Topic updates

16 September 2025
The call for proposals HORIZON-CL5-2025-04 closed on 04/09/2025. 167 proposals were submitted to the call. The breakdown per topic is:

HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-11 (IA): 12

Demonstration of battery energy storage systems in existing and new vessels via novel energy storage and ship design concepts (ZEWT Partnership)

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D5-11

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme:

Call: Cluster 5 Call 04-2025 (WP 2025) (HORIZON-CL5-2025-04)

Type of action: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]

Status: Open for submission

Deadline model: single-stage

Opening Date: 06 May 2025

Deadline dates: 04 September 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

Expected Outcome:

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

• Demonstrated 40% increase in fully electric long-distance autonomy for maritime vessels above 400 Gross Tonnage (GT) or inland river vessels above 86 meters, using batteries as the primary energy source;
• Demonstrated innovative solutions in energy storage concepts, energy efficiency or rapid in-route charging;
• Measures to increase the connectivity between islands and their connections to mainland are proposed and modal shift of cargo from road to inland waterway transport is fostered by presenting solutions ready for practical deployment;
• Improved lifetime and safe use of batteries in waterborne transport by addressing the operation, degradation and failure modes associated with unique waterborne transport operating conditions;
• Contribution to the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the EU waterborne sector. The EU waterborne industry, including shipyards and equipment manufacturers will gain an increased competitive advantage through the development of key and cost-effective solutions for high energy densities storage systems and battery electric ships.

Scope:

Batteries are highly efficient carriers of renewable energy and their increased utilisation in various waterborne transport applications enables the decarbonisation and depollution of waterborne transport. Full battery-electrification is already being demonstrated for small and medium-scale vessels. This action aims to increase the range of fully-battery-electric operation of waterborne transport vessels on this range of size. Actions addressing these challenges should also align with the European Economic Security Strategy.

Proposals should address full scale demonstration of battery- electric operation in one of the two following areas:

1. 1. Area A: seagoing vessels over 400 GWT
   2. Area B: inland river vessels above 86 meters

Proposals are expected to address all of the following aspects

• Demonstrate 40% increase in the vessel operating range with battery as the primary source of propulsion with respect to a 2024 state-of-the-art full electric baseline. The solutions should allow an operation range of at least 120 nautical miles (or equivalent, as appropriate for other applications) and be applicable to representative operating conditions of the chosen area (Area A: appropriate sea states; Area B: upstream and downstream operation on relatively free-flowing parts of major rivers). Proposed solutions can either be suitable for newbuilds or for retrofits on existing vessels. Project proposals should clearly indicate the baseline range, the expected range as an outcome of this project, and the corresponding operating conditions;
• Innovative measures for range extension, which should go beyond the simple scaling up of existing commercial battery systems to increase the range. Solutions are expected to include one or more of the following:
• New onboard energy storage system concepts enabling high energy-densities suitable for different waterborne applications;
• Innovative onboard energy efficiency measures including but not limited to, thermal management, electrical architecture, high voltage electrical components, energy management and energy modelling for optimal operation including weather routing, integration of renewable energy technologies (e.g. photovoltaic panels, wind-assisted propulsion), and improved vessel hydrodynamic efficiency;
• Concepts for extending the operating lifetime of batteries through advanced architecture, onboard monitoring, control, and analytics;
• Concepts for rapid in-route charging or battery replenishment while maintaining desired operating schedules. Fast charging and onshore power supply (OPS) concepts should adhere to the IEC/IEEE standards which are under development, and the consortium is expected to liaise with the technical committee in IEC/IEEE and converge technical solution with standard under development. Other solutions enabling intermittent in-route power transfer to vessels may also be demonstrated.
• Development of guidelines/recommendations for the safety assessment of the novel installations based on field testing. This should build on established safety guidelines and requirements such as the Guidance on the Safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems onboard ships (from the European Maritime Safety Agency – EMSA)and the requirements for fixed and swappable batteries on inland vessels (from the European Committee For Drawing Up Standards In The Field Of Inland Navigation – CESNI), as applicable, and contribute to their applicability to a wider scope of novel electrification solutions. Furthermore, recommendations for improving the guidelines and extending them to the demonstrated new battery installation solutions should be presented. Regulatory aspects for the pertinent safety-critical ship systems as well as fire safety solutions for the battery room should also be addressed;
• Replication case studies showing the applicability of the developed solution under emulated conditions for at least two other waterborne applications. The studies should demonstrate the opportunities of the developed solution, including the conditions under which the target of 40% range extension can be achieved, and provide an outlook of how this can lead to further range extension in the future. These studies should pave the way for further exploitation and market uptake activities as requested in the following point;
• The plan for exploitation and dissemination of results should identify adequate business cases and provide roadmap for the replication and deployment of the proposed technology, including plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment. Proposals should identify and propose opportunities for further market uptake under the Innovation Fund and complementary bunkering needs under CEF AFIF (Connecting Europe Facility – Transport Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility);
• Development of material for training, reskilling and upskilling of seafarers and shore-based personnel to use the developed solutions, by leveraging the expertise and educational resources of leading training providers and universities;
• Proposals must justify the contribution of their objectives, results, intellectual property (IP) management and exploitation strategy to the EU added value creation and strategic autonomy throughout the supply and value chain, including competitiveness of the EU waterborne industry, enhancement of the EU’s R&I capacity, technological know-how capabilities and human capital, and resilience of the EU industrial and manufacturing base. Proposals are encouraged to prioritise shipyards, equipment manufacturers and suppliers located in the EU and EEA.

Additionally, proposals are invited to prove the utilisation of big data and data science technologies to determine real-world references regarding ship performance, environmental impacts and maintenance needs of ships operating on low and zero-carbon fuels.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Start submission

To access the Electronic Submission Service, please click on the submission-button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to your proposal. You will then be asked to confirm your choice, as it cannot be changed in the submission system. Upon confirmation, you will be linked to the correct entry point.

To access existing draft proposals for this topic, please login to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page of the My Area section.

Get support

Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application.

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.