Demonstration for Long-duration Battery Energy Storage Systems (BATT4EU Partnership)
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds companies and researchers demonstrating innovative battery storage exceeding eight hours for utility systems and industrial consumers using abundant, sustainable materials.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university.
- Amount
- €9.4M per projectTotal budget €18,800,000
- Deadline
- 15 Sept 2027 02:00 CESTin 326 days
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 5 May 2027
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Projects are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
• Demonstrated system-level long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions, explicitly aimed at enhancing grid stability, resilience, and flexibility in Europe.
• Substantial reduction of Europe's dependence on critical raw materials through the use of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials.
• Contribute to strategic insights for a coherent EU-wide stationary storage deployment strategy, enhancing European energy autonomy and sustainability.
• Sufficient and reproducible operational data and insights to serve as reliable input towards detailed technoeconomic analyses.
Scope:
Proposals should focus on system-level demonstrations of innovative long-duration (> 8 hours) battery storage concepts that can effectively support utility-scale energy systems or industrial consumers in achieving energy security and operational sustainability.
Projects are expected to cover all the following points:
• Demonstration of advanced long-duration storage technologies not yet on the market such as novel redox flow batteries (standard or mediated), high-temperature systems, metal-air systems, multivalent chemistries (organic or aqueous), or other non-commercialised technologies or architectures.
• Assessment and definition of use case(s) intended for the proposed technology (front-of-the-meter grid-scale storage, behind-the-meter large industrial energy consumer, firming of renewable generation) along with quantified impact on improved grid resilience, reduced emissions, safety, and lowered energy storage cost.
• Assessment of hybridization potential of complementary energy storage technologies (e.g., redox flow batteries with supercapacitors) to optimize overall system performance for the intended use case(s) and extending system lifecycle.
• Utilization of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials, explicitly prioritizing materials with reliable and scalable European supply chains, accompanied by realistic and detailed pathways to production routes at scale.
• Integration of advanced digital technologies, for accurate state-of-charge (SOC), state-of-health (SOH), and lifetime predictions, optimizing battery management systems (BMS), energy management systems (EMS), and overall component performance for extended system longevity.
• Comprehensive techno-economic analyses, including realistic assessments of CAPEX, OPEX, based on measured technical performance metrics (e.g., self-discharge rates, calendar life, cycle life, round-trip efficiency, necessary safety investments) to clearly establish economic viability and competitiveness for the intended use-case in comparison to the commercial, incumbent technology.
• Comprehensive safety assessment at system-level, documenting potential concerns (e.g. flammability, toxicity, explosion potential) and mitigation strategies ahead of widescale adoption of technology.
The Commission initiative for Safe and Sustainable by Design[1] (SSbD) sets a framework for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials which should be considered as a reference for project proposals.
Whenever the expected exploitation of project results entails developing, creating, manufacturing and marketing a product or process, or in creating and providing a service, the plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results must include a strategy for such exploitation. The exploitation plans are expected to include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used (in particular the Innovation Fund).
Proposals could consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)[2] 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[3] (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). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.
[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/key-enabling-technologies/chemicals-and-advanced-materials_en
[2] https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/laboratories-z/battery-energy-storage-testing_en
[3] 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
- Long-duration battery storage
- Grid stability
- Utility-scale energy storage
- Sustainable battery materials
- Industrial energy security
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.
- Applicant restriction
- Entities established in an eligible country but directly or indirectly controlled by China or a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in this action.
- 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
- Innovation Action (IA).
- Other condition
- Projects are expected to report results to Batt4EU to support monitoring of its KPIs.
- Other condition
- If expected exploitation involves developing/manufacturing/marketing a product or process, or providing a service, the plan must include an exploitation strategy; plans are expected to include preliminary scalability, commercialisation and deployment plans and possible funding sources.
- Other condition
- If satellite-based earth observation, positioning/navigation or timing data/services are used, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other sources may also be used.
- Other condition
- D2-08 refers to General Annex G for financial set-up; the applicable standard MGA action grant form is budget-based mixed actual cost (actual costs may coexist with other forms of funding where specified).
Actual grant agreement and Annex 2 determine the awarded budget categories; not a lump-sum topic.
- Other condition
- The overview indicates around 2 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 other applicants receive the same information about its possible contribution.
- Other condition
- JRC may join selected consortia as a zero-funded beneficiary or associated partner; it will not participate in proposal preparation or submission.
- Other condition
- Proposals should focus on system-level demonstrations of innovative long-duration (>8 hours) storage concepts for utility-scale energy systems or industrial consumers.
- Other condition
- Demonstrated system-level long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions, explicitly aimed at enhancing grid stability, resilience, and flexibility in Europe.
- Other condition
- Substantial reduction of Europe's dependence on critical raw materials through the use of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials.
- Other condition
- Contribute to strategic insights for a coherent EU-wide stationary storage deployment strategy, enhancing European energy autonomy and sustainability.
- Other condition
- Sufficient and reproducible operational data and insights to serve as reliable input towards detailed technoeconomic analyses.
- Other condition
- The granting authority may, for up to four years after the action ends, object to transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results under the cited Annex 5 provision.
- Other condition
- The Commission SSbD framework should be considered as a reference for proposals.
- Other condition
- Integration of advanced digital technologies, for accurate state-of-charge (SOC), state-of-health (SOH), and lifetime predictions, optimizing battery management systems (BMS), energy management systems (EMS), and overall component performance for extended system longevity.
- Other condition
- Assessment of hybridization potential of complementary energy storage technologies (e.g., redox flow batteries with supercapacitors) to optimize overall system performance for the intended use case(s) and extending system lifecycle.
- Other condition
- Utilization of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials, explicitly prioritizing materials with reliable and scalable European supply chains, accompanied by realistic and detailed pathways to production routes at scale.
- Other condition
- Comprehensive safety assessment at system-level, documenting potential concerns (e.g. flammability, toxicity, explosion potential) and mitigation strategies ahead of widescale adoption of technology.
- Other condition
- Comprehensive techno-economic analyses, including realistic assessments of CAPEX, OPEX, based on measured technical performance metrics (e.g., self-discharge rates, calendar life, cycle life, round-trip efficiency, necessary safety investments) to clearly establish economic viability and competitiveness for the intended use-case in comparison to the commercial, incumbent technology.
- Other condition
- Demonstration of advanced long-duration storage technologies not yet on the market such as novel redox flow batteries (standard or mediated), high-temperature systems, metal-air systems, multivalent chemistries (organic or aqueous)
- Other condition
- Assessment and definition of use case(s) intended for the proposed technology (front-of-the-meter grid-scale storage, behind-the-meter large industrial energy consumer, firming of renewable generation) along with quantified impact on improved grid resilience, reduced emissions, safety, and lowered energy storage cost.
- Technology readiness level at end, maximum
- 7 TRL
Upper endpoint of expected end-of-project TRL range; not a hard ceiling on project ambition.
- Technology readiness level at end, minimum
- 6 TRL
Lower endpoint of the expected end-of-project range; activities may start at any TRL, so this is not a hard start-level minimum.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €18,800,000
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 costs 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 eligible 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 costs 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
- Indirect costs are reimbursed at 25% of eligible direct costs excluding volunteer costs, subcontracting, financial support to third parties and exempt specific categories; it is not additional direct-cost funding.
- Eligible cost
- Purchase costs 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 personnel costs 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 costs 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
Only for eligible non-profit legal entities; the general IA maximum for profit entities is 70%.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 70 percent of eligible costs
Maximum for profit legal entities under IA; eligible non-profit entities are represented separately at up to 100%.
- Expected contribution per project
- €9,400,000
Commission estimate of EU contribution per project. Different amounts may be requested; this is indicative, not a minimum, maximum or guarantee.
- Topic allocation
- €18,800,000
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
Must be assigned to the action, work under employee-like conditions, yield results belonging to the beneficiary unless agreed otherwise, and reflect actual costs without significant difference from comparable employees.
Generic MGA personnel cost category; not a call-promised hire or named job.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
Eligible personnel cost category under MGA Article 6.2.A.1; employment and assignment conditions apply and costs are calculated from actual incurred remuneration. No call-specific salary or headcount is stated.
Conditional cost category, not a named role or pay promise.
Other role · Staff cost the grant can fund
Conditional personnel category; must use Annex 2a unit-cost method and general eligibility requirements.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 5 May 2027
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL5-2027-05 · BATTERIES and ENERGY
- Types of action
- HORIZON 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.