Description

HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-22

Topic Description

This topic supports industrial innovation aimed at reducing Europe’s dependency on Critical and Strategic Raw Materials by developing safe, sustainable, and high-performance alternatives and advanced production processes. It is implemented under the co-programmed European Partnerships Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU (IAM4EU) and Processes4Planet.

Expected Outcome

Projects funded under this topic are expected to deliver the following results:

• Reduced reliance on Critical and Strategic Raw Materials, through partial or full substitution with safe and sustainable innovative advanced materials (IAMs) and/or through significantly improved material efficiency in industrial processes.
• Accelerated innovation cycles within key European industrial value chains.
• Enhanced industrial competitiveness, lower operational costs, and strengthened supply chain security.
• Deployment of safer and more sustainable materials and production processes, contributing to a clean, resilient, and strategically autonomous European economy.
• Demonstration of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, showing how it effectively guides innovation decisions throughout material and process development.

Scope

This topic focuses on developing alternatives that substitute or reduce the use of Critical and Strategic Raw Materials. Proposals should address the design, development, and industrial integration of Innovative Advanced Materials (IAMs) and production processes across the innovation cycle—from material (re)design to manufacturing integration.

Targeted strategic sectors may include:

• Energy
• Mobility
• Construction
• Electronics
• Medical devices
• Chemical industries

Proposals should address one or more of the following approaches:

1. Advanced Material Innovation

Design, develop, and manufacture IAMs that substitute or significantly reduce the use of CRMs/SRMs, while achieving high performance, safety, and sustainability standards.

2. Industrial Process Innovation

Develop innovative industrial processes that minimise CRM/SRM usage while improving safety, sustainability, flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

3. Co-Development Strategies

Implement integrated co-development approaches that simultaneously optimise materials and industrial processes. Proposals should demonstrate added value through concrete use cases while maintaining cross-sector relevance.

Market Relevance and Uptake

Proposals must clearly demonstrate:

• Defined industrial use cases
• Market potential and scalability
• Identification of substitution barriers
• Practical strategies to maximise substitution within targeted value chains

Where necessary, proposals should address required adaptations to existing manufacturing systems and identify solutions to overcome challenges in modifying production lines.

Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD)

Projects must demonstrate consistent application of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework throughout the innovation process. This includes:

• Transparent and traceable integration of safety and sustainability criteria
• Decision-making aligned with SSbD principles
• Commitment to sharing generated data with the Common Data Platform for Chemicals

The developed materials and processes must meet technical performance requirements while fully aligning with SSbD principles.

Business and Exploitation

Proposals must include a robust business case and exploitation strategy, outlining:

• Commercialisation pathways
• Industrial deployment plans
• Contribution to circular and resilient value chains

Cooperation and Synergies

Applicants are encouraged to:

• Collaborate with relevant ongoing projects
• Actively engage with and contribute to the EU Innovation and Substitution Hub(s)
• Allocate appropriate resources to cooperation and knowledge-sharing activities

Strategic Context

This topic contributes to Europe’s strategic objectives in:

• Reducing raw material dependencies
• Strengthening industrial resilience
• Advancing sustainable and circular production
• Supporting the green and digital transitions