Large scale operational…, …ZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-24

Large scale operational validation and upscaling of state-of-the-art (Generative) AI tools and models powering a next generation digital energy system

Announced, not yet open · HORIZON Innovation Actions · HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-24

Next cut-off

31 Mar '27

in 206 days

Per grant

€10M

the call's own average

Grants expected

projects that will be funded

Funding rate

70%

the rest is your own money

Expected Outcome:

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

Advanced, secure frugal (energy-, resource-, data- and cost-efficient, sustainable) AI tools for real-time grid operations (including protection), market operations (if relevant) and consumer empowerment in distributed energy systems.
A demonstrated AI development environment integrated with the upgraded digital spine of the energy system and energy-saving consumer applications.
Scaled-up capabilities for learning at edge nodes and federated systems using agent-based architectures.
A governance framework and operating model for the Gen(AI)-powered digital spine.

Scope:

Building up on previous actions in Horizon Europe (e.g. the digital spine of the energy system in cluster 5 as well as cloud and edge continuum and AI data processing activities in cluster 4) and Digital Europe (Common Reference Framework for energy consumer applications across the EU, Common Energy Data Space), projects are expected to:

Validate (demo site and operational grid) and scale secure state-of-the-art specialised frugal (energy- and resource-efficient, data- and cost-efficient, locally deployed and sustainable) open-source (Generative-)AI tools and models for real-time grid (and market, if relevant) monitoring, balancing, forecasting and consumer empowerment in a distributed energy system.
Demonstrate an AI development environment within the enhanced digital spine of the energy system, including its digital twin, which should incorporate the functionality of the Common Reference Framework for energy saving applications.

Trimmed here, the full scope, expected outcomes and award criteria are on the official topic page ↗.

What applying costs you

Item	Estimate	Note
Drafting effort	6–8 weeks	single submission
Partner search	4–8 weeks	runs in parallel, and it is the part that slips
Your own money	€4.3M	30% of project cost, over the project's life
Time to first payment	6–9 months	cut-off → evaluation → grant agreement

Item

Estimate

Note

Drafting effort

6–8 weeks

single submission

Partner search

4–8 weeks

runs in parallel, and it is the part that slips

Your own money

€4.3M

30% of project cost, over the project's life

Time to first payment

6–9 months

cut-off → evaluation → grant agreement

These are Bemzu's estimates from the call's structure (the number of stages and whether a consortium is required) not figures published by the Commission. Only the co-financing share is read from the call itself.

Where these conditions come from

Two kinds of row. Most are the sentence we read the condition from, quoted out of the call itself. Some say plainly that they are not a quotation but the programme's own rule for this type of action, the EU portal publishes a table of contents where the conditions should be, so for a Research and Innovation Action the rate comes from the rulebook rather than from the fiche.

Condition	Quoted from the call, or the rule behind it
Consortium size	Not quoted from this call — Innovation Actions under the Horizon Europe rules are at least three independent legal entities from three different Member States or Associated Countries, at least one established in a Member State.
Funding rate	Not quoted from this call — Innovation Actions under the Horizon Europe rules are funded at 70% of eligible costs for profit-making organisations, and 100% for non-profit legal entities — the rate shown here is the one that applies to a company.
Maturity	Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

Condition

Quoted from the call, or the rule behind it

Consortium size

Not quoted from this call — Innovation Actions under the Horizon Europe rules are at least three independent legal entities from three different Member States or Associated Countries, at least one established in a Member State.

Funding rate

Not quoted from this call — Innovation Actions under the Horizon Europe rules are funded at 70% of eligible costs for profit-making organisations, and 100% for non-profit legal entities — the rate shown here is the one that applies to a company.

Maturity

Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

Large scale operational validation and upscaling of state-of-the-art (Generative) AI tools and models powering a next generation digital energy system

In context of Horizon Europe

What this call funds

What applying costs you

Where these conditions come from

Also open in HE

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