Author: PPD Team Date: 30/05/2025
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has called for Indian proposals under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) for joint projects on Waste to Renewable Hydrogen Innovation. This initiative is part of Horizon Europe’s call HORIZON-CL5-2025-04-D2-13, launched under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Working Group 2.
The programme aims to support the development of renewable hydrogen from biogenic waste, such as agricultural residues, forest biomass, and industrial wastewater, via biochemical and thermochemical methods. Proposals should focus on reducing hydrogen production costs, improving safety, and ensuring environmental and economic sustainability.
The total funding pool includes Rs 900 million from MNRE for Indian participants and EUR 10 million from the EU side. Up to two coordinated projects may be awarded, each with a cap of Rs 450 million for Indian partners and EUR 5 million for European consortia. Projects must be jointly developed and implemented, with aligned start dates and durations of 36 or 48 months.
Indian consortia must consist of at least three independent legal entities. Eligible participants include academic institutions, publicly funded R&D labs, autonomous organisations, recognised industry associations, and registered Indian companies. MNRE will fund up to 100% of costs for public institutions and up to 80% for eligible private sector entities, depending on enterprise size. Industry funding will be disbursed on a reimbursement basis.
Supported cost categories include personnel, equipment, consumables, travel, overheads, and workshops. Non-recurring costs such as equipment are capped at 30% of the project budget. Subcontracting is capped at 20% and must be undertaken within India.
Proposals must demonstrate a balanced collaboration with EU partners and cover aspects such as feedstock availability, cost analysis, environmental and socio-economic impact, safety planning, and techno-economic feasibility. A life-cycle assessment is required to compare the proposed pathways with existing hydrogen production methods.
Proposal submission deadlines are:
- European coordinators: 2 September 2025 (via Horizon Europe portal)
- Indian coordinators: 5 September 2025 (via MNRE R&D portal)
Indian applicants must upload the same technical proposal submitted on the Horizon Europe portal, along with administrative and financial details in Indian rupees. Required documents include consolidated and partner-level budgets, investigator certificates, institutional endorsements, and audited financial records.
All selected projects must commence by June 2026. Each consortium is required to sign an agreement covering roles, responsibilities, and intellectual property rights. MNRE will monitor progress and reserves the right to revise budgets during evaluation based on justification and compliance with its funding rules.