Horizon Europe: Cluster 5

Context
The Climate, Energy and Mobility cluster will focus specifically on fostering climate action, while at the same time improving the sustainability, security and competitiveness of the energy and transport industry. Actions funded under this cluster will provide the basis for systemic change as well as shaping the necessary technological, industrial economic and societal transformations to achieve climate neutrality in an inclusive and socially fair way.
Important themes in this cluster include Climate Science, Climate transitions in Batteries and other breakthrough technologies, renewable energy, energy-efficient buildings and zero-/low-emission transport.

An introduction to Cluster 5 can be found in the slides from a recent visit from the Cluster 5 National Contact Points.

Destinations and call topics
Call topics will be grouped in the following six “Destinations” 

Please note that the topics listed are from the 2021-22 Cluster 5 Work Programme (via the EC portal).

The activities implemented under this section will enable transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society and economy through advancing Earth system science, climate neutrality pathways analysis, the development of climate adaptation solutions and climate services, supporting social science for climate and better understanding climate-ecosystems interactions. 

Expected impacts

  • Improve knowledge of the Earth system and the ability to predict and project its changes under different socio-economic and natural drivers, allowing a better estimation of the impacts of climate change and the design and evaluation of solutions and pathways for climate mitigation and adaptation and related social transformation. 
  • Contribute substantially to key international assessments such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 
  • Strengthen the European research area on climate change

This Destination covers areas that are cross-cutting by nature and which can provide solutions for climate, energy and mobility applications. Areas include batteries, hydrogen, communities and cities, early-stage break-through technologies and citizen engagement. All will contribute to impact aimed at the clean and sustainable transition of the energy and transport sectors towards climate neutrality. 

This includes activities in the areas of renewable energy; energy system, grids and storage; as well as Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage. Its aim is to foster cost-effective uninterrupted and affordable supply of energy to households and industry with a focus on variable renewables and new low carbon energy supply.

This Destination contains activities that address energy demand and particularly more efficient use of energy in buildings and industry. The work programme lists expected topic impacts for a number of calls most of which are at TRL 6 and above. 

This Destination includes topics designed to achieve zero-emission road transport; a reduction in aviation impact; low carbon solutions for the shipping sector; and to devise more effective ways to reduce emissions and their impacts through improved scientific knowledge. 

Activities are expected to contribute to the following impacts

  • Decrease numbers of transport accidents, incidents and fatalities
  • Accelerate implementation of innovative, connected, cooperative and automated mobility technologies and systems for passengers and goods
  • Further develop multimodal transport systems