Large-Scale piloting of next-generation AI-driven digital platforms for a more affordable, secure and sustainable European energy system (IA) - Apply AI
European Commission · Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Posted 20 Oct 2026 · About 5 months left
Summary
Expected Outcome:
Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
Strengthened Europe’s technological leadership and sovereignty in the energy sector.
Market-ready AI-driven digital platforms and solutions with quantifiable minimal environmental impact, that enhance grid operation, renewable energy integration and utilisation rates, energy storage integration, grid integration of data centres and other energy intensive critical infrastructures, non-fossil, balancing solutions, electrification and energy efficiency, derived from existing and ongoing AI and IoT research.
Successfully integrate applied research results in real-world pilot programmes involving energy operators, technology providers, public authorities, and end users.
Secure, interoperable, and cross-border data exchange mechanisms and digital services reducing fragmentation.
Accelerated scaling of digital solutions leveraging European data spaces, AI factories[1], digital twins, and cloud-to-edge infrastructures.
Credible pathway from innovation to large-scale piloting, ensuring long-term sustainability and scale up.
Quantifiable improvements in terms of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy…
Excerpt from the donor's page. The full text, annexes and forms are on the original call.
Eligibility and conditions
Show the eligibility text from the source
">General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligibility Conditions
In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security, it is important to avoid a situation of technological dependency on a non-EU source, in a global context that requires the EU to take action to build on its strengths, and to carefully assess and address any strategic weaknesses, vulnerabilities and high-risk dependencies which put at risk the attainment of its ambitions. For this reason, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and associated countries. For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or a non-eligible country entity, shall not participate in the action.
Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Guidance
HE Programme Guide
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
HE MGA
Call-specific instructions
Ownership Control Declaration Annex
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 14. Horizontal Activities
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
Guidance on participation in EU calls with ownership and control restrictions
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
Themes
- Artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, multi agent systems
- Cyber-physical systems
- Energy end-use efficiency and energy services
- Energy management
- Energy systems (production, distribution, application)
- Energy systems, smart energy, smart grids, wireless energy transfer
- Internet of Things
- Machine learning, statistical data processing and applications using signal processing (e.g. speech, image, video)
- Monitoring and control systems
- Networks (communication networks, sensor networks, networks of robots, etc.)
- Ontologies, neural networks, genetic programming, fuzzy logic
- Piloting
- Renewable electricity
- Sustainable energy communities
- Systems engineering, sensorics, actorics, automation
- DigitalAgenda
- EoscAndFairData
- SocInnov
- AI
- NEB