Call for proposals 2025 - INDUSTRY-two-stage (HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-two-stage)
Open Call
Objectives
Proposals are invited against the following Destinations and topic(s) under Call - INDUSTRY-two-stage. The call targets (i) Leadership in materials and production for Europe and (ii) Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies. Under materials and production, projects are expected to make safer and more sustainable alternatives to substances of concern available to the industries offering products with targeted performances and supporting their competitiveness, speeding up the innovation cycle within a value chain important for European industry, and enhancing competitiveness by reducing regulatory and operational costs, while making supply chains more secure. The call seeks production processes, chemicals, materials and products that are inherently safer and more sustainable for a clean and autonomous economy, demonstrating how the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) chemicals and materials framework can guide innovation and encourage innovators to minimise the use of substances of concern, reducing negative impacts on human health, climate and ecosystems. The focus includes alternatives for the substitution of substances of concern (SoCs), with an innovation cycle covering (re)design, development, production processes, and integration into products in manufacturing.
Under the digital and AI-related destinations, projects aim at increased competitiveness and productivity through innovative AI-enabled advanced manufacturing processes and operations, including real-time monitoring and adaptive optimisation, and reduction of emissions and alignment with Clean Industrial Deal objectives. The call also targets innovative AI-driven solutions in materials and process development to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the process industries by better products and process technologies and reducing the time to market, increasing the competitiveness of materials production in Europe by AI-supported optimal operation of plants and value networks and early detection of problems and failures, and improving the working conditions in the plants by using AI technologies, metaverse, and robots. Proposals should produce dedicated innovative AI-based solutions, taking user acceptance and training into account and considering integration into the OT/IT landscape; the topic is linked to the Apply AI Strategy, therefore proposals should seek collaboration with relevant initiatives.
Actions
This call covers the following topics:
HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-MAT-PROD-21-two-stage: Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (IA)
HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-51-two-stage: AI improved advanced manufacturing and production processes in factories (RIA) (Made in Europe and AI, Data and Robotics partnerships)
HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-53-two-stage: Innovative AI methods and technologies for the process industries (RIA) (Processes4Planet and AI, Data and Robotics partnerships)
Open Call
Objectives
Proposals are invited against the following Destinations and topic(s) under Call - INDUSTRY-two-stage. The call targets (i) Leadership in materials and production for Europe and (ii) Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies. Under materials and production, projects are expected to make safer and more sustainable alternatives to substances of concern available to the industries offering products with targeted performances and supporting their competitiveness, speeding up the innovation cycle within a value chain important for European industry, and enhancing competitiveness by reducing regulatory and operational costs, while making supply chains more secure. The call seeks production processes, chemicals, materials and products that are inherently safer and more sustainable for a clean and autonomous economy, demonstrating how the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) chemicals and materials framework can guide innovation and encourage innovators to minimise the use of substances of concern, reducing negative impacts on human health, climate and ecosystems. The focus includes alternatives for the substitution of substances of concern (SoCs), with an innovation cycle covering (re)design, development, production processes, and integration into products in manufacturing.
Under the digital and AI-related destinations, projects aim at increased competitiveness and productivity through innovative AI-enabled advanced manufacturing processes and operations, including real-time monitoring and adaptive optimisation, and reduction of emissions and alignment with Clean Industrial Deal objectives. The call also targets innovative AI-driven solutions in materials and process development to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the process industries by better products and process technologies and reducing the time to market, increasing the competitiveness of materials production in Europe by AI-supported optimal operation of plants and value networks and early detection of problems and failures, and improving the working conditions in the plants by using AI technologies, metaverse, and robots. Proposals should produce dedicated innovative AI-based solutions, taking user acceptance and training into account and considering integration into the OT/IT landscape; the topic is linked to the Apply AI Strategy, therefore proposals should seek collaboration with relevant initiatives.
Actions
This call covers the following topics:
HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-MAT-PROD-21-two-stage: Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (IA)
HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-51-two-stage: AI improved advanced manufacturing and production processes in factories (RIA) (Made in Europe and AI, Data and Robotics partnerships)
HORIZON-CL4-2026-02-DIGITAL-EMERGING-53-two-stage: Innovative AI methods and technologies for the process industries (RIA) (Processes4Planet and AI, Data and Robotics partnerships)