Onboard renewable energy solutions and energy saving measures to reduce the fuel consumption of ships by at least 55% (ZEWT Partnership)

Expected Outcome:

Project’s results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Full-scale demonstration of the combined solutions aiming to reduce ship GHG intensity and energy savings by at least 55%, compared to 2008 levels.
• Development of a standardized framework to verify improvements stemming from energy efficiency measures and standardized interfacing with certification of renewable energy solutions to strengthen the implementation of FuelEU Maritime.
• Explore and establish assessment criteria, and sea-trial procedures for the combination of solutions.
• Adapt digital solutions towards standardised interface layers (hardware and software) to introduce data-driven optimisation and seamless integration.
• Facilitate the retrofitting of existing vessels with zero emission energy sources in combination with energy efficiency measures up to 2030.
• Address the safety and operational impacts on ships, ports and other land infrastructure, as well as training gaps in terms of skills and competencies necessary for the adoption and operation of these technologies onboard ships.
• Strengthen market confidence in the integration of technologies and ensure sustainability and continuation of project outputs, including the integrated technologies.
• Address possible trade-offs with air and water pollution (unintended higher NOx or Black Carbon, ammonia dispersion, etc.) linked to decarbonization (technologies and fuels).

Scope:

One of the key areas in the waterborne transport domain aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and subsequently reducing emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutants is the exploration, implementation, and assessment of renewable energy solutions and energy-saving measures. To this end, numerous advancements (e.g., electric and hybrid propulsion systems, wind-assisted propulsion technologies, hull optimization, air lubrication systems etc.) have been made across various aspects of ships. However, a high energy-efficient vessel requires addressing specific challenges despite the significant technological advancements. One of the most critical factors relates to the combination and integration of different solutions and measures that may lead to additional energy savings concerning multiple ship elements such as energy conversion, propulsion, onboard energy consumer demands (e.g., hotel loads for passenger vessels, operation equipment for offshore vessels etc.), higher-efficiency conventional or alternative power systems and others without compromising the ship’s safety and performance. Adaptability across different ship types and scalability, particularly for large vessels, are further challenges that require meticulous analysis. The shift towards zero emission entails significant investment costs, especially for small and medium-sized shipping companies, and consideration of financial viability is of paramount importance. Lastly, the absence of a concrete standardization framework poses a substantial barrier that must be adequately addressed and overcome. Proposals are expected to address all the following aspects:

• Full-scale demonstration offering combined reduction of fuel consumption of at least 55% compared to 2008 levels. Proposals should clearly define the baseline, either in case of retrofits or newbuilds, with respect to the ship’s existing or expected operational profile.
• Create a methodology estimating energy savings and reduced GHG intensity and emissions of air pollutants from each technology separately and the aggregated savings of combining these technologies in different scenarios.
• Design optimization to facilitate deployment on different ship types, with a focus on retrofit cases and replication.
• Capitalise on existing digital solutions for including energy optimization (e.g., smart control, energy management) and for seamless integration of technologies with the ship’s automation and class‑certification processes introducing and explore cyber security aspects of the developed solutions.
• Projects should consider how high amounts of data transfers for monitoring, optimization, and decision-making may pose risks in terms of data integrity, cybersecurity and propose approaches to address those risks.
• Assessment of environmental and wider benefits, including reduced emissions of air and water pollutants, and underwater noise, as well as cost-effectiveness of the combined solutions considering life-cycle assessment approaches.
• Focus on safety and operational aspects addressing any technical and operational challenges that may arise from the combination of energy efficiency solutions.
• Facilitate effective cooperation and joint training between vessel crews, ports, and shore-side emergency services to promote safety preparedness, coordinated response strategies, and best practices.

Proposals are expected to explain the contribution of their objectives, results, IP management and exploitation strategy to the EU added value creation and strategic autonomy throughout the supply and value chain, including competitiveness of the EU waterborne industry, enhancement of the EU’s R&I capacity, technological know-how capabilities and human capital, and resilience of the EU industrial and manufacturing base. Proposals are encouraged to prioritise shipyards, equipment manufacturers and providers located and/or manufacturing in the EU and EEA. This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs. Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

Submissions open on 15 December 2026.

Part of call HORIZON-CL5-2027-03

Type of action: HORIZON Innovation Actions

Programme period: 2021 - 2027

Priorities: AI, DigitalAgenda, PART-COPROGR

"> General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide .

3. Other Eligible Conditions

If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).

In line with the “ restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas ” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in the action.

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

are described in