Supporting the clean energy transition of European industry and businesses

About this call

Expected Impact:

Proposals should present the concrete results which will be delivered by the activities and demonstrate how these results will contribute to the topic-specific impacts. This demonstration should rely on a solid analysis of the current situation, realistic assumptions and baselines, and establish clear causality links between proposed activities, results and impacts.

In terms of qualitative impact, proposals under this topic should demonstrate how they will contribute to the following outcomes, as relevant and depending on the scope (A or B):

Implementation of EU legislation (in particular Energy Efficiency Directive and Renewable Energy Directive) addressing the business sector

Viable business models either for the deployment of specific solutions or for industrial energy cooperation ready to be rolled out on the market

Industrial actors integrating sustainable energy solutions in their processes

Deployment of energy related infrastructure, energy services, and/or energy exchanges contributing to the clean energy transition of businesses

Sustainable energy technological solutions adapted to meet industrial processes demands

Acceleration and streamlining of projects to foster clean, affordable and sustainable energy use at regional/local level

In terms of quantitative impact, proposals should quantify their results and impacts using the indicators provided for the topic, when they are relevant for the proposed activities. Proposals are not expected to address all the listed impacts and indicators. The results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project. Depending on the scope (A or B) and as relevant, the quantitative indicators for this topic include:

Number of standardised technological solutions co-designed to the needs of a specific industrial sector

Number of new installations of net-zero energy technologies triggered by the project (including commitments)

Number of investment plans within industrial clusters endorsed by the relevant stakeholders (e.g. through Memorandum of Understanding)

Number of companies implementing energy cooperation approaches

Number of key actors along the value chains with improved skills/knowledge triggered during the action, broken down by relevant categories

Number of relevant stakeholders approached and mobilised, broken down by relevant categories.

Proposals should also provide indicators which are specific to their proposed activities.

Proposals submitted under this topic should also quantify their impacts related to the following common indicators for the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme:

Primary energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year

Final energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year

Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year)

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (in tCO2-eq/year)

Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro).

Funding rate

Other Action Grants (OAGs) — 95%

Objective:

The overall objective of this topic is to support the competitiveness, clean energy transition and decarbonisation of industry by bridging the gap between the demand and supply side of net-zero energy technologies as well as by fostering collaborative approaches among companies operating in physical proximity.

In 2023, the industry sector made up 25% of the total EU-27 final energy consumption, out of which energy-intensive companies account for almost 40%. Exposure to energy prices, increased global competition as well as potential transition risks linked to changing regulation, market demand and buyers/suppliers procurement criteria are increasing pressure on EU companies.

For this reason, modernising and decarbonising the industry sector while enhancing competitiveness remains a top priority to succeed in the clean energy transition, as highlighted in the Future of European Competitiveness report [1] . New business models and financial schemes are needed to boost the decision to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Through the Net-Zero Industry Act [2] , the European Commission is aiming to increase the manufacturing capacity of strategic net-zero technologies to meet at least 40% of the EU’s annual deployment needs by 2030. Furthermore, the Commission has adopted the Clean Industrial Deal communication [3] and the Affordable Energy Action Plan [4] with the aim, among others, to foster the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries through the establishment of cooperation initiatives (e.g. at industrial cluster level). The EU ports strategy [5] adopted on 4 March 2026 announced Commission support, including via this call for proposals, to partnerships with ports and industrial clusters promoting deployment of renewables, energy sharing, reuse of waste heat, storage solutions and the development of port-centred energy communities and integration with local heating and cooling networks.