Novel approaches towards next-generation battery concepts, leveraging the enabling role of innovative advanced materials (BATT4EU and IAM4EU Partnerships)
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds companies and researchers developing innovative battery concepts and advanced materials, including low-cost chemistries for electric mobility.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university.
- Amount
- €4.8M per projectTotal budget €48,000,000
- Deadline
- 14 Apr 2027 02:00 CESTin 172 days · +1 later cut-off
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 15 Dec 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Proposals are expected to contribute to the generation of innovative battery concepts to safeguard future European competitiveness through innovative battery advanced materials and technologies contributing to green energy usage through enhanced energy storage and management capabilities.
Depending on the areas listed in the scope, proposals are expected to cover all the respective bullet points:
Area A: Development and validation of low-cost battery chemistries particularly suited for electric mobility supporting a reliable and flexible energy flow to meet fluctuating demand by enabling better integration of diverse energy sources:
• Proposals are expected to provide the state-of-the-art benchmark for the performance of Design-to-Performance lithium-ion batteries[1] and sodium-ion batteries and compare the project’s improvements of performance targets to said benchmark.
• Main component (active and main inactive materials) cost of below €35 per kWh
OR
Area B: Development of high-performance battery, particularly suited for aviation and high-performance mobility boosting green energy adoption by leveraging advanced energy carriers and storage solutions to support demanding applications:
• Validation of advanced battery concepts achieving energy density exceeding 500 Wh/kg and/or Power density exceeding the state-of-the-art benchmark based on the selected application(s).
OR
Area C: Development of durable and reliable battery advanced materials and cell-level concepts specifically suited to stationary storage for either grid and/or energy-intensive industry applications.
Scope:
Projects are expected to contribute to one of the following battery concepts that meet different end-user needs and applications, going beyond state-of-the-art:
Area A: Low-cost batteries designed primarily for passenger electric vehicles and/or stationary storage:
• Development of battery chemistries utilizing minimised amount of Critical Raw Materials
• Cost reduction through use of smart functionalities, as well as lightweight, functionalised and/or simplified casing or cooling concepts etc is encouraged.
OR
Area B: High-performance battery chemistries intended for applications requiring superior energy density, power density, and safety standards, such as aviation and maritime sectors:
• Innovative approaches to battery structural integration and multifunctional materials to significantly boost gravimetric and volumetric performance.
OR
Area C: Novel battery advanced materials and cell-level concepts, for stationary energy storage for grid storage and/or energy-intensive industrial applications:
• If applied for grid storage, solutions should demonstrate potential for cost-effective integration at system level (targeting system-level cost below €50/kWh) and provide support for multi-hour storage durations to enhance renewable energy uptake and grid flexibility.
• If applied for energy-intensive industrial applications, battery materials and designs should address continuous high-load operation, cycling under harsh conditions, and reliability over long operational periods, contributing to the electrification and decarbonisation of specific industrial processes under study.
All projects are expected to provide an assessment on all following aspects:
• Scalability potential, manufacturability, and market relevance.
• Solutions for extended cycle life, cost-efficient recyclability, and sustainability by design (implementing Safe and Sustainable by Design principles)
• Solutions for enhanced safety, thermal management, performance monitoring, and predictive diagnostics.
The Safe and Sustainable by Design[2] (SSbD) framework should be considered as a reference for project proposals to guide the innovation process towards safer and more sustainable chemicals and advanced materials.
Proposals could consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)[3] whose contribution could consist of performing experimental or desk-top research on battery performance or safety. For further information on the JRC’s possible contribution to the projects, please, search for additional publicly available information on the JRC’s website[4] (EU Science Hub) on the NCP portal, or request specific information from the JRC (JRC-NCP-Network@ec.europa.eu)
JRC will assure that all the other applicants receive the same information on the JRC’s possible contribution to the project (e.g., via the topic-specific FAQs under the Funding and Tenders Portal).
This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) and the co-programmed Partnership Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU (IAM4EU). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) and IAM4EUin support of the monitoring of its KPIs.
This topic contributes to the industrial action plan for the automotive sector.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 4-5 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.
[1] https://bepassociation.eu/our-work/sria/
[2] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/key-enabling-technologies/chemicals-and-advanced-materials_en
[3] https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/laboratories-z/battery-energy-storage-testing_en
[4] JRC NCP | Horizon Europe NCP Portal
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, University
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- —
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Next-generation batteries
- Advanced battery materials
- Low-cost battery chemistries
- Electric mobility
- Energy storage
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.
- Application restriction
- For the blind first-stage evaluation, applicants must not disclose organisation names, acronyms, logos or personnel names in the proposal abstract or Part B of the first-stage application.
Applies to the first-stage application materials specified in the topic; do not generalize this particular restriction to second-stage materials.
- Consortium required
- Yes
Standard General Annex B minimum: at least three mutually independent legal entities in different countries, at least one in an EU Member State and two others in different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Affiliated entities do not count. The topic-specific eligibility text does not state an exception to this baseline.
- Other condition
- Research and Innovation Action (RIA).
- Other condition
- Regardless of selected area, projects are expected to assess scalability/manufacturability/market relevance; extended cycle life, cost-efficient recyclability and SSbD; and safety, thermal management, performance monitoring and predictive diagnostics.
- Other condition
- For Area A, the stated main-component cost target is below EUR35/kWh for active and main inactive materials. This is a technical target, not a project grant-cost ceiling.
- Other condition
- Area A covers low-cost battery chemistries particularly suited for electric mobility, supporting reliable and flexible energy flow to meet fluctuating demand and better integrate diverse energy sources. Proposals are expected to provide a state-of-the-art performance benchmark for Design-to-Performance lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries and compare the project’s performance improvements with that benchmark.
- Other condition
- Area A covers battery chemistries using a minimized amount of Critical Raw Materials. Cost reduction through smart functionalities and lightweight, functionalised and/or simplified casing or cooling concepts is encouraged.
This is an Area A scope condition. The Work Programme says proposals are expected to cover the respective area bullets; the casing/cooling and smart-functionality cost-reduction approaches are expressly encouraged.
- Other condition
- For Area B, the stated energy-density target exceeds 500 Wh/kg and/or the power-density target exceeds the state-of-the-art benchmark for the selected application(s).
- Other condition
- For Area C grid-storage applications, solutions should demonstrate potential for cost-effective system-level integration, target system cost below EUR50/kWh, and support multi-hour storage to improve renewable-energy uptake and grid flexibility. The EUR50/kWh figure is a technical system-level target, not a grant budget limit.
- Other condition
- Area B covers high-performance battery chemistries for demanding uses such as aviation and maritime, with structural integration/multifunctional materials to improve gravimetric and volumetric performance. Area C industrial applications must address continuous high-load operation, harsh cycling and long-term reliability.
- Other condition
- First-stage proposals are evaluated blindly. Subject to meeting all thresholds, the portfolio procedure also funds at least one highest-ranked proposal in each of the three areas, beyond strict ranking order.
Three areas are alternatives in the scope; the portfolio rule is one highest-ranked passing application within each area, not one application required to cover all areas.
- Other condition
- If a project uses satellite-based earth observation, positioning/navigation or timing services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other sources may also be used.
- Other condition
- D2-07 is a lump-sum topic. The proposal’s Type 2 budget table uses realistic cost estimates by category, beneficiary/affiliated entity and work package; payments follow lump-sum work-package conditions, not separately reimbursed actual payroll.
Cost estimates are not salary entitlements or separate actual-cost reimbursements.
- Other condition
- The overview indicates around 10 funded project(s) under this topic; this is an indicative planning estimate, not a guarantee or consortium-size requirement.
Scope is expected funded projects under this topic, not beneficiaries, partners, or awards guaranteed.
- Other condition
- Proposals could consider JRC experimental or desk-top battery-performance/safety research; JRC will ensure all applicants receive the same information about its possible contribution.
- Other condition
- JRC may join the selected consortium as a zero-funded beneficiary or associated partner; it does not participate in preparing or submitting the proposal.
- Other condition
- Projects are expected to report results to Batt4EU and IAM4EU for KPI monitoring; the topic also contributes to the industrial action plan for the automotive sector.
- Other condition
- The granting authority may, up to four years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5.
- Other condition
- The SSbD framework should be considered as a reference for proposals.
- Technology readiness level at end, maximum
- 5 TRL
Upper endpoint of the expected end-of-project range, not a ceiling on ambition.
- Technology readiness level at end, minimum
- 4 TRL
Lower endpoint of the expected end-of-project range; activities may start at any TRL. This is not a hard minimum for project start.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €48,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Eligible cost
- Direct-contract/seconded personnel estimates may qualify only when assigned to the action, under employee-like conditions, output belongs to beneficiary unless otherwise agreed, and cost is actual without significant difference from comparable employees.
- Eligible cost
- Employee personnel costs may be included in the lump-sum estimate only for people employed by the beneficiary (or equivalent appointing act), assigned to the action and meeting MGA eligibility rules. No call-specific job, salary amount or headcount is stated.
- Eligible cost
- Equipment-cost estimates use the MGA default depreciation option based on actual cost/accounting and only the proportion corresponding to actual use during the action. No topic-specific full-purchase-cost option is stated in the reviewed provisions.
- Eligible cost
- For actual-cost components, costs must be actually incurred within the action period, declared under an eligible category, connected to and necessary for the action, identifiable/verifiable, legally compliant, and reasonable and justified. For D2-07 these rules govern lump-sum proposal estimates; for D2-08 they govern actual-cost components of the budget-based grant.
- Eligible cost
- For this lump-sum action, the 25% rule informs the estimated eligible-cost model excluding volunteer costs, subcontracting, financial support to third parties and exempt specific categories; it is not additional direct-cost funding.
- Eligible cost
- Cost estimates must approximate actual costs, comply with the same eligibility rules as actual-cost grants, follow normal practices, be reasonable/not excessive, and be necessary for proposed activities.
These are proposal-budget estimate rules for a lump-sum grant; they do not turn the grant into actual-cost reimbursement.
- Eligible cost
- Purchase-cost estimates must meet general eligibility rules and normal purchasing practices ensuring best value for money (or lowest price where appropriate) and no conflict of interest.
- Eligible cost
- Unpaid SME owner or natural-person beneficiary cost estimates may qualify only under the Annex 2a unit-cost method and general eligibility rules; no wage or new-hire entitlement is stated.
- Eligible cost
- Subcontracting cost estimates follow the same actual-cost eligibility rules and must be awarded using usual purchasing practices that ensure best value for money (or lowest price where appropriate) and no conflict of interest; no topic-specific cap is stated.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 100 percent of eligible costs
RIA maximum under General Annex G; final rate and budget are set in the grant agreement.
- Expected contribution per project
- €4,800,000
Commission estimate of EU contribution per project. Different amounts may be requested; this is indicative, not a minimum, maximum or guarantee.
- Topic allocation
- €10,000,000
This EUR 10m is included within, not additional to, the total EUR48m D2-07 topic allocation; the source identifies it as from the Digital, Industry and Space budget.
- Topic allocation
- €48,000,000
Indicative total allocation for this exact topic; separate from expected EU contribution per project and not an individual award cap.
Personnel and services
Conditional MGA personnel category, not a call-promised hire.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
Lump-sum estimate category only; same cost eligibility rules as actual-cost grants apply; no separate actual payroll reimbursement.
Generic MGA personnel cost category; not a call-promised hire or named job.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
Lump-sum estimate category only; cost estimates must follow actual-cost eligibility rules and be realistic, consistent with normal practices, reasonable and necessary. Not separate payroll reimbursement.
Conditional cost category, not a named role or pay promise.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
Lump-sum estimate category only; applies only under underlying eligibility and Annex 2a unit-cost rules.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 15 Dec 2026
- Deadlines
- 14 Apr 2027 02:00 CEST
- 07 Oct 2027 02:00 CEST
- Deadline model
- Two-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL5-2027-04-Two-Stage · BATTERIES and MOBILITY
- 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.