Horizon Europe Clean Industrial Deal call: €15–25M per project for industrial pilots

Snapshot call information

The 2027 call HORIZON-CID-2027-01 is part of Horizon Europe and is structured around two Innovation Action topics:

HORIZON-CID-2027-01-01: Decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries

This topic focuses on industrial decarbonisation solutions in energy-intensive sectors and is linked to the Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships.

HORIZON-CID-2027-01-02: Clean Technologies for Climate Action

This topic focuses on clean-tech value chains, including integrated net-zero energy systems, zero-emission power technologies, storage technologies, renewable fuels and CCU-related technologies.

• The call has a planned opening date of 12 January 2027 and a deadline of 15 September 2027. 
• The overall indicative 2027 budget is €265 million, divided across the two topics: €125 million for decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries and €140 million for clean technologies for climate action.
• The expected EU contribution is €15–25 million per project. 
• Projects are expected to start at TRL 6 and reach TRL 7–8 or TRL 8 by the end of the project, depending on the topic.

What the call funds

The call supports advanced industrial pilots and demonstration projects that contribute to the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal. It is not designed for early-stage exploratory R&D, but for projects with a high level of technical, operational and market maturity.

Under the Decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries topic, projects can address three main technology areas:

• Managing the carbon cycle, including CCU and/or CCUS solutions for the capture, use or storage of CO₂ and/or CO from energy-intensive industrial installations.
• Clean energy use in production, including electrification of industrial processes, decarbonised production, integration of alternative clean energy carriers such as hydrogen, on-site renewable energy storage, and the use or upgrading of waste heat.
• Circularity and resource efficiency, including improvements in material, energy and water efficiency, circular value networks, reduced raw material consumption, lower energy input, reduced freshwater intake and lower environmental impact.

Under the Clean Technologies for Climate Action topic, projects can address one or more of the following clean-tech areas:

• Integrated net-zero emissions energy systems, including energy grids, networks and systems.
• Enhanced zero-emission power technologies, including renewable electricity, heat and energy technologies.
• Storage technologies, renewable fuels and CCU, including batteries and other energy storage solutions, renewable hydrogen, advanced biofuels and synthetic renewable fuels.

Projects may also address relevant network and infrastructure deployment, for example across electricity, heat, gas, hydrogen, CO₂, battery and refuelling networks. Where relevant, proposals can include advanced materials development, process engineering and scale-up, resource efficiency, circularity and recycling.

What applicants need to prove

Applicants need to demonstrate that their project is technically mature, industrially credible and close to deployment. Proposals should show how the pilot will move beyond demonstration towards market uptake, investment and industrialisation.

A strong proposal should include a convincing business plan and market-readiness strategy. These should explain how the proposed solution can be deployed after the project, how it can attract further private or public investment, and which technological and non-technological barriers still need to be addressed.

Consortia should be industry-driven and composed of a manageable number of partners. The consortium should clearly justify its size and structure, and should include the partners needed to cover the relevant value chain. Industrial leadership is important, especially in view of deployment after the project. SME participation is encouraged.

Projects are also expected to include a clear go/no-go moment before the contracting and demonstration phase. Before this point, the project should deliver detailed engineering plans, a techno-economic assessment, the necessary permits for the demonstrator or a credible pathway to obtaining them, a complete business plan, a market-readiness strategy and a clear identification of the industrial partner or partners that will lead deployment.

This makes the call particularly relevant for industrial pilot projects that already have a strong technical basis, a defined industrial lead, a realistic permitting pathway and a credible route towards final investment decision and commercial deployment.

More information

• R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal (HORIZON-CID-2027-01)
• R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal: Decarbonisation of energy intensive industries (IA) (Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships) (HORIZON-CID-2027-01-01)
• R&I in Support of the Clean Industrial Deal: Clean Technologies for Climate Action (HORIZON-CID-2027-01-02)