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Call key data
NZIA regulatory sandbox exchange forum support
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Cluster 5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
Call number
HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D2-12
deadlines
Opening
06.05.2025
Deadline
02.09.2025 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 500,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 500,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem (Net-Zero Industry Act) was adopted in 2024, establishing a requirement for Member States to set up net-zero regulatory sandboxes in order to promote innovation and regulatory learning in the field of net-zero technologies. This instrument allows for testing of innovative net-zero technologies in real-world environment for a limited amount of time and with a view of potential scaling up and further wider deployment. Those innovative technologies could eventually be essential to achieve the Union’s climate neutrality objective and to ensure the security of supply and resilience of the Union’s energy system. Regulatory sandboxes contribute to better regulation and to the New European Innovation Agenda’s flagship on experimentation spaces.
Call objectives
Covering all of the following points proposals are expected to:
- Provide support to the goals of the net zero Europe Platform related to net zero regulatory sandboxes and to reach out to stakeholders involved in net zero regulatory sandboxes across Member States (including assigned contact points, competent authorities, potential participating entities, including SMEs and start-ups, social partners, consumers and other stakeholders). They should support exchanging best practices, lessons learnt and enhancing cooperation between Member States, as well as the coordination with other similar initiatives.
- Prepare comparative analyses and assessments of the national legislative frameworks for net zero regulatory sandboxes and other regulatory sandboxes relevant for innovative net zero technologies in line with the Regulation on strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem:
- on regulatory barriers for innovative net zero technologies;
- on national net-zero regulatory sandbox schemes (including application procedures);
- on concrete trials;
- on impacts and regulatory learning;
- on lessons learnt
- and explore other forms of regulatory experimentation for net zero technologies in the energy sector.
- Create and regularly update a publicly available free repository on regulatory sandbox schemes and concrete projects for net zero technologies in the Union.
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Expected effects and impacts
Proposals actively include the contribution of national and regional authorities, companies (industry and SMEs), social partners, research and civil society organisations, consumers’ and users’ associations, universities and European associations representing relevant sectors and any other stakeholders related to net zero regulatory sandboxes. To maximise their impact and widen participation, they are encouraged to develop and implement robust outreach approaches and societal engagement actions to span across the EU.
Proposals are expected to include appropriate means to particularly take into account the experience and possibilities of SMEs and start-ups as potential participants in regulatory sandbox schemes fostering innovation and regulatory learning.
Furthermore, the proposals should develop a dissemination and exploitation strategy and implement dissemination and networking activities.
The project is expected to contribute to the Commission’s reporting on the results of the implementation of net-zero regulatory sandboxes (including good practices, lessons learnt and recommendations on their setup and, on the application, within the net-zero regulatory sandbox of Union law in a manner adapted for the purposes of the net-zero regulatory sandbox).
Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to include actions designed to ensure the accessibility and reusability of data produced during the project. The project should include a finance and sustainability plan for future continuation beyond the lifetime of the project.
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Expected results
According to the Regulation, Member States designate one or more contact points for setting up net zero regulatory sandboxes and the net zero Europe Platform is assigned to coordinate Member States’ activities and cooperation on net zero regulatory sandboxes. For the wider and accelerated deployment of innovative net-zero technologies it is crucial that the assigned contact points and competent authorities coordinate their activities, exchange information on lessons learnt and good practices and cooperate, including possible cross-border implementation.
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
- Regulatory learning of how regulation supports or hampers the enhanced use of innovative net-zero technologies;
- Net zero regulatory sandboxes schemes are well established, streamlined and designed;
- The net zero Europe Platform actively and smoothly exchanges information among Member States (contact points and competent authorities) and stakeholders thanks to the support of the project.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
other eligibility criteria
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
- EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity. - Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
three years
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.
Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 33 pages.
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). It is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table using the template available in the Submission system.
Call documents
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 5 - Climate, Energy and MobilityHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility(2548kB)
Contact
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