Funding Opportunities

ERA-Net Smart Energy Systems invites applications for its clean energy transition partnership (CETPartnership) call. This supports research and innovation projects that aim to accelerate the clean energy transition to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, building upon regional and national European funding programmes. Proposals should address one or more of the following call modules:

• Direct current (DC) technologies for power networks;
• Energy system flexibility: renewables production, storage and system integration;
• Advanced renewable energy technologies for power production;
• Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS);
• Hydrogen and renewable fuels;
• Heating and cooling technologies;
• Geothermal energy technologies;
• Integrated regional energy systems;
• Integrated industrial energy systems;

Clean energy integration in the built environment

This is a £26 million (80% full economic cost (FEC)) seven year, flagship investment focused on tackling cross-sectoral research challenges rooted in excellent, leading-edge engineering, physical and environmental sciences and transdisciplinary approaches to enable the transition of UK industrial manufacturing processes and operations to net zero.

Major progress is required to make significant advances in industrial emissions in the UK and UKRI aims to drive a sustainable industrial future, shifting the UK away from environmentally detrimental industries and processes to more sustainable and circular alternatives.

This supports proposals that contribute to a more efficient, clean, sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply through new solutions for smart grids and energy systems based on more performance renewable energy solutions. Funding is available under the following topics:

• HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02-02 - development of next generation synthetic renewable fuel technologies;
• HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02-03 - development of smart concepts of integrated energy driven bio-refineries for co-production of advanced biofuels, bio-chemicals and biomaterials;
• HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02-11 - CCU for the production of fuels;
• HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02-12 - DACCS and BECCS for CO2 removal or negative emissions.
   

Depending on the topic, proposals must take the form of coordination and support actions or research and innovation actions, and innovation actions. Coordination and support actions require one or more legal entities established in an EU member state, Horizon Europe associated country or, in exceptional cases, another third country. Research and innovation actions and innovation actions require participation by at least three legal entities; each established in a different EU member state or Horizon Europe associated country. Participants from selected LMICs are automatically eligible for funding. Participants from other countries may participate at their own cost. Applicants from the UK and Switzerland should check that funding under this call is covered by their national funding authority.

The budget is €138 million. Grants are worth up to €15m each.

Entrants to this competition must be small-medium sized enterprises (SME), UK based and registered, and must not have exceeded their Minimum Financial Assistance limit (or De Minimis, where relevant).

Carbonbit is launching an innovation challenge seeking solutions that can help in identifying the crucial process, mechanical and electrical engineering modifications necessary to scale-up a small-scale DAC system to industrial-scale plant. The solutions should comprehensively outline and detail these changes, enabling potential costing for the development of the industrial plant, as well as detailing the clear uses of AI and robotics in enhancing the overall solution.

Carbonbit has developed an MVP DAC system capable of removing 100kg CO2 per annum. The company now wishes to scale up to industrial scale, removing 20,000 / 100,000 / 500,000 tonnes CO2 per annum. and needs to understand the key process / mechanical / electrical engineering changes required to achieve this. It is considered that AI and robotics will play a part in both the scale up and the operation of the industrial plant and its overall circularity as well as in the service and performance monitoring. Therefore, the company also wished to understand to what extent this might be, and the resources required to realise this.

Successfully overcoming this challenge will enable Carbonbit to present a detailed, viable solution to investors, covering the transition from MVP to industrial scale and facilitating accurate cost estimation for plant development.

A critical aspect of scaling is maintaining an efficient balance between CO2 capture and energy consumption, particularly in energy-intensive processes like the vacuum pump system but also in terms of ease of operation and maintenance and circularity. Carbonbit seeks to optimise this balance to minimise operational costs.

The solution provider should also consider developing a maintenance scheduling methodology for DAC components, potentially using AI for condition- or risk-based maintenance, which could serve as a model across the industry.

Applications for fellowships at all levels are now open. There is a new framework which removes closing dates and eligibility requirements based on years of experience, and establishes a person specification against which applicants will be judged.

A number of grant opportunities, including Early Career Fellowships, visiting Professorships etc.

Zero Waste Scotland is investing European Regional Development Funds to help SME businesses in Scotland become resource efficient and create a more circular economy. Sectors of interest include the bioeconomy (food & drink) and energy infrastructure (oil & gas decommissioning, renewables, transmission).