Call for green hydrogen projects

Scope

The focus for the call is foreseen to focus on the ‘transporting infrastructure for Hydrogen’ nexus, looking into issues such as (but not limited to):

• whether existing infrastructure (e.g. for transporting gas) may be used for transporting hydrogen as well (e.g. requirements re. material), 
• prerequisites for transboundary use of infrastructure,
• level of efficiency/reducing losses during transport and storage, 
• conception of infrastructure all the way from producer to consumer including monitoring and control, IoT/sensors/smart meters, 
• combining stationary and mobile infrastructures (ship, road)

Furthermore, address how could these research issues contribute to overarching questions such as

• (Comparative) Analyses on potential and economic feasibility of various transport options (e.g. direct transport versus LOHC vs. hydrogen carrier substances such as NH3, CH4, CH3OH, synthetic gas etc.).
• Integrated planning of grids using digital twins or addressing regional aspects (demand, production capacities etc.)
• International certification options for hydrogen and its derivatives
• Analysis of potential import routes for hydrogen from overseas, facilitating forward-looking grid design
• Smart planning combining electricity, gas and heating grids and how hydrogen could be incorporated – towards a European ‘super grid’
• Socio-economic issues, marketing and acceptance questions, transition design from gas to integrated energy grids for Europe
• R&D actions targeting the vision of 100% renewable (green) hydrogen integrated in different consumption sectors, which can significantly substitute the use of fossil raw materials. In addition to the opportunities that arise for the development and production of materials, components, processes or systems, the opportunities for efficient and targeted consumption and generation in the value chain should also be promoted.

In addition to the transport infrastructure, some other topics are welcome, such as

•  Batteries and Fuel Cells ( critical materials and components and principal systems ) and also the manufacturing associated processes. 
• H2 generation and storage pilot plants from renewable sources (Wind-Eolic, Photovoltaic)
• New systems, equipments for Hydrogen control, regulation and distribution and related manufacturing processes (including new materials and sensors).
• Improved infrastructures for hydrogen production, use and expansion (engineering, simulations, construction, logistics).
• New processes using H2 at industry level (those that are heavy industries traditionally using Oil and Gas), for instance: cement,chemistry, shipping, etc.
  Applicants are strongly advised to check individual country information in the relevant section for their fundable themes and topics.

Your project should:

• address at least one of the fields mentioned in the call description and
• demonstrate the potential to research or develop a product, process or service for commercialisation.

Timeframe

• Call for projects opens: 30 July 2021
• Eureka deadline: 15 November 2021
• National funding applications deadline: Varies per country
• Eureka label given and funding decisions made: April – May 2022
• Project starts: 15 May 2022 earliest

Funding

Funding assistance follows each national funding body's funding regulations.

Funding will only be provided to projects that are positively evaluated by all relevant participating national funding bodies. Funding of project partners is subjected to budgetary availability and national funding conditions stipulated by each national funding body.

Any IPR arising from cooperative project activities under this call shall be regulated in a Consortium Agreement (CA) in accordance with the relevant laws of the countries participating in the project.

A signed CA on the execution and commercialisation of the projects results is mandatory for selected projects and must be send to the relevant national funding bodies no later than 12 weeks after the results of the evaluation have been communicated. The project start can in any case not be prior to the approval of the signed CA. We recommend that you seek legal advice when drafting your CA.

The funding bodies named below will provide access to public investment for the selected projects. The support will be given to each partner by its respective national funding body in accordance with their national laws, rules, regulations and procedures in effect, on a non-exchange of funds or soft loan basis, and subject to budgetary availability for each national funding body:

• Flanders, Belgium (VLAIO): grant of up to 500,000 euro per project
• Canada (NRC IRAP): non-repayable contribution of project costs of up to 500,000 Canadian dollars per project
• Finland (Business Finland): flexible grant/loan
• Germany (DLR Project Management Agency): grant of up to 1 million euro per project
• Ireland (Enterprise Ireland): flexible grant
• The Netherlands (RVO): grant of up to 500,000 euro per project
• Portugal (Agencia Nacional de Inovação): flexible grant 
• Spain (CDTI): flexible mix loan/grant

Read more detailed information on national funding here. 

Contact your national funding body using our contact form below. 

Eligibility criteria

In order to apply to the present call, the partners must meet the following qualifications:

• Your project idea must represent international cooperation in the form of a specific project. 
• The consortium must include at least two independent legal entities from two of the participating countries.
•  The project partners must express their willingness to cooperate, on a win-win/fair basis in the development of a new product, industrial process or service with the goal of commercialisation.
• The product, process or service must be innovative and there must be a technological risk involved.
• The project must have a civilian purpose.
• The project should benefit all involved partners in a well-balanced consortium not exceeding a 70% - 30% ratio.
• The project should have an obvious advantage and added value resulting from the technologic cooperation between the participants (e.g. increased knowledge base, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure, etc.).
• A signed consortium agreement is mandatory following national requirements. The consortium agreement should at least include the ownership and use of know-how and IPR settlements.
• The duration of the project may not exceed 36 months.
• Product, service or process implementation or market launch should happen no later than 24 months after project completion.

Any partner whose collaborative industrial research and innovation project is consistent with the aforementioned criteria can apply to the present call in accordance with their national laws, rules, regulations and procedures in effect, on a non-exchange of funds basis, and subject to budgetary availability.

Each participating national funding body may apply additional eligibility criteria based on their national regulations. Applicants are strongly advised, prior to submitting the application, to check relevant country sections in this call and to contact their national funding body to discuss their project idea, and verify their and their project’s eligibility.

Partners from other Eureka countries or countries outside of Eureka can also participate, but funding must be secured within the agreed deadlines for the call.

More information.

How to apply

There are two stages of the application process. 

Stage 1: Eureka application

1. Contact your national funding body using the form below to discuss your project idea, financial viability, eligibility and national procedures.
2. Create an account on our application portal (one per consortium) and select the funding opportunity you want to apply to.
3. Using the portal, complete one application form per consortium (in English) and invite other consortium partners to fill in a partner form. Read the form carefully, follow the guidelines and complete all necessary elements in the form as requested. User guidance for the application tool is available under “Related documents”.
4. Upload a GANTT chart (one per consortium), a signed and completed co-signature form (which you can download from the platform) and any additional required annexes.
5. Submit your application before 15 November 2021 at 18:00 CET.
6. Your application will be checked for completeness and eligibility before being reviewed using a standard evaluation procedure. If successful, your project will receive a Eureka label.
7. Your national funding body may carry out a further evaluation (performed by your national project coordinator and technical experts) according to national rules before allocating funds to successful applicants.
8. The final step is to complete and sign a consortium agreement (CA). We recommend that you seek legal advice when drafting your CA.

Stage 2: National application

If required by your national funding body, project participants must submit a related national funding application as well, taking into account all relevant national procedures and submission rules. Deadlines might differ between the participating national funding bodies. Read section 7 for more details about your country's procedures.

Evaluation

All applications are assessed against the eligibility criteria for this call before being put forward for the national assessments according to national evaluation criteria.

Eureka evaluation criteria

Impact

• Is the market properly addressed (i.e. size, access and risks)?
• Is the value creation properly addressed (i.e. employment opportunities and environmental and societal benefits)?
• What are the competitive advantages of your project (i.e. strategic importance, enhanced capabilities and visibility)?
• Are your commercialisation plans clear and realistic (i.e. return on investment, geographical and sectoral impact)

Excellence 

• What is the degree of innovation? (i.e. is the proposed product, process or service state-of-the-art? Is there sufficient technological maturity and risk)?
• How is the new knowledge going to be used?
• Is your project scientifically and technically challenging for consortium partners?
• Is the technical achievability and risk properly addressed?

Quality and efficiency of implementation

• What is the quality of your consortium (i.e. balance of the partnership and technological, managerial and financial capabilities of each partner)?
• Is there added value through international cooperation?
• Is your project management and planning realistic and clearly defined (i.e. methodology, planning approach, milestones and deliverables)?
• Is your cost structure reasonable (i.e. costs and financial commitment for each consortium partner)?

Overall perception

Experts will list three positive and negative points to your application and finally state whether they recommend your project for public investment.

National evaluation

Your national funding body may carry out a further evaluation (performed by the national project coordinator and technical experts) according to national rules before allocating funds to successful applicants.

The basis for the evaluation is the general Eureka eligibility criteria, national eligibility criteria and evaluations, the Eureka application form with annexes and if required a national application form.

Successful projects are put forward for a Eureka label. After a common list of labelled and non-labelled projects has been agreed on, you will be informed about the results.

Monitoring and impact

You will be asked to provide information during the lifetime of the project at international level to make sure the project has been developed as expected. Additionally, you will have to provide information regarding the impact of the project once it has finished.

Downloadables