If you are interested in cooperating in one specific call, you can reach out to lucia.torlai@solarheateurope.eu.
HE Cluster 5 (Climate and Energy)
Concentrated solar thermal systems for decarbonising industrial processes (HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-07)
- Solar Heat Mentioned Explicitly in the Scope Description
- Deadline March 2027
- Total budget 12M, expected budget per project is around 6M
- TRL: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project
- Expected Outcome: Renewable heating can be directly used to efficiently decarbonise industrial processes. Concentrated solar thermal technologies offer a great potential to supply renewable heat for industry for temperatures between 150°C – 400°C.
Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:
- Showcase the capacity of concentrated solar thermal systems to largely meet the heat demand of industrial processes and to achieve a yearly solar fraction of at least 50%.
- Increase competitiveness of concentrated solar thermal for industrial applications. This is to be proven by an economically feasible business case; by reducing the Levelised Cost of Heating (LCoH); and by valorising and promoting the competitive advantages of the technology such as heat storage, flexibility, and energy security.
Scope: The proposals are expected to demonstrate concentrated solar technologies for heat production (within the 150°C – 400°C range), combined with storage, feeding the generated heat to existing heating and/or cooling processes in industry, e.g., drying, melting, sterilisation, refrigeration, etc.
The use of the European Research Infrastructure for concentrated solar power EU-SOLARIS (Infrastructure for coordinating CTS R&D installations in Europe) is encouraged but not mandatory.
- Solar Heat Not Mentioned Explicitly in the Scope Description
- Deadline September 2026
- Total budget 18M, expected budget per project is around 9M
- TRL: 7-8 by the end of the project
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Based on the results of the project, at least one industrial sector with a significant heating demand in the EU and Associated Countries develops pathways and business models to measurably increase the recovery and upgrade of locally available heat for covering process needs and significantly or totally phasing out of fossil fuel use, while preserving or enhancing its global competitiveness.
- Measurable improvement of renewable and/or industrial excess/waste heat recovery and upgrade solutions, possibly combined with thermal and/or electrical energy storage, in terms of energy efficiency, flexibility of electrical demand, climate and environment protection, reliability and safety, physical and cyber security, and profitability.
Scope: This topic aims to satisfy the need for process heat in the more industrial sectors by upgrading excess/waste heat from the process itself, possibly combined with heat recovered in nearby locations or local renewable heat, as a cost-efficient way to improve energy efficiency and reduce the GHG emissions and air pollutants and the use of fossil fuels.
Thermal and/or electrical energy storage can be integrated, if it can contribute to better matching heat sources with process needs and/or to offer more flexible electricity consumption from the grid.
HE CLUSTER 4 (Industry)
HORIZON-CL4-2027-02-MAT-PROD-32-two-stage: Efficient energy input from renewable sources and energy management in the process industries (IA) (Processes4Planet and Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU partnerships)
- Solar heat Mentioned Explicitly in the Scope Description
- Deadline 2 February 2027
- Total budget 52M, expected budget per project is between 15-25M
Expected Outcome:
- 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
- Combination of significant energy savings and integrated management of energy systems and production processes
Clean Industrial Deal (CID) calls
HORIZON-CID-2026-01-01: R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal: Decarbonisation of energy intensive industries (IA)
(Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships)
- Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Total budget: €125 million, expected EU contribution per project: €15–25M
- Indicative number of projects expected to be funded: 8
- Type of Action: Innovation Action (IA)
- TRL: Activities are expected to start at TRL 6 and achieve TRL 8 by the end of the project
Expected Outcome: Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
- Accelerate the use of innovative technologies to decarbonise industrial processes and bring to the market more cost-effective clean products to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability (including biodiversity), and resilience of EU industries;
- Create new innovative first-of-a-kind operational demonstrators and/or optimise newly installed industrial decarbonisation solutions in Europe; and
Demonstrate the market readiness of the envisaged future clean products and their innovative processes via a credible business plan and an exploitation strategy for industrialisation, including market-tested use cases.
Scope: The following three technology areas on energy intensive industries having a strong and promising growth potential in Europe:
- Carbon cycle management (CCU/CCUS): Demonstrate improved CO₂/CO capture, use, or storage with about 30% lower energy input per ton captured, and show commercial viability of resulting low-carbon products based on lifecycle impact, cost, and market potential.
- Clean energy use in production: Advance electrification, low-carbon production, hydrogen or other clean energy carriers, renewable energy storage, and waste-heat recovery to significantly improve clean energy use by 2035.
- Circularity and resource efficiency: Achieve about 30% improvements in material, energy, and water efficiency by 2035, reducing resource use and emissions through circular value chains using industrial by-products or waste.
The draft dissemination, exploitation and communication plan is expected to include a sound and convincing business plan and market-readiness strategy.
Proposals are expected to include a clear go/no go moment ahead of the contracting and demonstration phase.
- Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Total budget: €150 million, expected EU contribution per project: €15–25M
- Indicative number of projects expected to be funded: 8
- Type of Action: Innovation Action (IA)
- TRL: Activities are expected to start at TRL 6 and achieve TRL 8 by the end of the project (demonstrating readiness for real-world deployment and investment).
Expected Outcome: Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
- Strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability (including biodiversity) and resilience of an innovative clean tech solution by clearly demonstrating the capability to, significantly: increase its circular material use rate, based on a sound and realistic baseline;
- reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) delivered to end-users – including, where relevant, production, distribution, and storage costs, based on a sound and realistic baseline and considering different geographic scenarios; and
- contribute to Europe’s industrial leadership and competitiveness, in line with the objectives of Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) for the EU manufacturing capacity of net-zero technologies.
- Bring this innovative clean tech solution to full technological maturity and close to market-readiness with a view to accelerating its market deployment and/or integration in key industrial sectors in Europe (e.g. manufacturing, energy and transport).
SCOPE: The following three clean tech areas have a strong and promising growth potential in Europe. Proposals should explicitly select one main area but can also address in an integrated way a combination of these three areas:
- Integrated net-zero emissions energy systems (e.g. including energy grids, networks and systems)
- Enhanced zero-emission power technologies (e.g. including renewable electricity, heat and energy technologies)
- Storage technologies, renewable fuels, and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) (e.g. including batteries and other energy storage solutions, renewable hydrogen17, advanced biofuels and synthetic renewable fuels) enabling climate neutrality