Next generation scenarios for informing climate and sustainability transitions

Overview

Funding for research projects developing next-generation climate and sustainability scenarios to inform policy and decision-making. Targets interdisciplinary consortia advancing integrated assessment models, scenario frameworks, or policy representation to address climate mitigation, adaptation, and cross-sectoral challenges.

Who Can Apply

Consortia of legal entities (e.g., research institutions, universities, public bodies, NGOs, businesses) from eligible countries. Must include at least three independent legal entities from three different low or lower/upper-middle-income countries (World Bank classification), with standard Horizon Europe funding rules applying.

Funding Details

• Maximum grant amount: €15,000,000 per project.
• Funding form: Lump sum.
• Total budget: Not specified.

What Is Funded

Projects must address one of the following priority areas: 1. Integration of climate impacts and adaptation: Incorporating physical climate impacts, adaptation costs, and limits into mitigation pathways, including resilience testing and interaction between adaptation and mitigation. 2. Improved scenario frameworks: Expanding scenario narratives (e.g., post-growth, equity, justice) and baseline scenarios to enhance regional/local applicability, support adaptation pathways, and align with biodiversity and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 3. Improved policy representation: Enhancing granularity of policy modeling (mitigation/adaptation) with focus on implementation, geopolitical factors, trade, energy security, and recent commitments (e.g., fossil fuel phase-out, Global Methane Pledge).

Activities must include transdisciplinary collaboration, stakeholder co-design, and efforts to improve scenario uptake by policymakers, businesses, and civil society. Projects are encouraged to contribute to the European Climate and Energy Modelling Platform and support model intercomparison exercises.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

• Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 4–6 (technology validated in lab to demonstrated in relevant environment).

Key Dates

• Open date: 2026-11-16.
• Deadline: 2027-03-03.

Application Process (High-Level)

• Single-stage submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Evaluation based on award criteria (Annex D of Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes), with grants awarded to highest-ranked applications and at least two per priority area (A, B, C).

Post-Award Obligations

• Open science: Open access to new modules, models, or tools developed, including documentation, model code, and input data.
• Collaboration: Participation in clustering activities, the European Climate and Energy Modelling Platform, and model intercomparison exercises.
• International cooperation: Engagement with low and lower/upper-middle-income countries, particularly major GHG emitters (e.g., China, India, Brazil, Indonesia), for globally representative scenarios and capacity development.

Geographic Scope & Language

• Eligible countries: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries (Norway, Iceland, UK, Switzerland), and third countries as per Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
• Application language: English.

Notes

• Satellite data: If used, projects must utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
• Social sciences and humanities (SSH): Required to enhance societal impact.
• Portfolio balance: Grants will ensure coverage across all three priority areas (A, B, C).