Call for Full-scale Demonstration of Heat Upgrade Solutions in Industrial Processes

The expected outcomes of this initiative include enabling at least one energy-intensive industrial sector in the EU and Associated Countries to develop viable pathways and business models for large-scale recovery and upgrading of locally available heat to meet process heat demand, with the goal of significantly reducing or fully phasing out fossil fuel use while maintaining or improving industrial competitiveness. The programme also seeks measurable improvements in renewable and industrial waste heat recovery and upgrade technologies, including systems that integrate thermal and/or electrical energy storage, with enhanced performance in energy efficiency, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, safety, cybersecurity, environmental protection, and overall system reliability.

This call focuses on addressing the need for efficient industrial heat supply by upgrading excess or waste heat generated within industrial processes, potentially combined with locally available renewable heat sources or heat recovered from nearby facilities. These solutions may incorporate thermal and electrical storage technologies to improve the alignment between heat supply and process demand and to enable more flexible energy consumption, including better interaction with electricity grids.

Projects must demonstrate solutions at full scale within operational industrial sites, focusing on at least one industrial sector. These demonstrations should show how industrial processes can be transformed through the recovery of waste heat and its upgrading—such as through heat pump technologies—for reuse in production processes. Proposals are also expected to ensure strong replicability by analysing the needs of multiple facilities within the targeted industrial sector and designing adaptable solutions that can be widely deployed across the EU and Associated Countries.

A key requirement is the identification and optimisation of common components to develop standardised solutions, along with the creation of open technical and economic guidelines and tools to support system design and business case development. Projects are also expected to maximise impact by ensuring dissemination of results to relevant industrial clusters and research communities, including collaboration with ongoing initiatives where applicable, particularly those related to industrial heat pump deployment and energy efficiency innovation.

The funding envelope for this topic is €18,000,000, with an indicative maximum grant level of around €9,000,000 per project, supporting large-scale demonstration activities under the Horizon Europe framework.

Eligible participants include any legal entity established under national, European Union, or international law, including organisations from non-associated third countries and international organisations, provided they comply with the Horizon Europe Regulation and the specific conditions of the call. Applicants must register in the Participant Register to obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC), which is required prior to grant agreement signature, although validation is not required at the submission stage.

For more information, visit European Commission.