to foster coordination with ongoing science-for-policy related activities.
Checks, reviews, and audits during and after the project will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action, the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package, and compliance with ethics, research integrity, dissemination, exploitation of results, intellectual property management, and gender equality.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated according to standard Horizon Europe procedures.
Evaluation is based on three main criteria: excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of the implementation.
Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial Evaluation

Experts with financial knowledge will check the proposed budget estimate.
Budget assessment will be based on relevant benchmarks, such as market prices, statistical data, or historical data from comparable actions.
Experts will assess whether the proposed resources and the split of lump sum shares are sufficient to achieve the defined activities and expected outputs.
Proposals must include a declaration from beneficiaries confirming that their own accounting practices were followed for preparing the estimated budget.

Impact Criterion Specifics

A detailed business case and a credible initial exploitation strategy are considered essential and will be decisive factors under the impact criterion.
The business case should demonstrate the proposal's expected impact in terms of enhanced market opportunities for participants and deployment within the EU in the short to medium term.
It must describe the targeted market(s), estimated market size (EU and globally), user and customer needs, and demonstrate cost-effectiveness, market matching, expected market position, and competitive advantage.
The exploitation strategy should identify obstacles, requirements, and necessary actions to reach higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
For TRLs 6 and 7, a credible strategy for future full-scale deployment in the EU is expected, outlining the intentions of industrial partners post-project.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Broader Impact

The human dimension, including gender differences, will be emphasized through the Industry 5.0 paradigm.
Projects are encouraged to develop training material to equip workers with the necessary skills for the uptake and deployment of new innovative products, services, and processes. This material should be tested, scalable, and potentially eligible for up-scaling via the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Legal Compliance

Projects must adhere to regulatory compliance requirements as per the general conditions of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
The legal and financial set-up of grants follows Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Funding is subject to the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorizing the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Environmental Standards

Proposals must focus on reducing hazardous substances and minimizing health, safety, and environmental impacts (beyond CO2 emissions).
Specific attention to pollution to air, water, and soil is required; note that GHG emissions from industry are not included in the scope of this topic.
Projects should contribute to clean air and potentially biodiversity objectives.

Ethical Standards and Societal Impact

Ethical standards and research integrity are key areas for monitoring and compliance.
The topic encourages addressing the human dimension, including gender differences, aligned with the Industry 5.0 paradigm.
Proposals should aim to reduce occupational exposure risk and negative health impacts at work by empowering employees.
A participatory approach for the reduction of risk and health issues at work should be considered.

Technical Requirements and Innovation

Research should either build on existing standards or contribute to standardization, particularly for pollutants lacking robust monitoring methods.
Where relevant, interoperability for data sharing should be addressed.
Proposals must include techno-economic and life-cycle assessment considerations of the overall process.
Requires demonstration of reduction of hazardous substances and development of novel processing technologies.
Development of sampling and monitoring methods for emerging and less known groups of pollutants is expected.

Intellectual Property and Data

Management of intellectual property (IP) is a subject for review and auditing.
Projects are encouraged to contribute data, indicators, and knowledge to relevant Joint Research Centre (JRC) platforms, such as INnovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions (INCITE) and The Energy and Industry Geography Lab (EIGL).

Risk Management

Projects must address minimizing adverse effects from novel process technologies on the function, durability of materials, recyclability, production cost, and associated risks.

International Collaboration

International cooperation is encouraged.

Grant Details