Sustainable hydrogen production from renewable gases and biogenic waste sources through innovative modular reactor design, process intensification and integration

The grant aims to support the development of novel technologies for high-efficiency hydrogen production from renewable gases and biogenic waste, ensuring sustainability, cost reduction, scalability, and integration of advanced reactor designs. The project fosters the adoption of innovative thermochemical or biological pathways, process intensification, and integration with other industries, targeting enhanced hydrogen yield and energy efficiency, advanced impurity management, and circular approaches. The expected outcomes include improved hydrogen yield, reduced costs (CAPEX and OPEX), increased use of renewable and waste sources, process electrification, minimized direct CO2 emissions, and expanded use of by-products for economic and environmental benefits.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	10 Feb 2026
End date	15 Apr 2026
Max funding	EUR 3,000,000 (maximum Clean Hydrogen JU contribution per project). Note: Other topic caps exist (for reference): - EUR 5,000,000 (HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-03-03) - EUR 8,000,000 (HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-04-02) - EUR 17,000,000 (HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-01) - EUR 8,000,000 (HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-06-02)
Budget	105,000,000 EUR for all Clean Hydrogen JU topics in 2026.
Coverage	Lump sum grant financing. Co-funding (including private investment and national/regional programmes) is expected, especially for demonstration projects.

Grant application conditions

Proposal Page Limit	70 pages for Innovation Actions; as described in Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries	All EU Member States and Associated Countries; some non-EU/non-Associated Countries may participate if they have national funding provisions.
Eligible Applicants	Consortia involving at least three independent entities from three different eligible countries.
Maximum Grant Request	EUR 3,000,000 (for HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-05).
Legal Form of Applicants	Any legal entity (company, NGO, government organization, research organization, other) established in eligible countries.
Consortium Membership	For large-scale demonstrations and certain strategic topics, at least one consortium partner must be a member of Hydrogen Europe or Hydrogen Europe Research.
Project Scope Requirements	Develop modular and scalable hydrogen production technologies from renewable gases or biogenic waste. Reach TRL 5 by the end of the project (starting from at least TRL 3). Demonstrate production of 1–10 kgH2/h with an operational unit, including purification, separation, and compression systems. Demonstrate significant operational time (1000 h) under industrial-relevant conditions. Address process sustainability, circularity, and life cycle assessment.
Co-funding Requirement	Significant co-investment from participants and/or national/regional programmes is expected for large-scale or flagship topics.
Intellectual Property Standards	Beneficiaries must notify the granting authority for up to 4 years post-project if results could contribute to standards development.
Subcontracting	Subcontracted work must be performed in target countries (EU Member States and Associated Countries).
Exclusion from Grant Funding	Development costs of upstream processes and certain complementary actions (e.g., waste-heat valorisation not directly related to hydrogen production) are not eligible for funding.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2026-01-05

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements