LEAP-SE Cofund Call 2026 (EU–AU collaborative R&I on sustainable energy)

Consortia must include at least four project partners from four different countries, with at least two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries, and two independent legal entities from two different African Union countries. Each consortium must include at least one partner from the institutional research sector (for example academic, public research centre, non-profit organisation) and one partner from a commercial company, and both of these must be from participating countries. All partners requesting funding must meet their own national or regional funder rules. European organisations from non-participating countries or not eligible for their national funding may join only with their own secured funds. African organisations from countries without participating funding organisations may have limited eligibility for funding via the call’s LGI mechanism, subject to call rules and due diligence if selected.

Transnational cofunded support via national and regional funders, with a project maximum of 1.5 million euros and a partner maximum of 500k euros per project, subject to each funder’s specific rules. Typical project duration is 12 to 36 months.

LEAP-SE is a Horizon Europe cofunded programme supporting Europe–Africa collaboration on sustainable energy R&I. The 2026 call is run in two mandatory stages: a pre-proposal due 5 February 2026 at 16:00 CET, followed by an invited full proposal due 24 June 2026 at 16:00 CEST. Funded projects can include basic research, applied research, and experimental development, typically 12 to 36 months. The call scope is organised around priority areas such as renewable energy integration, end-of-life and environmental impact of RE components, smart stand-alone systems, smart grids for off-grid applications, productive-use technologies, clean cooking and cold chain, and green hydrogen. The total indicative call budget is approximately €13 million from participating funding organisations plus €3.5 million from the European Commission contribution. Maximum funding is 1.5 million euros per project and 500k euros per partner per project, noting national rules may apply different caps.