Cost-efficient Small Scale Hydrogen Liquefaction
HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-02-04
- Programme
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- February 10, 2026
- Deadline
- April 15, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €105,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €5,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €5,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-02-04HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026Hydrogen
Description
Expected Outcome:
As the hydrogen economy grows and diversifies itself, the need for smaller-scale, point-of-use hydrogen liquefaction will become increasingly important. For applications such as remote transportation hubs, off-grid or remote communities as well as hydrogen-powered industrial facilities with lower LH2 demand (less than 5 metric tons per day (tpd)), having efficient and decentralised liquefaction capabilities is crucial.
While centralised, large-scale liquefaction plants can achieve economies of scale, small-scale facilities need to be cost-competitive and efficient to ensure their viability. This includes optimising energy use, ensuring safety, and designing equipment that can handle fluctuating demand. New technologies and innovations are required to bring down the capital and operational costs associated with small-scale liquefaction of LH2.
Project results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:
- Contribute to the roll-out of next generation decentralised hydrogen liquefaction technologies;
- Initiate the deployment of liquid hydrogen for off-takers with lower LH2 demand.
Project results are expected to contribute to the following objectives and KPIs of the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA:
- Increase efficiency and reduce costs of hydrogen liquefaction technologies for small scale liquefaction (<5 tpd);
- Reducing the energy intensity for small-scale hydrogen liquefaction to 12 kWh/kgH2 at 500kg/day and 10 kWh/kgH2 at 5 tpd.
- Reducing H2 liquefaction cost to about 3.5 €//kg
Scope:
The hydrogen liquefaction process is generally composed of the following main technological sub-systems: pre-cooling (incl. heat exchangers with cooling fluid & compressors), cooling (incl. compression), coldbox (including heat exchangers and ortho-para conversion), expansion and boil-off gas management.
To overcome the technological barriers of small-scale hydrogen liquefaction and to prepare a future deployment of smaller LH2 volumes at a higher TRL, the innovative hydrogen liquefaction system developed in proposals should address the following elements:
- Assessment of currently offered technologies for small scale liquefaction plants (<5 tpd)
- Description of proposed technology elements, including e.g.:
- O-P conversion
- Precooling to an intermediate temperature in the range of 80-110 K
- Cryogenic cooling further to 20-30 K
- Handling/re-liquefaction of gas return from adjacent storage
- Conceptual design optimisation at system scale (incl. all necessary BoPs)
- Development of an innovative small-scale hydrogen liquefaction system (sub-modules, cycle or even equipment) that should:
- Demonstrate technical and economic improvements at scale (at least >500 kg/day) with a potential for scaling up.
- Be capable of reducing the energy consumption and specific cost of hydrogen liquefaction at indicated scale.
- Demonstrate the capability of the concept for operating at lower and/or fluctuating load (50-100 %) to be in line with hydrogen production via e.g. water electrolysis from renewable sources;
- Demonstrate through to the prototype’s operation, a specific power consumption of 12 kWh/kg for 500 kg/day liquefaction capacity considering feed hydrogen at 20 bar and 20 oC.
The focus should be on the following:
- Reduce the specific energy requirements, e.g. by optimising pre-cooling to an intermediate temperature in the range 80-110 K, and/or by applying innovative thermodynamic optimisation, and/or by improving boil-off recovery strategies etc;
- Evaluate the cost-benefit for handling/re-liquefaction of gas return from adjacent storage;
- Conduct advanced thermal studies on those components or processes generating the highest irreversibility, providing key design features to optimise the small-scale units;
- Create a system’s oriented Digital Twin of the new thermal/thermodynamic concept to support the design phase, to extend the description of its behaviour beyond the experimental set-up limits, and by scalability studies generate data to assess the feasibility up to 5 tpd;
- The validated industrial prototype should prove and support the scalability of the innovative concept to suit flowrates up to 5 tpd.
The proposed technology to be developed should be benchmarked against the technologies commercially available today based either on the Helium Brayton and the Claude cycle at 1 tpd and 5 tpd and should demonstrate reduced liquefaction cost.
Proposals should also address the following economic and regulatory issues:
- The innovative concept should demonstrate a specific liquefaction cost of around 3.5 €/kg for a small-scale unit (1 tpd);
- The project should define a suitable roadmap to prepare the deployment of small volumes of liquid hydrogen solutions;
- Perform techno-economic analysis to identify CAPEX and OPEX drivers, potential paths to improvements, and assess the scalability of the technology. The analysis should focus on especially relevant business cases for the technology such as distributed small-scale liquefaction and re-liquefaction of gas return from adjacent storage.
- Perform conceptual design optimisation to enhance performance, reduce costs, ease of installation and meet stakeholder requirements more effectively;
- Propose accurate business models for commercialisation purposes;
- Contribute to the development of regulations, codes and standards needed for the LH2 safety issues;
Proposals are expected to address sustainability and circularity aspects.
For additional elements applicable to all topics please refer to section 2.2.3.2
Activities are expected to start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 by the end of the project - see General Annex B.
The JU estimates that an EU contribution of maximum EUR 6.00 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to start at TRL 4 and achieve TRL 6 by the end of the project - see General Annex B.
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.
Page limit for Innovation Actions: For all Innovation Actions the page limit of the applications are 70 pages.
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.
Additional eligibility condition: Maximum contribution per topic
For some topics, in line with the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA, an additional eligibility criterion has been introduced to limit the Clean Hydrogen JU requested contribution mostly for actions performed at high TRL level, including demonstration in real operational environment and with important involvement from industrial stakeholders and/or end users such as public authorities. Such actions are expected to leverage co-funding as commitment from stakeholders. It is of added value that such leverage is shown through the private investment in these specific topics. Therefore, proposals requesting contributions above the amounts specified per each topic below will not be evaluated
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-03-03: The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 5.00 million
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-04-02: The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 8.00 million
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-01: The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 17.00 million
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-02: The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 8.00 million
Additional eligibility condition: Membership to Hydrogen Europe / Hydrogen Europe Research
For the topics listed below, in line with the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA, an additional an additional eligibility criterion has been introduced to ensure that one partner in the consortium is a member of either Hydrogen Europe or Hydrogen Europe Research. This concerns topics targeting actions for large-scale demonstrations, flagship projects and strategic research actions, where the industrial and research partners of the Clean Hydrogen JU are considered to play a key role in accelerating the commercialisation of hydrogen technologies by being closely linked to the Clean Hydrogen JU constituency, which could further ensure full alignment with the SRIA of the JU. This approach shall also ensure the continuity of the work performed within projects funded through the H2020 and FP7, by building up on their experience and consolidating the EU value-chain. In the Call 2026 this applies to: development and demonstration of flexible and standardised hydrogen storage systems and demonstration and operation of reversible solid oxide cell systems operation for local grid-connected hydrogen production and utilisation. This will also apply to the Hydrogen Valleys (flagship) topics as they are considered of strategic importance for the European Union ambitions to double the number of Hydrogen Valleys by 2025 as well as to the more recent European Commission’s inspirational target to have at least 50 Hydrogen Valleys under construction or operational by 2030 across the entire EU. For the Hydrogen Valleys topics a large amount of co-investment/co-funding of project participants/beneficiaries including national and regional programmes is expected.
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-03-03
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-04-02
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-01
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-02
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.
STEP (Sovereignty) Seal
For the Hydrogen Valleys topics, as shown below, STEP Seal (so called “Sovereignty Seal” under the STEP Regulation) will be awarded to proposals exceeding all of the evaluation thresholds set out in this Annual Work Programme. The STEP Seal is a label, which aims to increase the visibility of quality projects available for funding and help attract alternative and cumulative funding for quality projects, and simultaneously to provide a potential project pipeline for regional and national programmes.
STEP (Sovereignty) Seal is applicable to the following topics:
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-01
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-02
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]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
In addition to the standard provisions, the following specific provisions in the model grant agreement will apply:
1. Lump Sum
This year’s call for proposals will take the form of lump sums 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)[2].
Lump sums will be used across all topics in the Call 2026.
[2] DECISION 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) ls-decision_he_en.pdf (europa.eu)
2. Full capitalised costs for purchases of equipment, infrastructure or other assets purchased specifically for the action
For some topics, in line with the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA, mostly large-scale demonstrators or flagship projects specific equipment, infrastructure or other assets purchased specifically for the action (or developed as part of the action tasks) can exceptionally be declared as full capitalised costs. This concerns the topics below:
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-03-03
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-04-02
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-01
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-02
3. Subcontracting
For all topics: an additional obligation regarding subcontracting has been introduced, namely that subcontracted work may only be performed in target countries set out in the call conditions.
The beneficiaries must ensure that the subcontracted work is performed in the countries set out in the call conditions.
The target countries are all Member States of the European Union and all Associated Countries.
4. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), background and results, access rights and rights of use (article 16 and Annex 5 of the Model Grant Agreement (MGA))
An additional information obligation has been introduced for topics including standardisation activities: ‘Beneficiaries must, up to 4 years after the end of the action, inform the granting authority if the results could reasonably be expected to contribute to European or international standards’. These concerns the topics below:
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-03
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-03-03
- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-05-02
Specific conditions
described in the chapter 2.2.3.2 of the Clean Hydrogen JU 2026 Annual Work Programme
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Application form - Part B (HE CleanH2 RIA, IA)
Application form - Part B (HE CleanH2 CSA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Clean Hydrogen JU - Annual Work Programme 2026 (AWP 2026)
Clean Hydrogen JU - Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)
Lump Sums Guidance
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
Comprehensive information on lump sum funding in Horizon Europe
FAQ on Call HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Frequently Asked Questions About Cost-efficient Small Scale Hydrogen Liquefaction
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).
Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
FAQ document from call HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026
Latest Updates
Topic Update:
- In section "Get support" the FAQ document has been updated
Topic Update: Explanation of Costs in the Lump-Sum "Detailed Budget Table"
If your lump sum budget contains any cost items in cost category C and/or D, please make sure to justify these items in the ‘Any comments’ sheet of the Excel detailed lump sum budget table.
The reason is that we simplified the proposal template, removing this information from Part B and bringing it closer to the relevant budget items.
Specifically, you must include justification in the ‘Any comments’ sheet if you are in any of the following situations:
- If the sum of the costs for ’travel and subsistence’, ‘equipment’, and ‘other goods, works and services’ (i.e. the purchase costs) exceeds 15% of the personnel costs for a participant. If this is the case, justify the most expensive cost item(s) up to the level that the remaining costs are below 15% of personnel costs.
- If other cost categories (e.g. internally invoiced goods and services) are used.
- If in-kind contributions are used (non-financial resources made available free of charge by third parties, which must be included as direct costs in the corresponding cost category, e.g. personnel costs or purchase costs for equipment).
Topic Update:
- In section "Get support" the FAQ document has been updated
- Please note that due to a technical issue, some information displayed on the Portal was incorrect for topics HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-01 (TRL) and HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-02 (Maximum funding and EU13 text in expected outcomes and scope). The correct information is now reflected, and this notice supersedes the previously displayed information.