Large-Scale piloting of next-generation AI-driven digital platforms for a more affordable, secure and sustainable European energy system (IA) - Apply AI
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds energy, technology, mobility and community partnerships piloting AI-driven energy platforms on real infrastructure across at least six eligible countries.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, public body, other.
- Amount
- €15M per projectTotal budget €15,000,000
- Deadline
- 16 Feb 2027 01:00 CETin 115 days
- Status
- Forthcomingopens 20 Oct 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
• Strengthened Europe’s technological leadership and sovereignty in the energy sector.
• Market-ready AI-driven digital platforms and solutions with quantifiable minimal environmental impact, that enhance grid operation, renewable energy integration and utilisation rates, energy storage integration, grid integration of data centres and other energy intensive critical infrastructures, non-fossil, balancing solutions, electrification and energy efficiency, derived from existing and ongoing AI and IoT research.
• Successfully integrate applied research results in real-world pilot programmes involving energy operators, technology providers, public authorities, and end users.
• Secure, interoperable, and cross-border data exchange mechanisms and digital services reducing fragmentation.
• Accelerated scaling of digital solutions leveraging European data spaces, AI factories[1], digital twins, and cloud-to-edge infrastructures.
• Credible pathway from innovation to large-scale piloting, ensuring long-term sustainability and scale up.
• Quantifiable improvements in terms of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings, electricity cost reduction and grid flexibility.
Scope:
This topic will support one large-scale cross-border pilot project demonstrating the operational use of next-generation AI-driven Digital Platforms (DPs) for the European energy system, to optimize electricity system operation and flexibility management cross multiple European energy systems. This pilot forms a core implementation layer of the AI-enabled digital backbone flagship identified in the Apply AI Strategy and contributes to the Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy.
The project should implement and validate these capabilities through operational pilots in at least six Member States or Associated Countries (ensuring geographic variability and coverage), involving real infrastructure, energy operators and users. The pilot should run for a sufficient duration to demonstrate operational performance under real system conditions (e.g. seasonal variability, renewable generation variability and EV charging patterns).
The objective of the pilot is to demonstrate that AI-enabled digital platforms can enable real-time coordination of distributed energy resources and cross-border flexibility services improving grid utilisation, increasing renewable energy integration and reducing system costs and emissions. Proposals should:
• Develop and pilot at scale next-generation AI-driven digital platforms, critical digital infrastructures to support seamless data exchange across the European energy system, while considering the cross-sector dimension where relevant (e.g. the mobility sector, buildings, etc.).
• Execute pilot activities in at least 6 member states or associated countries, involving at least 6 energy actors (TSOs, DSOs, retailers, aggregators), at least 8 digital technology providers from AI, cloud, edge, IoT, at least 4 mobility actors (from EV manufacturers, EV fleet operators and charging operators), at least 20 energy communities, as well as research organisations, and public authorities.
• Build up on previous and ongoing related projects and initiatives such as the MetaOS for the edge and the swarm project clusters, the Edge-IoT large scale pilots in energy, the Operational Digital Platforms in CEF and the AI-powered digital spine of the EU energy system.
• Leverage advanced AI approaches and architectures where relevant, including generative, agentic, and embedded, AI to deliver secure and resilient cross-border flexibility, smart-charging, smart grid services and other emerging digital services.
• Implement a transversal approach involving integration of energy systems, AI, digital infrastructures, and user uptake.
• Combine existing solutions from Horizon Europe clusters 4 and 5 and connect technological development with market adoption.
• Ensure the use of open APIs, open interoperability standards and open-source-based components to foster technological sovereignty and avoid vendor lock-in.
• Actively participate in the work of the BRIDGE[2] collaborative initiative.
Include preparatory and structuring activities to prepare large-scale deployments.
It is expected that one project will be funded and that it will take approximately 36 months to complete.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
[1]
[2] About this site | Bridge
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, Public body, Other
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- Operational pilots in at least six EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Required
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- AI energy platforms
- Smart grids
- Renewable energy integration
- Energy storage
- Energy data interoperability
- Digital twins
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
- As of the exact SEDIA topic-record notice last changed 2026-10-21T08:56:46.092 and API response captured 2026-10-23T12:31:37Z, submission links for HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-01 topics were described as not yet available; the Portal said it would publish an update when they become available. This establishes the captured notice only and does not establish availability after the capture.
Applies to this exact topic record and the shared HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-01 submission-link notice. Planned opening date 2026-10-20 is a separate scheduled date; do not infer that the system opened, closed, or remains unavailable from the date alone. As of 2026-10-23T12:31:37Z only.
- Eligible project scope
- The project should implement operational pilots in at least six Member States or Associated Countries, with geographic variability and coverage, involving real infrastructure, energy operators and users.
- Other condition
- Exact action code HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions).
- Other condition
- Horizon Europe General Annexes describe personnel as actual costs unless declared as a unit cost; they separately list SME-owner/natural-person personnel unit costs, subcontracting as actual costs, purchases as actual costs unless unit cost, and FSTP only if provided by the specific call. Therefore these personnel categories do not turn an external service purchase or subcontract into a hire, and no specific FSTP entitlement is asserted for this topic.
- Other condition
- For A.1 employees/equivalent, the HE MGA states annual personnel costs divided by 215 as the daily-rate basis; declared day-equivalents must be identifiable and verifiable. The total declared day-equivalents per person across EU grants in a year cannot exceed 215, minus parental leave time where applicable.
- Other condition
- The topic expects one funded project, approximately 36 months to complete. Its duration is approximate, not a hard maximum/minimum.
- Other condition
- The topic specifies infrastructure, operators and users as project participants but does not prescribe named employee functions, qualifications, headcount, FTE, salary or a required new hire.
- Partner requirement
- The pilot must include at least six energy actors, at least eight digital technology providers, at least four mobility actors, at least 20 energy communities, research organisations and public authorities, while spanning at least six Member States or Associated Countries.
- Expected project duration
- 36
Approximately 36 months; not an enforceable duration cap.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €15,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Eligible cost
- The HE MGA allows nonsalaried SME owners and natural-person beneficiaries to claim personnel costs as unit costs under Annex 2a, subject to general eligibility conditions; the AGA gives a daily-rate formula of EUR 8,745.4 divided by 18 days, multiplied by the applicable country-specific correction coefficient for calls opened on or after 30 July 2024. This is a unit-cost calculation, not an employee salary cap or rate guaranteed for every country.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 70
General Innovation Action rate for other beneficiaries; non-profit legal entities may receive up to 100% under the separate exception. Call/topic conditions and grant agreement govern; not a staff pay rate.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 100
Conditional maximum for non-profit legal entities only; not a general IA rate or staff pay rate.
- Expected project funding, up to
- €15,000,000
Same approximate expected contribution reference; not a guaranteed award, hard minimum, or award cap. The call explicitly allows different requested amounts.
- Expected project funding, from
- €15,000,000
Approximate expected EU contribution per project; not a guaranteed award, hard minimum, or award cap. The call explicitly allows different requested amounts.
- Topic allocation
- €15,000,000
Indicative 2027 topic allocation; distinct from expected project contribution and staff budget.
Personnel and services
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential fundable personnel category only when the grant conditions and Article 6.2.A.2 apply; assigned to the action, work under conditions similar to an employee, result belongs to beneficiary unless agreed otherwise, and actual direct-contract costs are not significantly different from comparable employees. It is a contractor engagement category, not employee payroll; no qualification, headcount, FTE, duration or rate is set by this topic.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential fundable personnel category under the applicable Horizon Europe General MGA, conditional on actual action assignment and all eligibility rules. This is not a call-specific required team, named job, or promise of award. Qualification, headcount, FTE, duration and salary are not stated by the topic. Employee remuneration must be actual and linked to national law/employment terms; daily-rate and reporting rules are described in the cited MGA.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential personnel unit-cost category where the applicable grant agreement includes Article 6.2.A.4. Applies only to an SME owner not receiving a salary or a natural-person beneficiary not receiving a salary, with work assigned to the action and general unit-cost conditions met. The daily unit rate is country-adjusted; it is not a salary and this packet does not assert a per-person EUR rate without the recipient country coefficient. No required headcount, FTE, duration or qualification is named in this topic.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Potential fundable personnel category only when the grant conditions and Article 6.2.A.3 apply; assigned to the action, works under conditions similar to an employee and actual costs are not significantly different from comparable beneficiary employees. This is a paid secondment, not a new employment contract with the beneficiary. No call-specific qualification, headcount, FTE, duration or pay rate is stated.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 20 Oct 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-BRIDGING-2027-01 · Bridging actions 2027
- Types of action
- HORIZON Innovation Actions
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 24 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 21 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.