Small-scale Hydrogen Valley

Topic updates

24 April 2025

CALL UPDATE: PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025 has closed on the 23/04/2025.

212 proposals have been submitted.

The breakdown per topic is: 

HYDROGEN VALLEYS

-HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-06-02: 19 proposals

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in August 2025.

15 April 2025

Notice to Applicants (15/04/2025)

Please note that we will no longer be accepting questions regarding the current call for proposals HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to refer to the published documentation for any remaining clarifications.

15 April 2025

Errata Notice - Topic HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-01-05

The correct text for topic HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-01-05 stipulates:

"Furthermore, project results are expected to contribute to the following KPIs, targeted at co-electrolyser scale, specific for three high temperature co-electrolysis technologies: Oxide and Proton conductive Solid Oxide electrolysers (SOEL, PCCEL) and Molten Carbonate Electrolyser (MCE):

Oxide conductive Solid Oxide electrolysers (SOEL)

Power to syngas efficiency: 0.9 kWLHV /kWe
Degradation in operating conditions: 0.8 %/1000h @1A/cm²
Unit cost: 500 €/kW
Proton Conductive Ceramic electrolysers (PCCEL)

Power to syngas efficiency: 0.9 kWLHV/ kWe
Degradation in operating conditions: 0.8 %/1000h @0.75A/cm²
Unit cost: 500 €/kW
Molten Carbonate electrolysers (MCE)

Power to syngas efficiency: 0.93 kWLHV/ kWe
Degradation in operating conditions: 0.5 %/1000h @0.5A/cm²
Unit cost: 500 €/kW
KPIs are defined for the main high temperature co-electrolysis techniques, derived from the SRIA and from results of previous EU funded projects."

03 April 2025

Errata Notice – Topic Conditions

We appreciate your attention to this information. Please be advised that the Topic Conditions are provided below, as they were not displayed correctly under each topic. These conditions apply to all topics across the entire call.

We kindly ask you to refer to the information below and in the AWP2025 to ensure compliance with the applicable requirements.

Additional eligibility condition: Maximum contribution per topic

For some topics, in line with the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA, an additional eligibility criterion has been introduced to limit the Clean Hydrogen JU requested contribution mostly for actions performed at high TRL level, including demonstration in real operational environment and with important involvement from industrial stakeholders and/or end users such as public authorities. Such actions are expected to leverage co-funding as commitment from stakeholders. It is of added value that such leverage is shown through the private investment in these specific topics. Therefore, proposals requesting contributions above the amounts specified per each topic below will not be evaluated:

 - HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-06-02: The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 9.00 million

Additional eligibility condition: Membership to Hydrogen Europe / Hydrogen Europe Research

For the topics listed below, in line with the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA, an additional eligibility criterion has been introduced to ensure that one partner in the consortium is a member of either Hydrogen Europe or Hydrogen Europe Research. This concerns topics targeting actions for large-scale demonstrations, flagship projects and strategic research actions, where the industrial and research partners of the Clean Hydrogen JU are considered to play a key role in accelerating the commercialisation of hydrogen technologies by being closely linked to the Clean Hydrogen JU constituency, which could further ensure full alignment with the SRIA of the JU. This approach shall also ensure the continuity of the work performed within projects funded through the H2020 and FP7, by building up on their experience and consolidating the EU value-chain. In the Call 2025 this applies to: demonstration of efficient electrolysis coupling with variable renewable electricity and/or heat integration, demonstration of innovative hydrogen and solid carbon production from renewable gases/biogenic waste processes, demonstration of scalable ammonia cracking technology, and demonstration of stationary fuel cells in renewable energy communities. This will also apply to the Hydrogen Valley (flagship) topics as they are considered of strategic importance for the European Union ambitions to double the number of Hydrogen Valleys by 2025. For the Hydrogen Valleys topics a large amount of co-investment/cofunding of project participants/beneficiaries including national and regional programmes is expected.

- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-06-02

STEP (Sovereignty) Seal

For the topics below topics the STEP Seal (so called “Sovereignty Seal” under the STEP Regulation) will be awarded to proposals exceeding all of the evaluation thresholds set out in this Annual Work Programme. The STEP Seal is a label, which aims to increase the visibility of quality projects available for funding and help attract alternative and cumulative funding for quality projects, and simultaneously to provide a potential project pipeline for regional and national programmes

- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-06-02

1. Lump Sum

This year’s call for proposals will take the form of lump sums 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).

Lump sums will be used across all topics in the Call 2025.

2. Full capitalised costs for purchases of equipment, infrastructure or other assets purchased specifically for the action

For some topics, in line with the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA, mostly large-scale demonstrators or flagship projects specific equipment, infrastructure or other assets purchased specifically for the action (or developed as part of the action tasks) can exceptionally be declared as full capitalised costs. This concerns the topics below:

- HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-06-02

3. Subcontracting

For all topics: an additional obligation regarding subcontracting has been introduced, namely that subcontracted work may only be performed in target countries set out in the call conditions.

The beneficiaries must ensure that the subcontracted work is performed in the countries set out in the call conditions.

The target countries are all Member States of the European Union and all Associated Countries.

31 March 2025
The excel detailed budget table available in the submission system “Download Part B templates” section had outdated values for the SME owner unit cost category.

Today, the issue has been rectified and the template available is the correct version, containing up-to-date values for the SME owner unit cost category.

Please make sure you download and use the correct budget table in your submission.

For the applicants that have already submitted their proposals, please be aware that the system still allows you to edit and re-submit your proposal using the updated excel template.

Small-scale Hydrogen Valley

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-06-02

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme: Horizon Europe (HORIZON)

Call: HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025 (HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025)

Type of action: HORIZON-JU-IA HORIZON JU Innovation Actions

Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 15 January 2025

Deadline dates: 23 April 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

Expected Outcome:

Hydrogen Valleys are hydrogen ecosystems that cover a specific geography ranging from local or regional focus (e.g. industrial cluster, ports, airports, etc.) to specific national or international regions (e.g. cross border hydrogen corridors)^[1] Hydrogen Valleys showcase the versatility of hydrogen by supplying several sectors in their geography such as mobility, industry and energy end uses. They are ecosystems or clusters where various final applications share a common hydrogen supply infrastructure. Across their geographic scope, Hydrogen Valleys cover multiple steps in the hydrogen value chain, ranging from hydrogen production (and often even dedicated renewables production) to the subsequent storage of hydrogen and distribution to off-takers via various modes of transport. Whilst most of the projects are in the EU, over the past years, Hydrogen Valleys have gone global, with new projects emerging worldwide. Mission Innovation has set a target of deploying 100 large-scale Hydrogen Valleys worldwide by 2030^[2].

Hydrogen Valleys are starting to form the first regional "hydrogen economies”. Already under the previous programme, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership provided support to several Hydrogen Valleys across different locations in EU and of different sizes. It is however necessary to continue the accelerated deployment of Hydrogen Valleys as required by RePowerEU (with a target to double the number of hydrogen valleys by 2025) and to contribute to the objectives of the European Hydrogen Strategy, the EU Green Deal, and Fit for 55, and finally overcome common challenges linked to storage and distribution that may be territory specific. To do this it is necessary to have ‘testbed’ projects to act as first real-life cases for piloting global hydrogen markets. These projects need to be expanded in scale to demonstrate the full range of benefits from the use of hydrogen.

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• Anchorage of new demand for renewable hydrogen;
• Interaction and synergies among initial test beds;
• Full integration into the broader cross-sectoral energy ecosystem;
• Improvement of the perception of public towards hydrogen technologies, by ensuring a high visibility of the project and associated technologies to the local public and EU citizens, to connect initial demonstrations and to create synergies with existing energy infrastructure;
• Emergence of new hydrogen valleys, through dissemination of learnings.

Scope:

The scope of this flagship topic is to develop and demonstrate a small-scale Hydrogen Valley. It could demonstrate a combination of technologies either in existing and/or new markets for clean hydrogen, especially when applications are used in symbiose with each other.

Proposals should demonstrate innovative approaches at system level: systemic and synergetic integration of hydrogen production (not restricted to electrolysis), distribution and end-use technologies. Proposals may also investigate interoperability, cause-effect stability of the overall system. Technologies demonstrated should be state-of the-art following technological developments previously funded by (but not limited to) the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

Proposals should respond to the following requirements:

• Production of at least 500 tonnes of clean hydrogen^[3],[4] per year using new hydrogen production capacity (at least for the last 2-years of project demonstration). Due to the large volumes of hydrogen involved, production plants may be distributed across the territories involved but should share common hydrogen supply infrastructure;
• Use of the hydrogen produced to supply one or more end sector or application in the energy, industry, and transport sectors;
• Monitoring and assessment activities including at least two years of operations;
• Provision of a clear, professional, and ambitious communication plan to ensure high visibility to the public including clear, measurable, and ambitious Kery Performance Indicators (KPI);
• Demonstration of how hydrogen enables sector coupling, allows for example H2 storage and/or large integration of renewable energy^[5] and provides an optimum techno economic solution for the decarbonisation of the activities in the geographical area being addressed;
• Reduction of the carbon emissions and impact on air quality related to the end-uses compared to incumbent technologies;
• Demonstration of how financial viability is expected to be reached after two years of operation.

Proposals should also:

• Provide concrete project implementation plans with a clear calendar, defining the key phases of the implementation of the action (i.e., preparation of the specifications of equipment, manufacturing, permitting, deployment, and operation) and their duration;
• Provide a funding plan to ensure implementation of the project in synergies with other sources of funding. If no other sources of funding will be required, this should be stated clearly in the proposal, with a commitment from the partners to provide own funding. If additional sources of funding will be required, proposals should present a clear plan on which funding programmes at EU and/or national levels will be targeted ^[6]. In these cases, applicants should present a credible planning that includes forecasted funding programmes and their expected time of commitment;
• Clearly and coherently present the Hydrogen Valley (across the whole value chain including hydrogen production, distribution and storage and end uses) including the investments/actions supported directly by this topic as well as other investments/actions supported by other funding /financing sources^[7] which are part of the hydrogen valley to be deployed and demonstrated in line with the topic requirements;
• Provide evidence of the commitment and role of public authorities (Member States, Regions, and Cities) and of any other necessary stakeholders (e.g. hydrogen off-takers) at least in the form of Letters of Intent (LOI). The practical implementation of these LOI will be followed during the Grant Agreement implementation;
• Provide a preliminary ‘hydrogen safety planning and management plan’^[8] at the project level, which will be further updated during project implementation;
• Ensure coverage of aspects such as replicability and (cross-border) cooperation between regions to facilitate transfer of knowledge across the EU with a focus on fostering replication of Hydrogen Valleys elsewhere;
• Demonstrate how synergies with existing hydrogen demonstration projects or hydrogen valleys will be ensured especially when it comes to skills and know-how exchange;
• Provide a scalability analysis that includes the broader energy system showing how the valley is expected to grow, where applicable;
• Highlight sustainability aspects in their description.

Proposals are expected to collaborate with the successful applicants under topic “HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025-05-03 on ‘Knowledge transfer and training of civil servants, safety officials, and permitting staff to improve safety assessment and licensing procedures across Europe’

The costs for the construction and commissioning phase of the hydrogen production technologies including connection (e.g connection to the electricity grid, electricity costs) and other hydrogen infrastructure (e.g HRS, storage, pipelines, etc) may be funded while costs of renewable energy plants (e.g., PV or wind plant) or related costs for operation of the Hydrogen Valley (e.g., electricity for electrolysers) will not be funded. The costs for the development, construction and commissioning phase of the hydrogen infrastructure (e.g. electrolysers, HRS, etc.) including connection costs (e.g. connection to the electricity grid). Costs of renewable energy plants (e.g., PV or wind plant) or related costs for operation of the Hydrogen Valley (e.g., electricity for electrolysers) are not eligible for funding.

Proposals are expected to demonstrate the contribution to EU competitiveness and industrial leadership of the activities to be funded including but not limited to the origin of the equipment and components as well infrastructure purchased and built during the project. These aspects will be evaluated and monitored during the project implementation.

It is expected that Guarantees of origin (GOs) will be used to prove the renewable character of the hydrogen that is produced/used. In this respect consortium may seek out the issuance/purchase and subsequent cancellation of GOs from the relevant Member State issuing body and if that is not yet available the consortium may proceed with the issuance and cancellation of non-governmental certificates (e.g CertifHy^[9]).

Proposals are expected to contribute towards the activities of the EU Mission on Climate- Neutral and Smart Cities, Mission Innovation 2.0 - Clean Hydrogen Mission and the H2V platform. Cooperation with entities from Clean Hydrogen Mission member countries, which are neither EU Member States nor Horizon Europe Associated countries, is encouraged (see section 2.2.6.7 International Cooperation).

Proposals should provide a preliminary draft on ‘hydrogen safety planning and management’ at the project level, which will be further updated during project implementation.

For additional elements applicable to all topics please refer to section 2.2.3.2.

The TRL of the applications in the project should be at least 6 at the beginning of the project while the overall concept should target a TRL 8 at the end of the project - see General Annex B.

The maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 9.00 million – proposals requesting Clean Hydrogen JU contributions above this amount will not be evaluated.

At least one partner in the consortium must be a member of either Hydrogen Europe or Hydrogen Europe Research.

The conditions related to this topic are provided in the chapter 2.2.3.2 of the Clean Hydrogen JU 2025 Annual Work Plan and in the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023–2025 which apply mutatis mutandis.

[1] https://h2v.eu/media/7/download

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/mission-innovation-launches-new-global-coalition-support-clean-hydrogen-economy-2021-jun-02_en

[3] As defined in the SRIA of the Clean Hydrogen JU, clean hydrogen refers to renewable hydrogen. To the demonstration addressed in the proposal it can be foreseen that in the early stages low carbon hydrogen could be used. However, the objective is to move to renewable or clean hydrogen as an ultimate objective in the project. Please refer to the paragraph Rationale for support of the section 3.7 of the SRIA of the Clean Hydrogen JU.

[4] ^{Renewable hydrogen is hydrogen produced using renewable energy (Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EU).}

[5] In line with the definitions provided in the Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EU

[6] Including applications for funding planned, applications for funding submitted and funding awarded.

[7] In the context of the topic other investments/actions refer to parts of the hydrogen valley which are necessary to respond to the topic requirements and to deliver a fully functional hydrogen valley but that are not supported with the funding of the Clean Hydrogen JU (e.g. hydrogen production plant supported with national funding or HRS supported with funding from the Connecting Europe Facility – Transport (CEF-T))

[8] https://www.clean-hydrogen.europa.eu/get-involved/european-hydrogen-safety-panel-0/reference-documents_en

[9] https://www.certifhy.eu

Start submission

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

Get support

Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.

Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.

Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.

Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.

National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).

Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.

IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.

European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.

CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.

The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.

Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.