De-risking renewable fuel technologies through transnational pre-commercial procurement of renewable fuel industrial value chains

Quel est l’objet de cet appel ?

The topic funds a transnational pre-commercial procurement in which public and private buyers de-risk industrial value chains for essential renewable fuels, bringing them to technology readiness level 8.

Que finance cet appel ?

Scope

Exceptional effort is needed to develop, demonstrate and de-risk essential renewable fuel technologies and build their industrial value chains cost-effectively for EU needs where renewable fuels are the main long-term solution. Pre-commercial procurement of research and development, validation and possibly first deployment is seen as an effective way to de-risk this work and cross the valley of death. The action designs and brings industrial value chains of essential renewable fuel technologies to technology readiness level 8 by its end, through competitive development in phases that builds on existing knowledge from EU projects and studies.

Buyers and procurement

Transnational buyers may be public bodies plus possibly one or more private procurers that provide similar services of public interest. They jointly develop and carry out pre-commercial procurement of R&D services from several providers and designate a lead procurer to award contracts. The procurement must be open to R&D providers established in any EU Member State or Associated Country, and a broad range of public and private procurers across countries is encouraged. Examples are EU airport and port authorities and their managing bodies, aircraft operators and shipping companies, and other state, regional or local authorities and bodies governed by public law. Procurers should describe their planned approach to deployment if the procurement succeeds, for example deploying a limited set of solutions during the project and/or a deliverable preparing follow-up procurement of larger volumes. The consortium is encouraged to raise awareness among winning providers of ways to unlock investment, for example by combining contracts with support from the European Innovation Council, InvestEU or regional funds, and to involve the contracting authorities that manage or fund those schemes.

Value chains to de-risk

Value chains should rest on technologies identified in the Commission studies as able to contribute substantially to domestic commercial fuel production beyond 2030, and possibly others that can be shown at commercial scale by the end of the execution phase:

• advanced bioethanol and its processing into alcohol-to-jet fuel;
• biomass gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis;
• biomethanol for processing into methanol-to-jet fuel;
• hydrotreatment of lipids from marginal or contaminated land;
• biomass pyrolysis and upgrading or co-processing to produce biokerosene and bio heavy fuel oil;
• biomethane from anaerobic digestion, and gasification with methanation, for shipping or processing into methanol;
• e-methanol from carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen for shipping.

Value chains should use domestic sustainable feedstocks across the EU and Associated Countries and create synergies across end-use energy and transport sectors. Hydrogen as an end product is out of scope, and hydrogen used should meet EU rules on renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, which excludes fossil steam methane reforming.

Expected outcomes

All of: de-risked, cost-effective value chains of renewable fuel technologies for domestic commercial production beyond 2030, with better access to finance and market uptake; improved performance, lower environmental impact, security and competitiveness of renewable fuel technologies; shared and reduced de-risking cost by engaging several competing suppliers in parallel, avoiding supplier lock-in; better alignment of public and private research priorities and funding in support of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan action on renewable fuels and bioenergy; and evidence for policymakers to speed up permitting and increase public acceptance.

Quelle est la date limite ?

1er décembre 2026 (25 jours)

1 December 2026.