Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (IA)

The Horizon Europe program supports transnational research and innovation projects within the call "Development of safe and sustainable alternatives to substances of concern (IA)" aimed at developing safe and sustainable substitution solutions for substances of concern. With a budget of €6–7.5 million per project and a duration of 36 months, research consortia consisting of companies, universities, research institutes, and start-ups are supported. The focus is on applications in the sectors of energy, mobility, construction, electronics, technical textiles, and medical devices. The consistent application of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework is mandatory to exclude environmental risks and health hazards already in the early innovation phase. Furthermore, the submission of a well-founded business case and an exploitation strategy is required to ensure rapid market entry and competitiveness.

Prerequisites for a successful application include the formation of a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from different EU Member States or associated countries. Eligible costs include personnel and material costs as well as subcontracting services, with funding rates of up to 70%. The submission deadlines for the single-stage phase are 17 March 2026 and 13 October 2026. Applications are submitted in two parts via the Funding & Tenders Portal, supplemented by the Ethics Self-Assessment, a financial plan, and the Horizon Europe application forms Part A and Part B. In the competitive evaluation, the level of innovation, contribution to the SSbD approach, research excellence, and industrial relevance are assessed. Due to the high funding amount and the emphasis on Safe and Sustainable by Design, this call offers attractive opportunities for consortia wishing to actively shape the industrial transition towards a circular economy and low-emission value creation.