HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-10

Towards commercialisation of Perovskite PV and development of dedicated manufacturing equipment (EUPI-PV Partnership) -

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Expected Outcome:

The rapid development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) over the past decade makes it the most promising next generation photovoltaic technology, owing to its prominent advantages such as tuneable bandgap, high absorption coefficients, uncomplicated preparation process and considerable power conversion efficiency which has reached a certified 26.7% at cell level. Tremendous efforts in material and device engineering have also increased moisture, heat, and light-related stability. All these features render perovskite solar modules suitable for terawatt-scale energy production with a low levelised cost of electricity (LCOE). A number of companies are working on PSCs and some of them, have been establishing new pilot production lines and/or expanding production capacity. Still, the greatest challenges toward commercialisation are scaling up (including ambient manufacturing), achieving long-term stability, reducing, or eliminating the use of toxic solvents, and preventing Pb leakage into the environment.

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

  • Increase the potential for commercialisation of perovskite PV creating competitive technological know-how for the European PV industrial base;
  • Support a European economic base which is stronger, more resilient, competitive, and fit for the green and digital transitions, by reducing strategic dependencies for critical raw materials and components;
  • Support the execution of the solar energy joint research and innovation agenda[1].

Scope:

Metal halide perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention because of their low-cost fabrication and high efficiency. In addition, tandem devices, especially perovskite-Si tandems, are expected to play an important role in perovskite commercialisation. Poor stability of these devices remains however the key challenge in their path toward commercialisation. To overcome this issue, a robust encapsulation technique by employing suitable materials and structures with high barrier performance against the external environment must be developed to protect perovskite devices. Dedicated manufacturing processes and equipment need also be demonstrated. Therefore, proposals are expected to address all of the following aspects:

  • Demonstrate effective strategies to enhance the optoelectronic properties, performance and stability, and minimise the environmental impact of perovskite devices;
  • Scale-up reliable deposition of high-quality perovskite films over large areas, (overcoming the degradation of efficiency as device/module areas scale up) but also patterning and interconnections to connect individual cells into modules;
  • Demonstrate internal and external encapsulation structures as protection from extrinsic environmental stressors, such as moisture, oxygen, heat, and illumination;
  • Develop module designs considering recyclability requirements and restrictions as to the control and management of toxic Pb2+ that could be produced by the irreversible deterioration of the perovskite materials;
  • Assess performance and reliability according to international standards and compared with well-established PV technologies; develop and apply test protocols for performance and reliability tailored to the features of perovskite and/or perovskite-Si tandem technology.
  • Demonstrate suitable equipment adapted to the specific requirements of perovskite (or perovskite-Si tandem) production process.

Proposals are expected to involve multidisciplinary consortia including at least one perovskite or equipment manufacturer.

Whenever the expected exploitation of project results entails developing, creating, manufacturing and marketing a product or process, or in creating and providing a service, the plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results must include a strategy for such exploitation. The exploitation plan should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used (in particular the Innovation Fund).

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics (EUPI-PV). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics (EUPI-PV) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

null

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

[1] Commission Staff Working Document "Solar energy joint research and innovation agenda with Member States in the context of the European Research Area (ERA)"

News flashes

2026-10-09

EVALUATION results

Published: 16 September 2025

Deadline: 17 February 2026

Available budget: EUR 318.000.000

D3-01

D3-02

D3-05

D3-07

D3-08

D3-10

D3-12

D3-13

D3-14

D3-18

D3-19

D3-20

D3-22

D3-24

D4-01

D4-02

D4-03

D4-04

D4-05

D4-06

Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls)

35

28

26

74

43

20

19

2

33

12

56

43

20

118

72

75

59

50

56

35

Number of inadmissible proposals

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

0

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

2

1

2

0

Number of ineligible proposals

0

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

30

1

0

2

2

0

0

1

1

7

Number of above-threshold proposals

20

20

11

61

20

8

13

1

17

9

10

21

15

48

34

41

39

20

13

14

Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals

(EUR/millions)

212.82

79.03

79.20

300.18

100.54

64.03

52.10

10.00

33.07

80.71

79.75

202.79

129.23

281,80

169.26

163.30

194.10

98.32

51.96

102.22

Number of proposals retained for funding

3

2

2

3

3

3

2

1

3

2

2

2

2

3

3

3

3

3

3

2

Number of proposals in the reserve list

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

0

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Funding threshold[1],[2]

14.50

15.00

13.00

15.00

13.50

14.50

15.00

12.50

14.50

14.00

15.00

15.00

13.00

14.50

14.00

15.00

14.50

14.00

14.00

14.50

Ranking distribution

Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14

9

11

1

10

2

4

7

0

5

2

4

7

0

15

8

11

10

3

3

5

Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13

6

3

2

19

5

3

3

0

5

5

3

7

3

17

3

9

7

3

2

7

Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 10

5

6

8

32

13

1

3

1

7

2

3

7

12

16

23

21

22

14

8

2

[1] Proposals with the same score were ranked according to the priority order procedure set out in the call conditions (for HE, in the General Annexes to the Work Programme or specific arrangements in the specific call/topic conditions).

To determine the ranking for ‘Innovation actions’, the score for ‘Impact’ is given a weight of 1.5.

[2] According to the specific condition of HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-01, to ensure a balanced portfolio coverage, grants are awarded to proposals not only in order of ranking but at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within the area of liquid advanced biofuels and at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within the area of liquid renewable fuels of non-biological origin, provided that proposals attain all thresholds (and subject to available budget).

According to the specific condition of HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-05, to ensure a balanced portfolio coverage, grants are awarded to proposals not only in order of ranking but at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within the area of concentrated solar power (CSP) and at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within the area of solar thermal heat and/or cold, provided that proposals attain all thresholds (and subject to available budget). Therefore, additional proposals are retained for funding to fulfil this condition.

According to the specific condition of HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-08, to ensure a balanced portfolio coverage, grants are awarded to applications not only in order of ranking, but priority will be given to high-ranking proposals that ensure, collectively, the best coverage of the different European sea basins (Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea), provided that the proposals attain all thresholds. Therefore, additional proposals are retained for funding to fulfil this condition.

According to the specific condition of HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-14, to ensure a balanced portfolio coverage, grants are awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to one project that is the highest ranked within area 1., 2. or 3., provided that the applications attain all thresholds. Therefore, additional proposals are retained for funding to fulfil this condition.

According to the specific condition of HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-24, to ensure a balanced portfolio coverage of both (i) point-source capture and (ii) direct air capture technologies, grants are awarded to not only in order of ranking but at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within each area, provided they attain all thresholds (and subject to available budget).

Summary of observer report:

The process was professionally organized and executed with rigor. It was fair, impartial, expertise-driven, and transparently documented at every step. Consensus Reports, the definitive outputs of the evaluation, consistently met high quality standards, closely aligned with the published and communicated guidance, and complied with all applicable rules. Panels were composed to ensure balanced expertise, and newly introduced Vice-Chairs facilitated discussions that were structured, respectful, and evidence-based. Divergent assessments were addressed through focused, criterion-by-criterion debate, and rationales were clearly recorded to ensure traceability.

Robust safeguards supported integrity and consistency. Conflict-of-interest declarations were systematically collected and enforced. Calibration briefings promoted a common understanding of scoring scales and evaluation criteria, enabling consistent judgments across proposals and panels. Quality control mechanisms, including cross-checks, effectively harmonized outcomes without compromising the independence of assessments. Confidentiality was maintained throughout. Access controls in the SEP system and teleconferencing platforms were appropriate, data handling was secure, and sensitive information was treated with due care.

Operationally, the evaluation benefited from clear timelines, timely support to evaluators, and a reliable digital infrastructure. The documentation was complete and accessible, and the SEP system provided full transparency over inputs and decisions. Overall, the exercise adhered to its core principle, namely impartiality, fairness, and confidentiality throughout. The resulting evaluation summary reports and ranking list are consistent, well-reasoned, and aligned with the guiding documents.

We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.

For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.

2026-10-09

PROPOSAL NUMBERS  

Call HORIZON-CL5-2026-02 has closed on the 17/02/2026 (17:00). 

876 proposals have been submitted. 

The breakdown per topic is: 

  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-01: 35 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-02: 28 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-05: 26 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-07: 74 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-08: 43 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-10: 20 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-12: 19 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-13: 2 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-14: 33 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-18: 12 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-19: 56 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-20: 43 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-22: 20 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-24: 118 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-01: 71 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-02: 75 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-03: 60 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-04: 50 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-05: 56 
  • HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-06: 35 

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in May 2026.

2026-10-09

As call HORIZON-CL5-2026-02 is from the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, the following General Annexes apply:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2025/wp-14-general-annexes_horizon-2025_en.pdf

Applicants must use the dedicated versions of the application form template for their proposal that are found in the Electronic Submission Service (see section ‘Start Submission’).

call topic details
Call status: Closed
Opening date: 2025-09-16 (1 year ago)
Closing date: 2026-02-17 (7 months ago)
Procedure: single-stage

Budget: 24,000,000
Expected grants: 3
Contribution: 8,000,000 - 8,000,000
News flashes

This call topic has been appended 3 times by the EC with news.

  • 2026-10-09
    evaluation resultspublished: 16 septembe...
  • 2026-10-09
    proposal numbers  call horizon...
  • 2026-10-09
    as call horizon-cl5-2026-02 is from the...
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Showing the latest information. Found 9 versions of this call topic in the F&T portal.

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  • 2026-02-24_06-34-29
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  • 2026-01-16_06-32-29
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Outcome expected · 17 Jul 2026 (2 months ago)

Next: Grant agreement signed, 1 week from now (17 Oct 2026, estimated)

Today

Call published

17 May 2025

Work programme published

16 Jul 2025 · est.

Call opens

16 Sep 2025

Call closes

17 Feb 2026

Outcome expected

17 Jul 2026 · est.

Grant agreement signed

17 Oct 2026 · est.

Preparation Open for submission Evaluation Grant preparation Not yet reached
  1. Call published

    17 May 2025 · 1 year ago

    This topic was first published in TopicTree.

  2. Work programme published Estimated

    16 Jul 2025 · 1 year ago

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  3. Call opens

    16 Sep 2025 · 1 year ago

    Submissions can be made from this date.

  4. Call closes

    17 Feb 2026 · 7 months ago

    Deadline to submit a proposal.

  5. Outcome expected Estimated

    17 Jul 2026 · 2 months ago

    The maximum time to inform applicants of the evaluation outcome is five months after the call closes.

  6. Grant agreement signed Estimated

    17 Oct 2026 · 1 week from now

    The maximum time to sign the grant agreement is three months after applicants are informed of the outcome.

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