Concentrated solar thermal systems for decarbonising industrial processes
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds companies and research organisations demonstrating concentrated solar thermal systems supplying competitive renewable heat for industrial processes.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, research org, university.
- Amount
- €6M per projectTotal budget €12,000,000
- Deadline
- 31 Mar 2027 02:00 CESTin 158 days
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 3 Dec 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Renewable heating can be directly used to efficiently decarbonise industrial processes. Concentrated solar thermal technologies offer a great potential to supply renewable heat for industry for temperatures between 150°C - 400°C. Nevertheless, efforts are still required to demonstrate these technologies for a variety of industrial processes.
Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:
• Showcase the capacity of concentrated solar thermal systems to largely meet the heat demand of industrial processes and to achieve a yearly solar fraction of at least 50%.
• Increase competitiveness of concentrated solar thermal for industrial applications. This is to be proven by an economically feasible business case; by reducing the Levelised Cost of Heating (LCoH); and by valorising and promoting the competitive advantages of the technology such as heat storage, flexibility, and energy security.
Scope:
The proposals are expected to demonstrate concentrated solar technologies for heat production (within the 150°C - 400°C range), combined with storage, feeding the generated heat to existing heating and/or cooling processes in industry, e.g., drying, melting, sterilisation, refrigeration, etc.
The proposals are expected to efficiently integrate the solar heat system in the selected industrial application. To a possible extent, the proposals should optimise energy efficiency and heat recovery of the industrial process to maximise the coverage of the heat demand by the solar system and to ensure an efficient solar investment. Hybridisation with other on-site renewable energy technologies could be considered. However, the core solutions are expected to focus on the concentrated solar thermal part and not on the industrial process or on the hybrid renewable energy technologies.
The proposed solution is expected to be demonstrated in all possible solar incidence, and for a continuous period of at least 6 months. The replicability potential to other industrial processes should also be taken into account.
The proposals are expected to address the techno-economic feasibility and the environmental impact of the proposed systems, as well as specific issues related to the integration of the solar systems in the industrial process such as surface availability.
The proposal is expected to include a clear go/no go milestone before entering the deployment phase. Before this go/no-go milestone, the project is expected to submit: i) a proof of solid engagement of the industrial demonstration party, ii) all needed permits for deployment, iii) credible and detailed engineering plans, and iv) a complete business and implementation plan.
The use of the European Research Infrastructure for concentrated solar power EU-SOLARIS is encouraged but not mandatory.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, 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
- Concentrated solar thermal
- Industrial process heat
- Thermal energy storage
- Industrial decarbonisation
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 otherwise eligible country but directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in this action.
This is the topic-specific General Annex B restriction for the critical-technology area; it concerns participation eligibility, not only funding eligibility.
- Consortium required
- Yes
Unless the specific topic conditions provide otherwise, the consortium must include at least three legal entities as beneficiaries, independent from one another and each established in a different country: at least one independent legal entity in an EU Member State and at least two other independent legal entities each in different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Affiliated entities do not count toward any minimum consortium-composition criterion. This is the General Annex B default for this IA topic.
- Other condition
- The Work Programme classifies this topic as a Innovation Action.
- Other condition
- 31 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels local time, as stated for this call in the Work Programme overview.
- Other condition
- When a project uses satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data or services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS; other data and services may also be used.
- Other condition
- The topic specifies that eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum under the Horizon Europe lump-sum authorising decision. The lump sum is a project/action grant form, not an employee pay entitlement.
- Other condition
- The call overview indicates around 2 project(s) expected to be funded for this topic. This is a planning estimate, not a guaranteed award count or consortium-size rule.
This expected project count is an indicative planning estimate, not a guaranteed number of awards or a consortium-size rule.
- Other condition
- The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to four years after the action ends, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5.
Topic-specific legal and financial set-up condition; this is an authority objection right, not an automatic prohibition on all transfers.
- Other condition
- 150°C–400°C industrial process heat
The proposals are expected to demonstrate concentrated solar technologies for heat production within the 150°C–400°C range. This is topic scope; it is not an applicant eligibility rule.
- Other condition
- yearly solar fraction of at least 50%
The expected outcome calls for the system to demonstrate capacity to largely meet process heat demand and achieve a yearly solar fraction of at least 50%; this is an expected project outcome, not a funding rate or award guarantee.
- Other condition
- continuous demonstration of at least six months
The proposed solution is expected to be demonstrated in all possible solar incidence and for a continuous period of at least six months.
- Other condition
- pre-deployment go/no-go evidence
The proposal is expected to include a clear go/no-go milestone before deployment; before it, it is expected to submit proof of solid engagement of the industrial demonstration party, all needed deployment permits, credible and detailed engineering plans, and a complete business and implementation plan.
- Technology readiness level at end, minimum
- 7 TRL
The topic says activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by project end and may start at any TRL. This is an expected target, not a hard end-TRL maximum or minimum eligibility threshold.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €12,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Funding intensity, maximumnon-profit legal entity beneficiaries
- 100 percent of eligible costs per beneficiary
General Annex G allows this entity-category maximum for Innovation Actions; it is not a grant guarantee. For lump-sum grants the rate is already applied in the amount methodology.
- Funding intensity, maximumbeneficiaries other than non-profit legal entities
- 70 percent of eligible costs per beneficiary
General Annex G maximum for Innovation action. For lump-sum/unit grants, funding rate is applied through the amount-setting methodology rather than shown as a separate rate in the grant agreement.
- Expected contribution per project
- €6,000,000
Commission estimate of EU contribution per project for this exact topic, taken from the full own-topic overview row and the column heading identifying amounts in EUR millions. The Work Programme expressly says this estimate does not preclude proposals requesting different amounts; it is not a fixed ceiling, floor, guarantee, or the topic allocation.
- Topic allocation
- €12,000,000
Indicative budget allocated to this individual topic; not a per-project grant cap.
Personnel and services
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
For this topic’s specified lump-sum form, personnel is an estimate input to the detailed project budget; it is not separately reimbursed as actual payroll. The estimate must comply with normal practices, be reasonable and necessary for the action, and use costs eligible under the programme. No positions, headcount, salary amounts or wage entitlement are stated.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 3 Dec 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL5-2027-02 · 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.