Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems

Portfolio Approach The portfolio of selected projects should lead to the development of a variety of advanced materials applied to a range of miniaturised energy harvesting modules and final integrated systems. To achieve this objective, the following factors will inform the choice of projects in the portfolio: Phenomena exploited to harvest energy from the environment (e.g. solar, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, nanotribological etc.) Composition of the proposed advanced materials, and Field of application (e.g. agriculture, automotive, health monitoring, wearables, smart city management, energy management, industrial monitoring etc.). The selected projects will be assigned to lead and/or engage in portfolio activities centred on the following priorities: benchmarking to compare proposed technologies, phenomena exploited, advanced materials used and approaches sharing scientific considerations, results on the different physical/chemical phenomena studied to advance the knowledge and foster new disclosures in the field with potential shifts in the paradigm sharing insights on integration of the modules to solve potential issues and help advance towards delivering effective operational energetically autonomous systems developing an integrated approach with different complimentary energy harvesting modules for specific use-cases and to enhance the final energy harvested, and communicating to target audiences such as corporates, investors, alongside the broader public to raise awareness on the topic with a view to accelerating the adoption of these radical innovations. Objective: Applicants to this Challenge must address all of the following objectives: The identification and development of innovative advanced materials for energy harvesting, harnessing new physical/ chemical phenomena, leading to a radical shift in application range and performance while reducing the reliance on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) The implementation of the advanced materials in a miniaturised energy harvesting module, such as, but not limited to, miniaturised solar cells, thermoelectric generators (e.g. TEG), nanotribological/ piezoelectric devices, electromagnetic wave harvesting devices Integration of the miniaturised energy harvesting modules in energetically autonomous systems (e.g. wireless integrated sensors) and Benchmarking the harvesting modules in a representative use case in a laboratory environment (TRL 4) with a view to demonstrating significant efficiency improvements, in terms of energy harvested, compared to the state of the art. Leveraging digital tools such as AI to accelerate the process of identifying, designing, fabricating, and characterising these new materials is encouraged. All proposals should also identify potential markets and the associated impacts of their innovations. Scope: Background and Scope The exponential rise in the development and deployment of IoT (Internet of Things) systems and of connected objects (~100 billion by 2025 and ~250 billion by 2030 [3] , [4] ) will in turn increase the number of sensor networks required to provide data on the ground, with estimates pointing to ~1Trillion by 2025 and ~10 trillion by 2040 A consequence of such an expansion is a commensurate increase in energy consumption coupled with detrimental impacts on environmental sustainability: studies point to the total electricity consumed by IoTs in 2040, equalling total global energy consumption at present. Moreover, the sensor networks, generally powered by batteries, will result in 80 million batteries having to be changed each day, with knock-on effects on the wider environment. Mitigating the impact of a rising number of such devices calls for solutions that will reduce energy consumption and increase the energy autonomy of connected sensors such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) and of the IoT systems integrating such sensors. This Challenge therefore focuses on the development of a new generation of advanced materials [5] to deliver miniaturised integrated energy harvesting devices, with significantly enhanced performance compared to the state of the art, that will give rise to highly effective energetically autonomous devices and systems. This Challenge supports the ambitions of the European Commission Communication “Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership [6] ”, which identified an urgent need to boost the development of advanced materials to enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy in strategic fields while addressing sustainability, circularity and safety issues. [1] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/energy/repowereu_en [2] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en [3] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-15-5584-8_3 [4] https://www.statista.com/statistics/471264/iot-number-of-connected-devices-worldwide/ [5] Advanced materials are understood as materials that are rationally designed to have (i) new or enhanced properties, and/or (ii) targeted or enhanced structural features with the objective to achieve specific or improved functional performance. This includes both new emerging manufactured materials (high tech materials), and materials that are manufactured from traditional materials (low tech materials). OECD working description on advanced materials https://one.oecd.org/document/ENV/CBC/MONO(2022)29/en/pdf [6] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/advanced-materials-industrial-leadership_en

Eligibility and submission conditions

"> General conditions 1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout In order to apply, your proposal must meet the general eligibility requirements (see Annex 2 of EIC Work Programme 2026 ) as well as specific eligibility requirements for the Challenge (please see the Topic description above). Please check for particular elements (e.g., specific application focus or technology) in the respective Challenge chapter. The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support collaborative or individual research and innovation from consortia or from single legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country (unless stated otherwise in the specific Challenge chapter). In case of a consortium your proposal must be submitted by the coordinator on behalf of the consortium. Consortia of two entities must be comprised of independent legal entities from two different Member States or Associated Countries. Consortia of three or more entities must include as beneficiaries at least three legal entities, independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows: at least one legal entity established in a Member State; and at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries. The legal entities may for example be universities, research organisations, SMEs, start-ups, natural persons. In the case of single beneficiary projects, mid-caps and larger companies will not be permitted. Applications with elements that concern the evolution of European communication networks (5G, post-5G and other technologies linked to the evolution of European communication networks) will be subject to restriction for the protection of European communication networks (see Annex II – Section B1). The standard admissibility and eligibility conditions and the eligibility of applicants from third countries are detailed in Annex 2. Proposal page limit and layout: Described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Sections 1 to 3 of the part B of your proposal, corresponding respectively to the evaluation criteria Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation, must consist of a maximum of 30 format A4 pages. Excess pages will be automatically made invisible, and will not be taken into consideration by the evaluators. Please also consult Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026 . 2. Eligible countries Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026 . 3. Other Eligibility Conditions Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026 . 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion Described in Annex 2 of the EIC Work Programme 2026 . 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026 . 5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026 and the Online Manual . 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement Described in Section II of the EIC Work Programme 2026 . 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants Please refer to the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA) used for Lump Sum EIC actions under Horizon Europe. Specific conditions Described in the EIC Work Programme 2026 . Call Documents: EIC Work Programme 2026 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Standard application form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges) Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges) Challenge Guide: Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems Model grant agreement (MGA): Lump Sum MGA Call-specific instructions Detailed budget table (HE LS) Information on clinical studies (HE) Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" Additional documents: HE Programme Guide HE Framework Programme 2021/695 HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764 EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046 Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Hivatkozott dokumentumok

EIC Work Programme 2026 Online Manual Standard application form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges) Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Pathfinder Challenges) Challenge Guide: Advanced Materials for Miniaturised Energy Harvesting Systems Lump Sum MGA Detailed budget table (HE LS) Information on clinical studies (HE) Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" HE Programme Guide Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions