Open Pilot Line/Test Bed for hydrogen
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-06
- Programme
- Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- December 12, 2022
- Deadline
- April 17, 2023
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €12,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €6,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €6,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 2
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-06HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01Energy collection, conversion and storage, renewable energy
Description
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Contribute to the goals of the European Hydrogen strategy to support the European Green Deal and progress towards climate neutrality by 2030.
- Provide services for testing innovative hydrogen production technology leading to technology upscaling, reducing cost, accelerating time to the market, and reducing investment risk.
- Contribute to the creation of an industrial ecosystem of green hydrogen production technology providers.
The Staff Working Document on hydrogen highlighting the EU R&I support for implementing the Green Deal hydrogen strategy and contributing to a roadmap of actions called for better synergies at European and national level as well as between European and Member States programmes and activities. A single-entry approach for testing hydrogen production technology was identified as the Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB).
Open Innovation Test Beds were first conceived in the Horizon 2020 work programme. They are entities, established in at least three Member States or Associated Countries, offering access to physical facilities, capabilities and services required for the development, testing and upscaling of technology in industrial environments. OITBs will upgrade existing or support the setting of new public and private test beds, pilot lines, and demonstrators to develop, test and upscale technologies and services for new innovative products for specific technology domains.
The applicants are required to implement the set-up of an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) for hydrogen production technologies. The proposal should address the following:
- Provide services for testing of emerging hydrogen production technologies mentioned in the Agenda Process SRIA[1]. It will cover all activities from the prototyping to industrial production, and especially the testing in an industrial environment, the validation of the characteristics H2 production technologies and the control of the respect of legal and regulatory constraints.
- Provide a technology assessment base line for future developments of the technology being tested.
- Provide an assessment of the circularity of the technology being tested as well as potential domains for increasing its sustainability /Ensure that the innovations tested contribute to sustainability considering circularity in the design phase, less (or no) use of (critical) raw materials and decreasing negative environmental and social impacts.
- The OITB needs to be operational within the first six month of the start of the project.
Access to the OITB opened to all potential customers. Open access in this context means that any interested party, from Europe and globally, can access test beds' facilities and services independently whether they are part of the consortium or not. It is critical that any interested party from the EU or Associated Countries can access the test beds at fair conditions and pricing and with transparent and mutual obligations with regards to, for instance, security, safety and intellectual property rights.
It is expected that SMEs will have access the test beds at the same conditions as any other entity from the EU or Associated Countries. For SMEs as core targeted user group, the test beds will offer a range of services which are of specific interest to them, e.g. regulatory support and the development of innovative materials that SMEs frequently cannot afford on their own. Proposals should demonstrate a solid and measurable outreach strategy towards SMEs and innovators outside the consortium.
As OITB aims at providing a full service along all the steps of the technological development of a physical innovation, all needed expertise has to be provided to users through a Single-Entry Point (SEP). The SEP is a separate legal entity of which the legal structure is up to the partners involved; however, the consortium needs to come up with a convincing structure that shows its capacity to work together as well as ensure sustainability during the implementation of the grant. If necessary, each test bed will acquire complementary services from other entities, for instance on characterisation and or modelling, in order to offer a full-service package to users.
The proposal needs to present a credible business plan aiming at future sustainability and operation of the OITB, included after the grant ends. It should set a framework for the definition of the access conditions to their facilities and services respecting transparency and fair access conditions.
Projects should collaborate with the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking on aspects that require integration of hydrogen and are expected to contribute and participate to the activities of the TRUST database and the hydrogen observatory. Where applicable, proposals are expected to complete and/or extend the range of Open Innovation Test Beds that are existing or under development, including those funded under topic HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILIENCE-01-20.
Destination & Scope
This Destination covers thematic areas which are cross-cutting by nature and can provide key solutions for climate, energy and mobility applications. In line with the scope of cluster 5 such areas are batteries, hydrogen[1], communities and cities[2], early-stage breakthrough technologies as well as citizen engagement[3]. Although these areas are very distinct in terms of challenges, stakeholder communities and expected impacts, they have their cross-cutting nature as a unifying feature and are therefore grouped, if not addressed in other places of this work programme, under this Destination.
This Destination contributes to the following Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations (KSO):
- C: Making Europe the first digitally enabled circular, climate-neutral and sustainable economy through the transformation of its mobility, energy, construction and production systems;
- A: Promoting an open strategic autonomy[4] by leading the development of key digital, enabling and emerging technologies, sectors and value chains to accelerate and steer the digital and green transitions through human-centred technologies and innovations;
- D: Creating a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society, prepared and responsive to threats and disasters, addressing inequalities and providing high-quality health care, and empowering all citizens to act in the green and digital transitions.
It covers the following impact areas:
- Industrial leadership in key and emerging technologies that work for people
- Affordable and clean energy
- Smart and sustainable transport
The expected impact, in line with the Strategic Plan, is to contribute to the “Clean and sustainable transition of the energy and transport sectors towards climate neutrality facilitated by innovative cross-cutting solutions”, notably through:
- Nurturing a world-class European research and innovation eco-system on batteries along the value chain based on sustainable pathways. It includes improvement of technological performance to increase application user attractiveness (in particular in terms of safety, cost, user convenience, fast charging and environmental footprint), in parallel supporting the creation of a competitive, circular, and sustainable European battery manufacturing value chain (more detailed information below).
- Nurturing the development of emerging technologies with high potential to enable zero-greenhouse gas and negative emissions in energy and transport (more detailed information below).
A competitive and sustainable European battery value chain
Batteries will enable the rollout of zero-emission mobility and renewable energy storage, contributing to the European Green Deal and supporting the UN SDGs by creating a vibrant, responsible and sustainable market. Besides climate neutrality, batteries also contribute to other UN SDGs directly and indirectly such as enabling of decentralized and off-grid energy solutions.
The strategic pathway is, on the one hand, for Europe to rapidly regain technological competitiveness in order to capture a significant market share of the new and fast-growing rechargeable battery market, and, on the other hand, to invest in longer term research on future battery technologies to establish Europe's long term technological leadership and industrial competitiveness
The Partnership “Towards a competitive European industrial battery value chain for stationary applications and e-mobility”, with as short name Batt4EU, to which all battery-related topics under this Destination will contribute, aims to establish world-leading sustainable and circular European battery value chain to drive transformation towards a carbon-neutral society.
The main impacts to be generated by topics targeting the battery value chain under this Destination are:
- Increased global competitiveness of the European battery ecosystem through generated knowledge and leading-edge technologies in battery materials, cell design, manufacturing and recycling.
- Significant contribution to the policy needs of the European Green Deal through new solutions for circularity and recycling of batteries.
- Accelerated growth of innovative, competitive and sustainable battery manufacturing industry in Europe.
- Development of sustainable and safe technologies and systems for decarbonisation of transport and stationary applications.
- Contributing to the strategic independence of Europe through investigation of alternative battery chemistries using non-critical raw materials and efficient recycling technologies.
- Increasing synergies with other partnerships and initiatives.
Emerging breakthrough technologies and climate solutions
Although the contribution of a wide range of technologies to reach climate neutrality is already foreseeable, EU R&I programming should also leave room for emerging and break-through technologies with a high potential to achieve climate neutrality. These technologies can play a significant role in reaching the EU’s goal to become climate neutral by 2050.
Relevant topics supported under this Destination complement the activities supported under Pillars I or III. They address emerging technologies that can enable the climate transition with a technology-neutral bottom-up approach. Research in this area is mostly technological in nature but should also, where relevant, be accompanied by assessments of environmental, social and economic impacts, by identification of regulatory needs, and by activities supporting the creation of value chains to build up new ecosystems of stakeholders working on breakthrough technologies.
The main expected impacts to be generated by the topic targeting breakthrough technologies and climate solutions under this Destination are:
- Emergence of unanticipated technologies enabling emerging zero-greenhouse gas and negative emissions in energy and transport;
- Development of high-risk/high return technologies to enable a transition to a net greenhouse gas neutral European economy.
[1] The bulk of activities are supported by the Institutional Partnership ‘Clean Hydrogen’.
[2] Communities and cities are mainly supported under the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, and through the co-funded Partnership ‘Driving Urban Transition’, implemented in this work programme as a grant to identified beneficiary.
[3] Citizens engagement as well as social sciences and humanities are mainstreamed across multiple topics across various Destinations in this work programme.
[4] ‘Open strategic autonomy’ refers to the term ‘strategic autonomy while preserving an open economy’, as reflected in the conclusions of the European Council 1 – 2 October 2020.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
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Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
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Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
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Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
MGA
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
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Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
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Latest Updates
The call for proposals HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01 closed on 18/04/2023. 80 proposals were submitted to the call. The breakdown per topic is:
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-01 (RIA) : 12 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-02 (RIA) : 13 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-03 (RIA) : 15 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-04 (IA-LS) : 12 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-05 (IA) : 18 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-06 (IA) : 3 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-07 (CSA-LS) : 6 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01-08 (COFUND) : 1 proposal
Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16th December 2022, no legal commitments (including the grant agreement itself as well as subcontracts, purchase contracts, financial support to third parties etc.) can be signed with Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain.
Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals. However, in case the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties).
[OPTION FOR MULTI-BENEFICIARY GRANT CALLS: In this case, co-applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity [SUB-OPTION FOR CALLS ALLOWING ASSOCIATED PARTNERS: and/or to change its status into associated partner]. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly]