Assessing the performance of policy instruments to inform climate change mitigation action
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
Not an R&D call a Polish company can use, by Scindu's rule.
Funds researchers and relevant companies developing methods to evaluate climate mitigation policies, emissions reductions and social acceptability.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, research org, university, public body.
- Amount
- €3M per projectTotal budget €9,000,000
- Deadline
- 04 Mar 2027 01:00 CETin 131 days
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 17 Nov 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
• Enhanced knowledge of the effectiveness of policy instruments on EU and Member State level to inform mitigation action and policy improvements, ensuring a fair transition and social acceptability;
• Methodologies are developed and improved for ex-ante assessment and ex-post evaluation of greenhouse gas emission reductions from climate policies and measures;
• Strengthened collaboration and established networks between researchers, policy experts and government officials involved in designing and evaluating climate policies on EU and national level.
Scope:
As the EU and its Member States intensify efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, understanding the effectiveness and acceptability of policy instruments becomes crucial. The implementation of the European Green Deal and climate legislation under the recent “Fit-for-55" package has further emphasised the need to better identify and quantify the impact of climate policies and measures both on EU and national level. Many policies are also subject to fast-changing political dynamics. Ex-post evaluation can help explain whether emission reductions occurred and explain why, while also identifying other benefits or trade-offs of climate mitigation.
By 2023, the EU had achieved a 37% reduction in its GHG emissions compared to 1990 levels[1]. However, even after almost two decades of EU climate policies, there is still limited understanding of the effectiveness of mitigation policies. The increasing complexity of the policy mix makes it difficult to clearly link individual policies or measures to specific emission reductions and other benefits in different sectors. The interaction with other thematic policies such as those on biodiversity, agriculture and trade is therefore also important.
This topic is expected to assess the performance of EU policies and measures for reducing GHG emissions. The focus is on sectors not covered by the current EU Emission Trading System (ETS 1)[2]. This would include gaining insights into factors that influence behavioural change and acceptance of policies, taking into account gender-specific aspects. Actions should consider economic, social, distributional and other effects of mitigation action, including trade-offs and co-benefits such as vis-à-vis climate resilience.
Actions should go beyond traditional decomposition analysis and employ state-of-the-art econometric techniques. They are expected to improve existing methodologies or develop new ones to help distinguish the contribution of GHG emission reductions between policy-driven effects and external drivers. Machine learning and other digital tools and methods could be applied to fill information gaps and gain additional insights.
Actions should assess the impact of national policies on Member State level and how such policies interact with EU-wide policies and measures. They should also identify and highlight examples of national policies and measures that have successfully reduced GHG emissions and brought other environmental, social and economic benefits. Actions are expected to develop, test or improve methodologies and tools for ex-ante estimates of GHG emission reductions when designing policies and measures on EU and national level, including integrating climate objectives in other policies. This should include economy-wide modelling which takes into account cross-sectoral feedbacks as well as price responsiveness and behavioural change by consumers.
Actions are encouraged to use available datasets on climate mitigation policies and measures, such as the OECD/CAPMF database[3], and the integrated national climate and energy policies and measures datahub hosted by the European Environment Agency (EEA)[4]. The use of additional activity data provided by EUROSTAT[5] or national statistical sources may be necessary to provide a comprehensive understanding of policy impacts.
All projects funded under this topic are strongly encouraged to connect, coordinate, and participate in networking and joint activities to foster cross-project cooperation and exchange, particularly to reinforce synergies between methodologies.
This topic requires interdisciplinary collaboration between political scientists, economists and other relevant Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines. Actions are also strongly encouraged to include a process of mutual learning and co-creation with stakeholders (e.g., representatives of governments, public administrations, NGOs and academia) to meet end-user needs and support the uptake of results.
[1] Progress on climate action - European Commission
[2] https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets/scope-eu-ets_en
[3] https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-climate-actions-and-policies-measurement-framework_2caa60ce-en.html
[4] Integrated national climate and energy policies and measures; EEA database on greenhouse gas policies and measures in Europe — European Environment Agency
[5] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Greenhouse_gas_emission_footprints
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Research org, University, Public body
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 1 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- —
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Climate policy evaluation
- GHG mitigation assessment
- Policy effectiveness
- Social acceptability
- Fair transition
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Consortium required
- Yes
General Annex B baseline for RIA, subject to any topic-specific exceptions recorded separately. The application consortium must include at least three mutually independent legal entities in different countries: at least one established in an EU Member State and at least two others established in different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Affiliated entities do not count toward the minimum.
- Other condition
- Research and Innovation Action.
- Other condition
- If a project uses satellite-based Earth observation, positioning/navigation or related timing data/services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other sources may also be used.
- Other condition
- The topic uses a lump-sum grant. For proposal estimates, use the same eligible-cost rules as an actual-cost Horizon grant and cost estimates must be realistic, consistent with normal practices, reasonable/not excessive, and necessary for the proposed activities. Payment follows the grant’s lump-sum work-package conditions; personnel costs are not separately reimbursed as actual payroll.
Do not treat the estimate as actual-cost reimbursement or infer that the topic prohibits hiring/payroll.
- Other condition
- The overview expects around 3 project(s) to be funded under this topic. This is an indicative planning number, not a guaranteed award count or consortium-size condition.
Scope is funded projects under this topic; not beneficiaries, consortium members, or award entitlement.
- Other condition
- The topic assesses EU and Member State mitigation policy performance in sectors outside the current EU Emissions Trading System (ETS 1), including behavioural, acceptance, gender-specific, distributional and co-benefit dimensions.
- Other condition
- Actions should use state-of-the-art econometric techniques, improve or develop methods to distinguish policy effects from external drivers, and may use machine learning and digital tools.
- Other condition
- Interdisciplinary collaboration among political scientists, economists and other relevant SSH disciplines is required; mutual learning and stakeholder co-creation are strongly encouraged.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €9,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Eligible cost
- Natural persons under direct contract and third-party seconded persons may qualify as personnel only if assigned to the action and working under employee-like conditions, the work result belongs to the beneficiary unless agreed otherwise, and the rate reflects costs actually incurred without significant difference from comparable employees. These are personnel cost estimate categories for this lump-sum action, not a payroll reimbursement line. Cost estimates are subject to actual-cost grant eligibility rules and the call’s lump-sum methodology; no named vacancy, headcount, salary rate or wage entitlement is stated.
- Eligible cost
- Employee personnel costs may be included only for people employed by the beneficiary (or equivalent appointing act), assigned to the action, meeting all general eligibility conditions, and calculated under the grant rules. These are personnel cost estimate categories for this lump-sum action, not a payroll reimbursement line. Cost estimates are subject to actual-cost grant eligibility rules and the call’s lump-sum methodology; no named vacancy, headcount, salary rate or wage entitlement is stated.
- Eligible cost
- Unpaid SME owners and natural-person beneficiaries may claim personnel costs only under the applicable Annex 2a unit-cost method and the general eligibility conditions. These are personnel cost estimate categories for this lump-sum action, not a payroll reimbursement line. Cost estimates are subject to actual-cost grant eligibility rules and the call’s lump-sum methodology; no named vacancy, headcount, salary rate or wage entitlement is stated.
- Eligible cost
- Subcontracting estimates/costs and purchase costs are governed by the relevant grant form. Under actual-cost rules, subcontracting must meet general eligibility and usual purchasing practices ensuring best value for money (or lowest price) and no conflict of interest. For this lump-sum topic these inform eligible budget estimates, not separate reimbursement lines.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 100 percent of eligible costs
RIA maximum rate under General Annex G; final rate and amounts are fixed in the grant agreement.
- Expected contribution per project
- €3,000,000
Commission estimate of EU contribution per project. Different requested amounts are not precluded; this is indicative, not a floor, cap or guarantee.
- Topic allocation
- €9,000,000
Indicative topic allocation; separate from per-project EU contribution and not an individual award or grant cap.
Personnel and services
General eligible personnel cost category only; not a call-promised hire.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
These are personnel cost estimate categories for this lump-sum action, not a payroll reimbursement line. Cost estimates are subject to actual-cost grant eligibility rules and the call’s lump-sum methodology; no named vacancy, headcount, salary rate or wage entitlement is stated. The person must be assigned to the action, work under employee-like conditions, the work result must belong to the beneficiary unless otherwise agreed, and costs must correspond to actual costs without significant difference from comparable employees.
General cost category permitted by applicable MGA rules; no specific job or hire asserted.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
These are personnel cost estimate categories for this lump-sum action, not a payroll reimbursement line. Cost estimates are subject to actual-cost grant eligibility rules and the call’s lump-sum methodology; no named vacancy, headcount, salary rate or wage entitlement is stated. Eligible only when assigned to the action and all MGA Article 6 conditions are met.
Conditional cost category, not an advertised role.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
These are personnel cost estimate categories for this lump-sum action, not a payroll reimbursement line. Cost estimates are subject to actual-cost grant eligibility rules and the call’s lump-sum methodology; no named vacancy, headcount, salary rate or wage entitlement is stated. Costs must follow the Annex 2a unit-cost method and general eligibility conditions; no call-specific hire or salary is stated.
Required SSH disciplinary capability; no specific vacancy, number of people, or employment arrangement is stated.
Other role · Required staff
The topic requires interdisciplinary collaboration between political scientists, economists and other relevant SSH disciplines. This records a capability requirement, not a requirement to hire new staff; the source specifies no positions, headcount, employment form or pay.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 17 Nov 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL5-2027-01 · CLIMATE
- Types of action
- HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 24 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 7 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Reviewed
- 23 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.