Advanced materials: a call on critical raw material substitution

A call for advanced materials that cut Europe’s dependency on critical raw materials opens on 22 September 2026. The deadline falls on 2 February 2027, the topic budget is EUR 36 million, and the contribution per project runs from EUR 6 to 7.5 million.

The topic code is HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MAT-PROD-22, the action type is Innovation Action, and the procedure runs in a single stage. It sits within the Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU and Processes4Planet partnerships under Cluster 4 of Horizon Europe.

Ukraine is associated to Horizon Europe, so Ukrainian institutions and companies apply on the same terms as European ones. This guide covers what the topic demands, the industries it names, and one restriction that applies to the whole call.

What the topic funds

The subject is reducing dependency on critical and strategic raw materials along two routes: partial or total substitution by safe and sustainable advanced materials, or more efficient use of such raw materials within production processes.

The official topic description names four expected outcomes: reduced dependency on critical raw materials, a faster innovation cycle within value chains important for European industry, stronger competitiveness alongside lower operational costs and more secure supply chains, plus new or improved production processes and products.

The industries the topic names directly

Energy, mobility, construction, electronics, medical devices and the chemical industry. So that list works as a reference point through which evaluators will read your proposal.

A practical note on focus. A project should pick one main industry and one specific substitution target, leaving the wider spectrum of critical raw materials aside. A proposal promising substitution across five industries at once reads as weak on feasibility.

Substitution has to be demonstrated

The core requirement of an Innovation Action here: substitution must be real and demonstrated by the final outcome of the project. Laboratory imitation or a calculation model falls short of it.

The topic also rests on the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework, so safety and sustainability belong in the design of the material itself.

The amounts and the number of projects funded

The overall topic budget stands at EUR 36 million. The indicative EU contribution per project runs from EUR 6 to 7.5 million, and the Commission plans to support roughly 6 projects.

What that means for your odds. Six projects across the whole of Europe is a narrow bottleneck. For comparison, neighbouring topics in the same call show a similar ratio: standardisation support funds 2 grants from EUR 5 million, and the pilot production network 2 grants from EUR 2 million. So Cluster 4 in this round works with large amounts for a small number of consortia.

The Innovation Action type means a lower funding rate for commercial participants than research actions carry. Exact rates and cost eligibility conditions appear in the general annexes of the work programme.

A restriction that applies to the whole call

The call HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 carries a destination restriction: legal entities created in China cannot take part. This covers the entire call instead of a single topic.

For a Ukrainian applicant that has a practical consequence when building a consortium. Where a Chinese entity appears in the supply chain or among technology partners, check its involvement before submitting, because at the eligibility stage it closes the proposal entirely.

Ukraine, by contrast, qualifies without reservations: it is associated to Horizon Europe, so Ukrainian legal entities are eligible for funding under the normal rules and can coordinate a consortium.

Where to start before February

From the opening on 22 September to the deadline on 2 February there are roughly four and a half months. For an industrial consortium that is tight, although workable.

• Pick one industry and one substitution target. This decision shapes the whole consortium, so take it first.
• Find an industrial partner able to carry substitution through to demonstration. An Innovation Action demands a demonstrated result, so a purely academic consortium is weak here.
• Check the supply chain against the China restriction. This is a quick check that saves months.
• Build Safe and Sustainable by Design in from the start. Retrofitting that framework at the end is impossible, because it concerns the design of the material itself.
• Calculate realistic odds. Six grants across Europe mean a proposal has to sit at the top of the ranking.

Free advice on this topic comes from the national contact point for Cluster 4. The list of NCPs in Ukraine is published openly.

The same call HORIZON-CL4-2027-01 opens neighbouring topics on the same date: advanced manufacturing for key products, factory processes for de- and re-manufacturing, circular advanced materials, textile circularity, plus a separate topic on demonstrating solutions for critical raw material substitution. If your profile sits closer to one of those, compare the competition, because some topics plan only 2 grants.