EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for Call HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-02

1. Single Market Access

• 450+ million consumers & ~25 million industrial energy users create a critical demand pull for advanced biofuels and RFNBOs that no single Member State can match.

• Harmonised sustainability criteria under RED III allow a single certification to unlock sales EU-wide, lowering market‐entry costs by up to 30 % compared with multi-country certification.

• Pan-European logistics (TEN-T corridors, CO₂ shipping lanes, rail freight) enable feedstock aggregation and fuel distribution at continental scale, reducing €/GJ transport costs and de-risking supply chains.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration Potential

• The topic explicitly calls for value-chain integration “from farmer to fuel user”; EU consortia can combine:

• Baltic & Nordic lignocellulosic feedstocks

• Mediterranean agri-residues & algae

• Central-European CCU CO₂ streams

• Western EU technology suppliers & test sites

• Access to ESFRI facilities (e.g., Bioenergy & Biofuels Research Infrastructure, ECCSEL for CO₂) and living labs in multiple climates accelerates TRL rise and de-risks scaling.

• Multinational teaming improves evaluation scores under “Excellence” (breadth of knowledge) and “Impact” (geographical coverage).

3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies

• European Green Deal & Fit-for-55: Direct contribution to 42.5 % RES target and carbon-neutral industry.

• REPowerEU: Diversifies away from imported fossil fuels, strengthening energy security.

• ReFuelEU Aviation & FuelEU Maritime: Provides drop-in SAF and e-fuels that will face binding uptake quotas from 2025–2030.

• CAP & Soil Mission: Carbon-farming interfaces (biochar, regenerative practices) reinforce rural income and biodiversity goals.

• Net-Zero Industry Act: Positions advanced fuels as strategic net-zero technology eligible for accelerated permitting and additional financing.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

• EU-level fuel specifications (CEN/EN 15940, prEN for e-methanol, etc.) allow one R&D effort → 27 markets, cutting time-to-market by ~2 years.

• Common LCA rules (JRC PEF, Delegated Acts for RFNBO GHG accounting) enable comparable, bankable sustainability claims and facilitate state-aid clearance.

5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• Leverage EIT InnoEnergy, Clean Aviation, Clean Hydrogen JU (for CO₂ sources, not end-product H₂) and the Bio-Based Industries Consortium for piloting and market uptake.

• Tap into Digital Europe & GAIA-X for secure data spaces on feedstock traceability and carbon-intensity passports.

• Synergies with ERA-NETs (HITCAN, ACT CCS) and EERA Bioenergy working groups provide peer review and exploitation channels.

6. Funding Synergies & Blending

• Innovation Fund: CapEx/Opex support for first-of-a-kind plants after RIA phase.

• CEF Energy/Transport: CO₂ and biofuel transport infrastructure (ports, pipelines, multimodal hubs).

• LIFE Clean Energy & CAP Strategic Plans: Demonstrations with farming communities, soil-carbon monitoring.

• InvestEU & EIB Green Gateway: Debt/guarantees for scale-up; Horizon lump-sum de-risks the upfront research portion.

7. Scale & Systemic Impact

• Continental approach enables portfolio of feedstocks (agricultural, forest, aquatic, biogenic CO₂) resilient to local shocks.

• Cross-regional replication packages can deliver >10 Mt CO₂e annual emissions reduction by 2035, supporting 2030 and 2050 climate milestones.

• Integrated socio-techno-economic models covering all Member States inform EU-level strategic decisions (taxonomy, CfD design, carbon-border adjustment).

8. Strategic Value vs. National-Only Projects

1. Risk Diversification: Pan-EU feedstock & off-take agreements hedge geopolitical and climatic risks.

2. Economies of Scale: Shared pilots and standardisation reduce LCOF (Levelised Cost of Fuel) by 5-10 €/MWh.

3. Policy Influence: Consortium findings feed directly into EU standard-setting committees, shaping future regulation.

4. Workforce Development: Erasmus+ and Marie-Curie secondees circulate expertise, creating a mobile talent pool.

9. Actionable Recommendations for Proposers

• Build a triple-helix consortium (academia-industry-policy) spanning at least 10 Member States and 3 climatic zones.

• Map interfaces with RED III Annex IX feedstock list and include pilots that cover minimum 2 categories.

• Reserve work-packages for standard-drafting with CEN TC19/WG41 and TC411, ensuring project data directly inform new EN specs.

• Establish a Stakeholder Board with representatives from DG ENER, DG MOVE, DG AGRI, and national regulators to fast-track exploitation.

• Plan post-RIA investment pathway: Pre-select sites eligible for Innovation Fund or CEF blending and include preliminary permit dossiers.