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HORIZON EUROPE TOPIC · Cluster 5 · Climate, Energy and Mobility

Innovative technologies and solutions to improve wave and tidal energy systems

HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-09 — the expected outcomes as checkable statements, what evaluators look for in this topic, and the conditions that shape the proposal.

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ForthcomingIADeadline 31 March 2027around EUR 43 million per project

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TopicHORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-09
StatusForthcoming
CallHORIZON-CL5-2027-02 — BATTERIES and ENERGY
DestinationEnsuring more efficient, sustainable, secure, and competitive renewable and decarbonised energy supply (2026-27)
Type of actionInnovation Actions
Opening3 December 2026
Deadline31 March 2027
Budgetaround EUR 43 million per project · 1 project expected · EUR 43 million in total
TRL at the endTRL 6–7
Part B page limit60 pages (topic conditions; check your call)
TemplateWork Programme 2026–2027 application form

Expected outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes. The topic says: “Project results are expected to contribute to all following expected outcomes:”

  1. EO1 Advance in the realisation of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan’s research and innovation priorities and targets for ocean energy.
  2. EO2 Energy producers and consumers benefit from increased performance of wave and tidal energy technologies with the focus on efficiency and flexibility, reduced cost, improved reliability and sustainability, operation and maintenance, robustness and security during all stages of the lifetime of an ocean energy farm from installation, operation and maintenance to decommissioning.
  3. EO3 Efficient and effective support to ocean energy research and innovation through alignment and cooperation among different actors, avoiding fragmentation of efforts providing effectively a significant developmental boost of wave and tidal energy technologies.
  4. EO4 Increased contribution of ocean energy to the energy system, with minimal impacts on health and the environment (notably biodiversity) and at the lowest possible cost.

Expected impacts named in the destination

The wider, long-term effects the destination seeks. Your outcomes feed them; they are not project deliverables.

  1. EI1 Energy producers have access to efficient and competitive European renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies with a solid knowledge base and are able to deploy them to enhance the EU’s energy security and reach its climate neutrality objectives, in a sustainable way in environmental (e.g., biodiversity, multiple uses of land and water, natural resources, pollution) and socioeconomic terms, and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
  2. EI2 Technology providers have access to European, competitive, resilient, reliable, sustainable, and affordable value chains of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies including emerging ones, and with strong export potential to supply both the EU internal and global markets. They benefit also from circular renewable energy technologies that are safe and sustainable by design with reduced and diversified external dependence on critical raw materials.
  3. EI3 Economic sectors benefit from better integration of renewable energy and renewable fuel-based solutions that are, among others, competitive, cost-effective, efficient, flexible, reliable, and sustainable. Such integration is facilitated through digitalisation and integration of artificial intelligence of renewable energy technologies that provide network stability and reliability.
  4. EI4 European industries benefit from a reinforced export potential of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies, also through international partnerships, and become more competitive in innovative renewable energy technologies in Europe and globally.
  5. EI5 European researchers benefit from a stronger community and from a reinforced scientific basis on renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies including emerging ones, also through international collaborations.
  6. EI6 European citizens have access to an energy market that is fair and equitable, more resilient, uses all different types of local renewable energy resources, and is less dependent on fossil fuels imports. Citizens experience less fuel and energy poverty, and also benefit from new employment and upskilling opportunities. Local communities benefit from a more decentralized, affordable, and secure energy system and from multiple uses of land and water.
  7. EI7 R&I actions will support the just digital and green transformation of the energy system through advanced solutions for accelerating the energy systems integration and decarbonisation. The developed clean, sustainable solutions will contribute to making the energy system work better for actors and supply more reliable, resilient and secure energy – even under increasingly more frequent extreme climate events.
  8. EI8 The solutions developed will contribute to increase flexibility and grid hosting capacity for renewables through optimizing cross sector integration and grid scale storage as well as cover off-grid situations. They will improve the preparedness of the electricity system to support the EU's binding target for 2030 of minimum of 42.5% renewables in the gross final energy consumption (with the aspiration to reach 45%), and full decarbonisation by 2050. They will enable further electrification of demand and will enhance the competitiveness of the European value chain, reduce pressure on resources (also by making technologies ‘circular by design’) and decrease dependencies. Such solutions would…
  9. EI9 The solutions will improve consumer awareness and engagement in the energy transition, via innovative offers and services (e.g. demand response, energy communities) and will target different types of consumers, including “hard to reach” population groups (such as energy poor or low-income households). This will result in increased trust in, and uptake of the new products and services entering the energy system.
  10. EI10 Accelerated deployment of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) as a CO2 emission mitigation option in electricity generation and/or in industry applications, as well as carbon dioxide removal for negative emissions.

What evaluators will look for in this topic

Expected outcomes

  • Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes.
  • For each outcome (EO1 to EO4), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
  • Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

  • “Develop novel systems for safe and quick connection/disconnection that do not require large vessels and/or diving teams.”
  • “The validation and demonstration of new ocean energy technologies should be done in a controlled environment meaning that this is done under monitored and reproducible conditions, using for instance, test rigs and test tanks, semi-enclosed basins, or dedicated real-sea demonstration sites with instrumented monitoring infrastructure.”
  • “In the demonstration challenge the consortium is expected to carry out demonstration activities (up to TRL 7) in line with the priorities set by the SET Plan ocean energy R&I priorities and targets and accelerate the take up of innovation by the industry.”
  • “The activities of the core consortium are expected to include direct research and innovation activities in any of the areas listed in scope and in any of the challenges (breakthrough, validation, demonstration).”
  • “The project is expected to carry out at least three demonstration activities.”
  • “The focus of each demonstration activity should be clearly different from each other.”
  • “The project is expected to include a clear go/no go milestone for each demonstration activity before entering the deployment phase.”
  • “The proposal is expected to present a clear and convincing pathway to obtain necessary permits for the demonstration activities and allow for appropriate timelines to achieve these, while demonstrating how it will get a financial close for each demonstration activity.”
  • “The total maximum amount of EU funding for the activities in the demonstration challenge is expected to be 24 million Euros.”
  • “The use of financial support to third parties should allow a faster implementation of research and innovation activities, and to respond to disruptive developments, attracting different stakeholders and innovators.”
  • “A tiered approach to address complex R&I challenges should be adopted via FSTP calls, meaning that projects with a relatively short duration should be supported (e.g. 12-18 months).”
  • “The calls should be planned carefully and ensure that successful R&I work can continue without major interruption.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

  • Part B, sections 1–3: 60 pages (topic conditions). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
  • TRL: the topic expects TRL 6–7 by the end of the project. State where you start and the evidence for it.
  • Innovation action: evaluators expect a plausible path to commercialisation and named first users or customers.
  • Legal and financial set-up of the grants: “Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties (FSTP). The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 800.000. This is necessary to appropriately conduct the activities in scope of this topic, namely, to contribute to…”

Impact pathway and traps

  • Users or citizens are part of the scope. Show how they take part in the design and testing, not only that they are informed.
  • The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
  • Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
  • For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
  • Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
  • Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.
The scope, as published

The action contributes to address the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan’s research and innovation priorities and targets for ocean energy focussing on wave and tidal energy development. It will take into account the input defined in this context by the Implementation Working Group on ocean energy (IWG ocean), the European Technology and Innovation Platform on ocean energy (ETIP Ocean) and the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) joint programme on ocean energy. The overarching objective is the development and demonstration of cost-effective wave and tidal energy systems that can survive in a harsh ocean or sea environment with minimal impacts on health and the environment and biodiversity. The challenge is open to proposals seeking to steer wave and tidal energy development for different type of resources in an effective way at a European level and to bring these technologies to the market. In this action the following can be considered: The development and demonstration in controlled environment of innovative wave energy devices. The development and demonstration in controlled environment of innovative next generation tidal energy devices The development and demonstration of new sustainable materials in ocean energy converters, moorings and foundations whilst ensuring structural integrity, durability and circularity can be considered. The development and demonstration of sustainable tailored mooring and connection of electrical or other power transmission systems (cable system, electrical equipment,....) for wave and tidal energy devices. Advance combined mooring and electrical connectors or hydraulic power transmission to reduce component cost and number of connection operations, included in systems for sharing an anchor between devices in arrays. Develop novel systems for safe and quick connection/disconnection that do not require large vessels and/or diving teams. The instrumentation for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of ocean energy devices and structures. Apply recent advances in condition and structural health monitoring from other sectors to ocean energy. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ocean energy technology development. Advanced manufacturing of ocean energy devices and structures and auxiliary equipment considering reduced energy, manufacturing costs and materials consumption, high production throughput and optimization of logistics. Development of technologies and solutions for the installation, maintenance and decommissioning of wave and tidal energy devices. The validation and demonstration of new ocean energy technologies should be done in a controlled environment meaning that this is done under monitored and reproducible conditions, using for instance, test rigs and test tanks, semi-enclosed basins, or dedicated real-sea demonstration sites with instrumented monitoring infrastructure. Structure, breakdown of activities and budget allocation The action consists of activities directly implemented by the consortium and activities implemented through financial support to third parties. The latter can include cooperation with the activities undertaken by the beneficiaries of the EU grant and may complement them. The R&I activities are divided into three challenges: Breakthrough challenge Validation challenge Demonstration challenge The breakthrough and the validation challenge can be carried out both through activities directly implemented by the core consortium and through FSTP activities. The demonstration challenge will solely be implemented by the core consortium. The breakthrough challenge entails actions to develop new solutions, tools and new knowledge to increase the competitiveness of the ocean energy sector and on the acceleration of ocean energy deployment at scale. The aim is that the innovative technologies have been at least validated towards the end of the project. The validation challenge entail actions to validate technologies, tools and innovative solutions both in a laboratory and in a relevant environment which have been developed in the project or have been developed previously or separately in other European and national projects. FSTP can be used for new illustrative application use-cases demonstrating well defined added value to end users. In the demonstration challenge the consortium is expected to carry out demonstration activities (up to TRL 7) in line with the priorities set by the SET Plan ocean energy R&I priorities and targets and accelerate the take up of innovation by the industry. The demonstration activities will be selected using the stage gate approach developed by the IEA OES task 12. Activities directly implemented by the core consortium The activities of the core consortium are expected to include direct research and innovation activities in any of the areas listed in scope and in any of the challenges (breakthrough, validation, demonstration). The core consortium will be responsible for the management of the whole project, including the actions carried out through financial support to third parties (management of the FSTP calls, management of the FSTP projects). It is expected that the budget dedicated to the project management will not exceed 7% of the EU funding. The project is expected to carry out at least three demonstration activities. The focus of each demonstration activity should be clearly different from each other. The project is expected to include a clear go/no go milestone for each demonstration activity before entering the deployment phase. Before this go/no-go milestone, the project has to show evidence of having in place i) all needed permits for deployment, ii) complete, detailed and realistic engineering plans compliant with the applicable standards, and iv) a complete business and implementation plan. The proposal is expected to present a clear and convincing pathway to obtain necessary permits for the demonstration activities and allow for appropriate timelines to achieve…

Technology readiness, as published

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL. See for instance: Ocean Energy - European Commission and Homepage - Oceanset See for instance: Ocean Energy - European Commission and Homepage - Oceanset ETIP | Home See for instance: https://www.etipocean.eu/knowledge_hub/1738/ OES | Performance Metrics European…

Other topics in HORIZON-CL5-2027-02

Source and attribution

Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.