Next generation of renewable energy technologies

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Code: 39068 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-04-Two-Stage-D3-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 31/03/2026

The proposal is expected to address high-risk and high return technology developments for game changing renewable energy technologies. It could cover, for example, catalyst development, renewable energy storage systems, integration of renewable energy technologies into a single energy generation system, hybrid renewable energy systems, heating & cooling systems, fuels production systems, (direct) solar fuels and solar driven chemical processes, hybrid electricity generation solutions between different renewable energy sources, direct utilization of renewable energy sources.

Disruptive Technologies and Innovative Concepts for Energy Saving Onboard of long-distance ships (ZEWT Partnership)

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Code: 39065 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-06-Two-Stage-D5-10 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

Energy consumption of long-distance shipping should be reduced significantly to achieve sustainable worldwide trade. To achieve a more sustainable and environmentally friendly shipping industry, it is essential to continue developing disruptive technologies, advanced materials, and innovative concepts that can significantly reduce energy consumption of long-distance shipping.

The objective of this topic is to support solutions for propulsion and non-propulsion energy consumption that aim to achieve at least at least 25% energy savings in long distance shipping as compared to 2008 levels, through the development and integration of standalone solutions.

These technologies include (but are not limited to) active or passive increased performance solutions, novel propulsion systems, augmented propulsion technologies capitalizing also on ship motions, hull performance enhancements and the use of advanced materials which can further enhance energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of vessels.

Any fuel-related proposals should only consider renewable low and zero-carbon fuels. These technologies and concepts should be applicable to various types of ships, including ro-pax, container ships, bulk carriers, and tankers.

Non-exhaust emissions in road and railway transport

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Code: 39062 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-06-Two-Stage-D5-19 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

With continuous increase in electrification of the car fleet and railways, the share of non-exhaust particulate emissions into the environment becomes increasingly important. Non-exhaust emissions (NEE) of particles apply to all forms of ground transport and can be categorised as those coming from several sources, such as brake wear, tyre wear, pantograph-catenary wear, wheel-rail contact, road surface wear, as well as vehicle-induced resuspension of road/track dust deposited on the surface.

There may be other sources, e.g. engine belts and clutch plates. Quantitative data on the magnitude of non-exhaust emissions are fragmented and highly uncertain, particularly when compared to data for exhaust emissions. Emissions vary widely according to brake, tyre and road surface material, and with driving style. Further research efforts are necessary to increase the understanding of these particles, their creation, ageing and dispersion in the environment.

Closing knowledge gaps on Earth system science in support of global and regional assessments and climate policy

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Code: 39059 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-08-Two-Stage-D1-06 | Programme name: 19081 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

The global community’s ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change requires the continuous advancement of climate science and related disciplines. International climate policy is informed primarily by the assessments made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which provides the most comprehensive and authoritative evaluation of the state of knowledge on climate science, including the Earth’s climate system and its expected changes under different scenarios.

Despite the exponential increase of available data, other evidence and knowledge accumulated on these issues, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of key issues and processes. These may include factors such as insufficient or divergent evidence, low confidence findings or high uncertainties. Some of these gaps are identified in AR6 (specifically, in Working Group I contribution), “The Next Frontier for Climate Change Science” and other relevant sources. Moreover, science has progressed since the closing of the evidence base used for AR6, raising new questions and avenues for inquiry.

Improving climate and weather models for Africa

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Code: 39056 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-07-D1-05 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Africa is among the regions most severely affected by climate change, mostly due to high vulnerability and low adaptive capacity. While significant advancements in global weather and climate science have transformed resilience efforts elsewhere, their benefits in Africa remain to be harnessed, to unlock the continent’s ability to address climate challenges more effectively.

Fighting disinformation and effectively communicating on climate change

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Code: 39053 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-07-D1-04 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Climate change science is well-established and increasingly relevant to daily life and societal welfare.

However, effectively communicating both the science and the necessary climate actions remains a significant challenge.Particularly challenging is understanding and addressing the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and misinterpretation. There is also a crucial need for a strengthened public trust in science and in democracy, and for evidence-based climate communication strategies that foster a sense of agency through empowering and positive narratives.

Complex messages should be made accessible, relevant, and reliable to non-specialist audiences.

Economics of climate change and cost of inaction

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Code: 39050 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-07-D1-03 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

As emphasized by the IPCC, it is urgent to better understand the benefits and opportunities associated with deep, rapid and sustained mitigation and accelerated adaptation action to inform strategic decisions.

Comprehensive assessments of the socio-economic impacts of climate change are essential for this, however, current approaches face significant challenges with a wide uncertainty in global damage estimates, fragmentation, lack of comparability across methodologies, and reliance on extrapolation from historical data, increasingly unrealistic in the context of current unprecedented changes in the climate system.

Advancing European climate risk assessments

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Code: 39047 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-07-D1-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

The development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies and plans of the EU and Member States rely on the most accurate and decision-useful assessments of climate risks that science can provide.

For this purpose, the new knowledge feeding future EUCRAs will be essential. In the first EUCRA assessment, a number of gaps in terms of knowledge and action, and corresponding recommendations are highlighted to underpin more effective EU policy intervention to manage climate risks, stressing the importance of a systemic approach to climate risk assessments, adaptation and resilience and of the interaction with non-climate risk drivers, such as biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation among others.

Next generation climate monitoring and related capabilities

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Code: 39044 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-07-D1-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 15/04/2026

Climate monitoring of Essential Climate Variables at global and regional scales is crucial to assess the state of our climate, its variability and change, and to track progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the corresponding EU climate objectives. Underlying elements, in particular climate data records, reanalyses and forcings, are fundamental to climate science and serve multiple applications across weather, climate, environmental and sectoral domains, generating societal benefits. In turn, methods to distil information from this wealth of data can help extract relevant knowledge and key messages for climate policymaking.

Ports of the future (ZEWT Partnership)

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Code: 39041 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-05-D5-11 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

Ports are important multimodal hubs in the supply chain, linking the sea with the hinterland, evolving into critical hubs and facilitators of sustainable energies, are clusters of industry and circular economy, as well as geo-political and geo-economic resilience. Europe needs ports that are competitive and sustainable on local, regional and global levels, and the Competitiveness Compass calls for a new strategy to highlight the role that European ports will play in the future EU economy.

Large-scale demonstration of Heavy-Duty Battery Electric Vehicles (HD BEV) towards long-haul logistics operations (2ZERO Partnership)

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Code: 39037 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-05-D5-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

The implementation of zero emission vehicles for long-distance heavy-duty freight transport is of key importance to meet the European targets reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutants emissions.

To further accelerate HD-BEV integration in logistic fleets and operations it is essential to identify and address the remaining barriers and challenges of their deployment. These barriers can be related to e.g. limitations in vehicle technology, digital tools, knowledge and user awareness, stakeholder engagement, energy and power availability, charging infrastructure needs such as depot charging and Megawatt Charging System (MCS), permit processes and connection to the grid and services. The challenges for logistics companies’ (also smaller operators) implementing zero emission transport solutions need to be addressed.

Safety of renewable low and zero-carbon waterborne fuels in port areas: risk assessment, regulatory framework, and guidelines for safe bunkering, handling and storage (ZEWT partnership)

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Code: 39034 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-05-D5-13 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

The rapid transition to low and zero-carbon solutions in maritime and inland waterborne transport requires port authorities and stakeholders to swiftly adapt to supply large quantities of renewable low and zero-carbon fuels and electricity.

However, this shift poses new safety challenges, particularly in port areas where multiple bunkering operations, import/export terminals, and fuel handling and storage activities coexist. The close location of most ports to cities and inhabited areas raises issues of safety on two fronts: the space deficit due to the difficulty of enlarging the port areas in these locations, (leading to e.g. the storage of various fuels in close proximity), and the broader danger to these inhabited areas due to their proximity to the ports and by extension the storage of these fuels.

To ensure a safe and efficient energy transition, it is crucial to assess and mitigate the risks associated with the introduction of renewable low and zero-carbon fuels in port areas. As not all ports will be able to store every type of clean fuel in the port or neighbouring area, safety of transport and distribution within the port area (including anchorage) should also be analysed.

Shipyards of the future (ZEWT Partnership)

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Code: 39031 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-05-D5-12 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

European shipbuilding industry is facing increasing pressure from international players, and there is a need to improve its competitiveness through innovation and technological advancements.

The MARI-4YARD project together with RESURGAM, FIBRE4YARDS, SMARTYards and PENELOPE developed several solutions on materials, processes, AI and skills. Additionally, the project SEUS in Horizon Europe is developing an integrated software platform with the ambition to save time in engineering, assembly and construction at European shipyards.

However, there is still a need to increase the ambition and demonstrate these solutions in medium and small-size shipyards.

Energy-efficient software-defined EVs (2ZERO Partnership)

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Code: 39028 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-05-D5-02 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

In the past years a variety of road vehicle technologies on component and sub-system level (e. g. mechanical, electro-mechanical, electro-chemical, etc.) have been developed and offer the potential to be combined and improve user benefits at the embedded system level.

The potential to further leverage these developments with Software Defined Vehicle solutions (e.g. high-level functionality ranging from energy efficiency and performance improvements to personalizing the driving experience) over the lifetime of the vehicle needs to be explored. This would bring together developers working at the embedded system level with those working on high-level functions also to ensure that novel solutions will conform with homologation requirements. Solutions coming from this project must also be compatible with current automotive standards, esp. regarding external infrastructure. Compatibility e.g. with EVSE regarding ISO 15118-20 must be ensured.

AI-assisted digital aircraft design, manufacturing and MRO, towards a competitive aviation

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Code: 39025 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-05-D5-07 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 14/04/2026

This topic focuses on the development of robust AI-assisted capabilities that will work in tandem to digital twins. The term aircraft includes propulsion, aerostructures, systems and their integration, if not explicitly addressed.

Novel solutions for off-grid storage of renewable energy for critical infrastructures

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Code: 39021 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-21 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 31/03/2026

Industrial scale up and circularity pathway for IPV technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)

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Code: 39018 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-13 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 31/03/2026

Pre-commercial appraisal for CO2 aquifer storage

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Code: 39015 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-29 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 31/03/2026

AI-driven forecasting algorithms for Grid and Consumer friendly Energy Sharing – Societal Readiness pilot

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Code: 39011 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-22 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 31/03/2026

Long-lifetime and optimised use of materials in recyclable Ag and In-free Si PV modules (EUPI-PV Partnership)

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Code: 39008 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-CL5-2026-03-D3-12 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Climate, Energy and Mobility (Cluster 5)(2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 18/12/2025 | End submission calls: 31/03/2026