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

Demonstration for Long-duration Battery Energy Storage Systems (BATT4EU Partnership)

HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D2-08 — 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 15 September 2027around EUR 9.4 million per project

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TopicHORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D2-08
StatusForthcoming
CallHORIZON-CL5-2027-05 — BATTERIES and ENERGY
DestinationFacilitating the clean and sustainable transition of the energy and transport sectors towards climate neutrality through cross-cutting solutions (2026-27)
Type of actionInnovation Actions
Opening5 May 2027
Deadline15 September 2027
Budgetaround EUR 9.4 million per project · 2 projects expected · EUR 18.8 million in total
TRL at the endTRL 6–7
Part B page limit40 pages (standard application form; check your call)
TemplateWork Programme 2026–2027 application form

Expected outcomes

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

  1. EO1 Demonstrated system-level long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions, explicitly aimed at enhancing grid stability, resilience, and flexibility in Europe.
  2. EO2 Substantial reduction of Europe's dependence on critical raw materials through the use of abundant, low-cost, and sustainable materials.
  3. EO3 Contribute to strategic insights for a coherent EU-wide stationary storage deployment strategy, enhancing European energy autonomy and sustainability.
  4. EO4 Sufficient and reproducible operational data and insights to serve as reliable input towards detailed technoeconomic analyses.

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 Increased competitiveness and strategic autonomy of a complete EU value chain while maximizing sustainability.
  2. EI2 Reducing dependency on raw materials and upscaling processing capacity, also for recycled materials.
  3. EI3 Creating an integrated European battery sector for next generation batteries, from design to manufacturing and all the way to end of life, reducing environmental impact.
  4. EI4 Improving energy storage technologies to enhance the resilience of EU’s energy system, facilitating integration of renewable energy sources.

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.

  • “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:.”
  • “The Commission initiative for Safe and Sustainable by Design (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).”

Conditions that shape the proposal

  • Part B, sections 1–3: 40 pages (standard application form). 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.
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “In line with the “ restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas ” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to…”
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner. The JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal - see General Annex B.”

Impact pathway and traps

  • The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
  • The Joint Research Centre may take part. Decide whether its involvement helps, and say so if you include it.
  • Life-cycle or safe-and-sustainable-by-design assessment is expected. Name the method and where in the work plan it runs.
  • Market uptake is part of the scope. Evaluators look for a credible route to market with named first adopters.
  • 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

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 (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) 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 (EU Science Hub) on the NCP portal, or request specific information from the JRC ([email protected]) 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, 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. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/key-enabling-technologies/chemicals-and-advanced-materials_en https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/laboratories-z/battery-energy-storage-testing_en JRC NCP | Horizon Europe…

Other topics in HORIZON-CL5-2027-05

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.