Call for EOIs: Decarbonising Energy-Intensive Industries under the Clean Industrial Deal

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; 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; managing of carbon cycle (CCU and/or CCUS); clean energy usage in production (electrification of the processes, decarbonated production, integration of alternative clean energy carriers – e.g. hydrogen – and technologies, on-site renewable energy storage solutions, usage and upgrade of waste heat); circularity and resource efficiency (material, energy, water) of production processes; competitive decarbonisation of EU industry; production of clean technologies in the EU.

The action is framed within the Clean Industrial Deal, which aims to secure the European Union as an attractive manufacturing location, including for energy-intensive industries, while promoting clean technologies and new circular business models to meet Europe’s ambitious decarbonisation and climate neutrality targets. The focus is on supporting the competitive decarbonisation of EU industry and strengthening clean technology production capacity within the EU. The total indicative budget for this Horizon Innovation Action is EUR 125,000,000, with expected project contributions ranging from EUR 15,000,000 to EUR 25,000,000 per project.

Projects are expected to target one main technology area with strong growth potential in Europe, while allowing for integrated approaches across managing the carbon cycle through CCU and/or CCUS, clean energy usage in industrial production processes, and circularity and resource efficiency of production systems. Applicants may select the specific technologies and value chains they intend to strengthen, provided that clear technological and business justifications are presented.

The initiative supports the development and integration of innovative technological solutions that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy and resource consumption, and enhance sustainability outcomes, while remaining commercially viable. Proposals should demonstrate how the selected solutions contribute to industrial competitiveness, biodiversity protection, and resilience, with attention to positive life-cycle assessment outcomes and avoidance of negative environmental impacts.

Consortia are expected to be industry driven and composed of a manageable number of participants, with clear industrial leadership to ensure market readiness and deployment after project completion. Participation of small and medium-sized enterprises is encouraged, and the use of results from relevant EU, national, or regional research and innovation projects is supported to strengthen impact and coherence with existing initiatives.

For more information, visit European Commission.