Closed

Modelling Of Mitigation Pathways For F-gases

HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Basic Information

Identifier
HORIZON-CL5-2025-06-D1-03
Programme
Cluster 5 Call 06-2025 (WP 2025)
Programme Period
2021 - 2027
Status
Closed (31094503)
Opening Date
May 6, 2025
Deadline
September 24, 2025
Deadline Model
single-stage
Budget
€15,000,000
Min Grant Amount
€4,000,000
Max Grant Amount
€5,000,000
Expected Number of Grants
3
Keywords
HORIZON-CL5-2025-06-D1-03HORIZON-CL5-2025-06

Description

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

  • Improved knowledge of regional pathways concerning the use of Ozone Depleting Substances and Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), options to mitigate this use, the resulting emissions, and how this interacts with the decarbonisation of the energy system;
  • Improved modelling capacity regarding the use of Ozone Depleting Substances and F-gases in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sectors, in a manner that increases the availability to Parties to the Montreal Protocol[1] of modelling tools to inform them on policy options for an ambitious implementation of the Kigali Agreement[2], including a transition to natural refrigerants, and how this interacts with the decarbonisation of the energy system.

Scope:

F-gases are the fastest growing group of greenhouse gas emissions globally. The Montreal Protocol resulted in decreasing use and emissions of Ozone Depleting Substances and will now also regulate a phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), representing the largest share of F-gas use, of which the majority is used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment.

The project should improve the knowledge base of F-gas use and emission pathways under baseline conditions (i.e., policies as they are today), pathways that meet the Kigali Agreement and pathways that outperform the Kigali Agreement. The development of these pathways should also include fluorinated greenhouse gases not regulated under the Montreal Protocol, in particular those covered by the Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases[3]. It should cover all main regions globally separating at least the countries that fall under Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol and those that do not, and preferably further disaggregating them within these two classes, taking into account for instance climate conditions. The development should assess the interaction with the energy system, notably related to the deployment of HFC-alternatives in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment and its impact on energy efficiency, the deployment of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) or its alternatives in electrical switch-gear. Possible impacts on emissions of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) should be considered. The pathways should give detailed insights into the technologies available, including the use of F-gases-free alternatives.

Most F-gas emissions are related to the use in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) equipment. This sector is projected to be one of the highest contributors to future global energy demand increases. The action should include the development of modelling tools that allow for the representation at national level of the use of F-gases and their alternatives at least in this RACHP sector, with a view to develop tools that would allow parties to the Montreal Protocol to assess at national level different options of mitigating HFC use, and the interaction with the decarbonisation of the energy system. The action should thus expand and improve the number of tools that can provide such detailed information at country level, including for the so called Article 5 Parties under the Montreal Protocol, in a manner that would improve the knowledge base for parties to implement specifically the Kigali Agreement to the Montreal Protocol as well as allow them to get insights in how to create synergies with the climate mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement, including the decarbonisation of the energy system.

All research outputs should be managed according to the FAIR principles[4]. Beyond open access to scientific publications and research data, open access to software, models, algorithms, workflows and protocols, cell lines, compounds, etc. is required.

All projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to connect, coordinate, and participate in networking, intercomparison and joint activities to exploit synergies and maximise complementarities. Activities on energy efficiency of equipment, on electricity grids or the safe use of chemicals would be of specific interest in this context. Projects should also envisage clustering activities with any other relevant projects (in and outside of Horizon Europe) for cross-projects cooperation and exchange of results. Proposals should earmark the necessary resources for these purposes.

[1] Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

[2] The Kigali Amendment (2016): The amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Parties (Kigali, 10-15 October 2016) | Ozone Secretariat (unep.org)

[3] Regulation - EU - 2024/573 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)

[4] FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

Destination & Scope

This Destination contributes directly to the Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic OrientationsGreen transition’, ‘Digital transition’ and ‘A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe’.

In line with the Strategic Plan, the overall expected impact of this Destination is to contribute to the “Advancing science for a transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society”.

Advancing climate science and the knowledge base necessary to underpin actionable solutions is essential for catalysing the global transition to a climate-neutral and climate-resilient society. Evidence on research gaps of high policy relevance can be found in the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA)[1], and in the report “The Next frontier for Climate Change Science”[2].

Research should contribute to closing major knowledge gaps on the changing climate together with their associated impacts and risks, on both society and nature, and to developing tools to support decision-makers in designing and implementing effective mitigation and adaptation actions at various time and spatial scales while properly accounting for synergies and trade-offs with other policy objectives, such as biodiversity, industrial competitiveness, just transition and leaving no one behind. Notably, state-of-art scientific evidence will be increasingly vital to guide policy decisions aimed at safeguarding long-term societal welfare and EU’s economic resilience as climate change impacts increase. Tailored scientific approaches that take into account disparities between regions, countries, communities and diverse groups within society, are needed, to understand how they are affected by global warming and what array of response options is available to them.

The first objective is to support and accelerate climate action (both mitigation and adaptation) globally by:

  • Improved knowledge of the Earth system, its recent evolution and future responses under different global emissions pathways and socio-economic scenarios;
  • Increased understanding of the interrelated impacts between climate change, human and natural systems, including from compound, cascading and tail risks, improving the attribution to anthropogenic factors, and leveraging the role of climate services for effective adaptation and response strategies;
  • Well-designed and evaluated solutions and pathways for climate-resilient, low-greenhouse- gas-emission development enabling just societal transformation while promoting citizen and stakeholder involvement, climate literacy and integration of natural and social sciences;
  • Increased synergies with the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, by generating actionable knowledge in support of transformative adaptation.

The second objective contributes substantially to key international assessments by closing key knowledge gaps related to climate change. Such assessments include the ones by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion and initiatives such as the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) and the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) under the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).

The third objective is a strengthened European Research Area on climate change by boosting scientific excellence and capacity in an inclusive manner across the participating countries.

The fourth objective is the maximisation of synergies with other policy priorities such as biodiversity and ecosystem preservation and restoration, just transition, just resilience, pollution reduction, health and well-being, resource conservation, circularity, and the Sustainable Development Goals by exploring co-benefits, trade-offs and potential unintended consequences of climate strategies and policy interventions.

Strong links exist with activities funded under Cluster 6 on climate-ocean-polar-cryosphere nexus, and in Cluster 3 on disaster risk reduction, and with the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. The results of research funded under this Destination, in particular those informing the design of effective mitigation and adaptation pathways, are also highly relevant for other EU Missions on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, on Soil, and on Ocean and Water.

[1] European Climate Risk Assessment — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

[2] The Next Frontier for Climate Change Science: Insights from authors of the IPCC 6thAssessment Report on knowledge gaps and priorities for research

Eligibility & Conditions

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

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.

3. Other Eligible 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.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: 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

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].

Beneficiaries will be subject to the following additional obligations regarding open science practices: Open access to any new modules, models or tools developed from scratch or substantially improved with the use of EU funding under the action must be ensured through documentation, availability of model code and input data developed under the action.

described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions

described in the specific topic of the Work Programme

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Additional documents:

Frequently Asked Questions About Modelling Of Mitigation Pathways For F-gases

Cluster 5 Call 06-2025 (WP 2025) (2021 - 2027).
Per-award range: €4,000,000–€5,000,000. Total programme budget: €15,000,000. Expected awards: 3.
Deadline: September 24, 2025. Deadline model: single-stage.
This call is open to applicants in Europe.
Eligible organisation types (inferred): SMEs, Research organisations, Companies.
Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025).
You can contact the organisers at [email protected].

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Latest Updates

Last Changed: May 6, 2025

The Call HORIZON-CL5-2025-06 successfully closed on 24 September 2025 17:00. Overall 99 proposals have been received.



For topic HORIZON-CL5-2025-06-D1-03, 6 proposals were submitted.



The results of the evaluations are expected to occur early January 2026.



The results of the evaluations have been communicated to the applicants on February 3, 2026.