Grant opportunities for battery industry under EU’s Horizon Europe funding programme

As the global push towards clean energy accelerates, the battery supply chain is becoming a critical pillar in the transition to sustainable mobility and climate solutions. The EU’s Horizon Europe Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility programme offers significant grant opportunities designed to support innovation and development across this vital sector. One of its key priorities is advancing battery technologies to enable greener mobility and energy storage, crucial for Europe’s sustainable future.

This alert provides an overview of the key features of the programme and the potential funding available for various stages of the battery value chain. It should be noted that the current work programme is still in draft form and has not been finalised. Consequently, deadlines, budgets per priority area, and even the priorities themselves may be subject to change as the programme is finalised.

Key features

The key features of the programme include:

• Funding for projects advancing battery technologies, materials, and recycling processes;

• Support for sustainable and resilient supply chains to secure raw materials and manufacturing capabilities; and

• Encouragement of cross-sector collaboration to drive breakthroughs in energy storage and mobility solutions.

Strategic priorities

Within cluster 5, advancing battery technologies is a critical strategic priority to support Europe’s climate and energy goals. The strategic focus spans the entire battery value chain—from raw materials and advanced materials development, through manufacturing scale-up and innovative cell designs, to recycling and circular economy practices.

Battery materials and cell innovation (EUR 176.3 million total)

• Integrated production and product development for next-generation lithium-based batteries (EUR 100 million). Opening: 4 June 2026 | Deadline: 8 October 2026.

• Producing battery-grade materials for electrodes through sustainable processing and bio-based materials (EUR 28.3 million). Opening: 5 May 2026 | Deadline: 15 September 2026.

• Novel approaches towards next-generation battery concepts leveraging innovative advanced materials (EUR 48 million). Opening: 15 December 2026 | Deadline: 14 April 2027 (first stage) and 7 October 2027 (second stage).

Battery manufacturing processes and scale-up (EUR 105.8 million total)

• Large-scale demonstration of heavy-duty battery electric vehicles (EUR 68 million). Opening: 18 December 2025 | Deadline: 14 April 2026.

• Sustainable and competitive cell production techniques for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries (EUR 37.8 million). Opening: 3 December 2026 | Deadline: 31 March 2027.

Battery recycling and circular economy (EUR 42.4 million total)

• Improvement of adaptability, flexibility, and efficiency of existing recycling processes (EUR 18.8 million). Opening: 3 December 2026 | Deadline: 31 March 2027.

• Coordinated topic with India on recycling of EV batteries (EUR 9.4 million). Opening: 5 May 2026 | Deadline: 15 September 2026.

• Development of direct recycling processes (EUR 14.2 million). Opening: 18 December 2025 | Deadline: 31 March 2026.

Battery safety, testing, and performance (EUR 38.8 million total)

• Enhanced electric operation and battery durability (EUR 20 million). Opening: 15 December 2026 | Deadline: 14 April 2027.

• Demonstration for long-duration battery energy storage systems (EUR 18.8 million). Opening: 5 May 2027 | Deadline: 15 September 2027.

How Deloitte can help

Deloitte Belgium’s Global Investment and Innovation Incentives (Gi3) team, embedded within Deloitte’s Accounting, Tax and Legal practice, specialises in advising organisations on securing the right government support. Our Gi3 team is composed of scientists, engineers, and other specialists who bring deep technical expertise and practical experience to guide you through every stage of the Horizon Europe funding process. Notably, the Gi3 team has a dedicated focus on the battery industry, leveraging this expertise across Deloitte’s global grants and incentives network to maximise funding opportunities in this critical field.

Our expertise includes:

• Grants strategy development;

• Application drafting and submission;

• Document review and validation;

• Communication with funding bodies; and

• Project reporting and compliance.

Are you ready to explore how your organisation can benefit from Horizon Europe cluster 5 funding? Let’s connect and unlock these opportunities together.