Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) for robust, fast curing sealants and coatings for manufacturing and final assembly (IA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for Europe partnership)
HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-MATERIALS-43-two-stage
Funding Amount
€6.0M - €6.0M
Deadline
23/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Trusted by
What is the Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) for robust, fast curing sealants and coatings for manufacturing and final assembly (IA) (Innovative Advanced Materials for Europe partnership) Call?
Grant Description
This call supports the development of new or improved innovative advanced-materials-based coatings, functionalised surfaces and sealings to extend component lifespan under harsh or variable environmental conditions, improve recyclability and resource efficiency, reduce maintenance and overall cost of ownership, demonstrate the safe and sustainable by design framework during material development, and facilitate industrial uptake through scalability and integration into lean production processes.
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Projects are expected to:
• Support implementation of the Commission Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership.
• Prolong lifespan and performance of components/products across sectors via IAMs-based coatings, functionalised surfaces and/or sealings in challenging or harsh environments.
• Lower maintenance requirements and overall Cost of Ownership for essential structural/functional components and products.
• Reduce environmental impact through improved resource efficiency, reduced energy consumption, enhanced end-of-life recyclability and/or substitution of hazardous substances.
• Demonstrate proof-of-concept of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework during new IAM development.
• Promote industrial uptake of IAMs by enabling scalability and integration into leaner production processes.
• Support implementation of the Commission Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership.
• Prolong lifespan and performance of components/products across sectors via IAMs-based coatings, functionalised surfaces and/or sealings in challenging or harsh environments.
• Lower maintenance requirements and overall Cost of Ownership for essential structural/functional components and products.
• Reduce environmental impact through improved resource efficiency, reduced energy consumption, enhanced end-of-life recyclability and/or substitution of hazardous substances.
• Demonstrate proof-of-concept of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework during new IAM development.
• Promote industrial uptake of IAMs by enabling scalability and integration into leaner production processes.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must: 1. Develop new or improved IAMs-based coatings, functionalised surfaces or sealings that deliver:
• Enhanced recyclability/circularity (decomposable into reusable/recyclable parts);
• Reduced raw material use, production/manufacturing/disassembly costs;
• Extended lifespan and performance under complex or harsh environments;
• Lower energy consumption and environmental footprint (resource efficiency, end-of-life recyclability, hazardous substance substitution). 2. Combine multiple functionalities (e.g. fast curing, self-curing, mechanical robustness, protection from sun/rain/temperature, plus any of thermal, acoustic, magnetic, electrical, tribological). 3. Address at least two R&I priority areas:
• Rapid performance evaluation → accelerated prototyping-to-market;
• Advanced functionalised surfaces for extreme/small/large/complex geometries;
• Automated, room-temperature application processes with ≥90% reduced curing time;
• Master-batch synthesis of IAMs transferable across sectors;
• Multi-scale, multi-physics modelling to predict material degradation and release. 4. Integrate digital technologies and FAIR data practices for material design, scale-up, safety/sustainability assessment and decision-making across the IAM lifecycle. 5. Ensure full value-chain coverage (material development, validation, production, processing, use, end-of-life) and explicitly reference any existing non-developed technologies. 6. Include a credible business case and exploitation strategy for industrial uptake, detailing market targets, competitive advantages, investment needs, skills/training, anticipated TRL progression and full-scale deployment plans. 7. Build on or contribute to relevant standards/standardisation, ensure data interoperability per FAIR principles and leverage synergies with existing EU/Member State/Associated Country projects, platforms, research infrastructures and the IAM 4 EU partnership. 8. Encourage international collaboration (especially with Japan).
• Enhanced recyclability/circularity (decomposable into reusable/recyclable parts);
• Reduced raw material use, production/manufacturing/disassembly costs;
• Extended lifespan and performance under complex or harsh environments;
• Lower energy consumption and environmental footprint (resource efficiency, end-of-life recyclability, hazardous substance substitution). 2. Combine multiple functionalities (e.g. fast curing, self-curing, mechanical robustness, protection from sun/rain/temperature, plus any of thermal, acoustic, magnetic, electrical, tribological). 3. Address at least two R&I priority areas:
• Rapid performance evaluation → accelerated prototyping-to-market;
• Advanced functionalised surfaces for extreme/small/large/complex geometries;
• Automated, room-temperature application processes with ≥90% reduced curing time;
• Master-batch synthesis of IAMs transferable across sectors;
• Multi-scale, multi-physics modelling to predict material degradation and release. 4. Integrate digital technologies and FAIR data practices for material design, scale-up, safety/sustainability assessment and decision-making across the IAM lifecycle. 5. Ensure full value-chain coverage (material development, validation, production, processing, use, end-of-life) and explicitly reference any existing non-developed technologies. 6. Include a credible business case and exploitation strategy for industrial uptake, detailing market targets, competitive advantages, investment needs, skills/training, anticipated TRL progression and full-scale deployment plans. 7. Build on or contribute to relevant standards/standardisation, ensure data interoperability per FAIR principles and leverage synergies with existing EU/Member State/Associated Country projects, platforms, research infrastructures and the IAM 4 EU partnership. 8. Encourage international collaboration (especially with Japan).
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Type of Action: Horizon Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) under lump-sum grant model (HORIZON-AG-LS).
• Two-stage submission (opening 22 May 2025; Stage 1 deadline 23 Sep 2025; Stage 2 deadline 14 Apr 2026).
• Stage 1 proposals evaluated under blind evaluation pilot (no organisation names/logos in abstracts/Part B).
• Legal entities established in China are not eligible.
• Integration of gender dimension is not mandatory.
• Proposals must implement the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework (2022 Commission Recommendation).
• Mandatory inclusion of a business case, exploitation strategy, skills/training plan and standardisation/FAIR data interoperability.
• Voluntary contributions to JRC platforms (INCITE, EIGL) encouraged.
• Projects become part of the co-programmed European Partnership IAM 4 EU and must allocate resources for stakeholder coordination within this community.
• Two-stage submission (opening 22 May 2025; Stage 1 deadline 23 Sep 2025; Stage 2 deadline 14 Apr 2026).
• Stage 1 proposals evaluated under blind evaluation pilot (no organisation names/logos in abstracts/Part B).
• Legal entities established in China are not eligible.
• Integration of gender dimension is not mandatory.
• Proposals must implement the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework (2022 Commission Recommendation).
• Mandatory inclusion of a business case, exploitation strategy, skills/training plan and standardisation/FAIR data interoperability.
• Voluntary contributions to JRC platforms (INCITE, EIGL) encouraged.
• Projects become part of the co-programmed European Partnership IAM 4 EU and must allocate resources for stakeholder coordination within this community.
Important dates
Open from: 22/05/2025
Deadline:23/09/2025
Application period has ended
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