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"],"keywords":["HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-01","HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01"],"sortStatus":["1"],"language":["en"],"topicConditions":["In order to apply, your proposal must meet the general eligibility requirements (see Annex 2 of EIC Work Programme 2026) as well as specific eligibility requirements for the Challenge (please see the Topic description above).
Please check for particular elements (e.g., specific application focus or technology) in the respective Challenge chapter.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative or individual research and innovation from consortia or from single legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country (unless stated otherwise in the specific Challenge chapter). In case of a consortium your proposal must be submitted by the coordinator on behalf of the consortium. Consortia of two entities must be comprised of independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries. Consortia of three or more entities must include as beneficiaries at least three legal entities, independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
The legal entities may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, natural persons. In the case of single beneficiary projects, mid-caps and larger companies will not be permitted.
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Proposal page limit and layout:
Described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Sections 1 to 3 of the part B of your proposal, corresponding respectively to the evaluation criteria Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation, must consist of a maximum of 30 format A4 pages. Excess pages will be automatically made invisible, and will not be taken into consideration by the evaluators. Please also consult Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026 and the Online Manual.
Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Please refer to the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA) used for Lump Sum EIC actions under Horizon Europe.
Described in the EIC Work Programme 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Standard application form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges)
Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges)
Challenge Guide: Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems
Call-specific instructions
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Expected Impact:
The main impacts of this Challenge will be:
Expected Outcome:
Ambitious proposals put forward under this call will:
Portfolio Approach
The portfolio of selected projects should lead to the development of a variety of advanced materials applied to a range of miniaturised energy harvesting modules and final integrated systems.
To achieve this objective, the following factors will inform the choice of projects in the portfolio:
The selected projects will be assigned to lead and/or engage in portfolio activities centred on the following priorities:
Objective:
Applicants to this Challenge must address all of the following objectives:
Leveraging digital tools such as AI to accelerate the process of identifying, designing, fabricating, and characterising these new materials is encouraged.
All proposals should also identify potential markets and the associated impacts of their innovations.
Scope:
Background and Scope
The exponential rise in the development and deployment of IoT (Internet of Things) systems and of connected objects (~100 billion by 2025 and ~250 billion by 2030[3],[4]) will in turn increase the number of sensor networks required to provide data on the ground, with estimates pointing to ~1Trillion by 2025 and ~10 trillion by 2040
A consequence of such an expansion is a commensurate increase in energy consumption coupled with detrimental impacts on environmental sustainability: studies point to the total electricity consumed by IoTs in 2040, equalling total global energy consumption at present. Moreover, the sensor networks, generally powered by batteries, will result in 80 million batteries having to be changed each day, with knock-on effects on the wider environment.
Mitigating the impact of a rising number of such devices calls for solutions that will reduce energy consumption and increase the energy autonomy of connected sensors such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and of the IoT systems integrating such sensors.
This Challenge therefore focuses on the development of a new generation of advanced materials[5] to deliver miniaturised integrated energy harvesting devices, with significantly enhanced performance compared to the state of the art, that will give rise to highly effective energetically autonomous devices and systems.
This Challenge supports the ambitions of the European Commission Communication “Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership[6]”, which identified an urgent need to boost the development of advanced materials to enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy in strategic fields while addressing sustainability, circularity and safety issues.
[1] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/energy/repowereu_en
[2] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
[3] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-15-5584-8_3
[4] https://www.statista.com/statistics/471264/iot-number-of-connected-devices-worldwide/
[5] Advanced materials are understood as materials that are rationally designed to have (i) new or enhanced properties, and/or (ii) targeted or enhanced structural features with the objective to achieve specific or improved functional performance. This includes both new emerging manufactured materials (high tech materials), and materials that are manufactured from traditional materials (low tech materials). OECD working description on advanced materials https://one.oecd.org/document/ENV/CBC/MONO(2022)29/en/pdf
[6] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/advanced-materials-industrial-leadership_en
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Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
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