Supporting the clean energy transition of European industry and businesses

• Accelerated clean energy transition and decarbonisation of EU industry through better alignment of technology supply and demand or via collaborative energy approaches.

• Concrete deployment of market-ready net-zero energy technologies at sector or cluster level.

• New viable business models for technology deployment and/or industrial energy cooperation, ready for market roll-out.

• Implementation of EU Energy Efficiency Directive and Renewable Energy Directive in the business sector.

• Enhanced skills and knowledge of key industrial and supply-chain actors.

• Establishment of investment pipelines, cooperation plans and governance structures endorsed by stakeholders.

• Quantifiable primary and final energy savings (GWh/year), additional renewable energy generation (GWh/year), GHG emissions reductions (t CO₂-eq/year) and triggered investments (EUR million).

• Standardised sustainable energy products adapted to industrial processes.

• High-replicability cooperation frameworks disseminated across the EU, with clear action plans sharing critical success factors.

• Long-term impacts assessed at project end and five years later, demonstrating sustained energy and climate benefits.

• Applicants must select and clearly specify either Scope A or Scope B in the introduction.

• Consortia of at least three independent beneficiaries from three different eligible countries.

• Technologies must be commercially available; no large-scale technological demonstrations or major equipment purchases are eligible (only minimal, well-justified costs).

• Proposals must include:
– Detailed analysis of sectoral barriers and starting point.
– Well-substantiated causal logic linking activities, results and impacts.
– Development and validation of business models.
– Capacity building measures (if relevant).
– Engagement strategy with representative organisations and all relevant stakeholders throughout the project.
– Convincing letters of support from targeted industrial sectors or cluster participants.
– Pipeline of investments (Scope B) or roll-out strategy with finance access (Scope A).
– Quantified results and impacts for end of project and five years thereafter, using both provided common LIFE-CET indicators and bespoke ones.

Common indicators include: number of new net-zero technology installations, actors up-skilled, cooperation plans endorsed, companies adopting cooperation, stakeholders mobilised, standardised products installed; primary/final energy savings; renewable energy generation; GHG reduction; investments triggered.