Lantern Grants

Large scale operational validation and upscaling of state-of-the-art (Generative) AI tools and models powering a next generation digital energy system

Funder
European Commission · Horizon Europe
Award amount
Up to €10,000,000
Deadline
March 31, 2027
Eligible countries
European Union, United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Israel, Global

Summary

Forthcoming EU call topic HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-24 · HORIZON Innovation Actions. Part of call HORIZON-CL5-2027-02: BATTERIES and ENERGY. Opens 2026-12-03; next deadline 2027-03-31. Topic page: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-CL5-2027-02-D3-24

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes: - Advanced, secure frugal (energy-, resource-, data- and cost-efficient, sustainable) AI tools for real-time grid operations (including protection), market operations (if relevant) and consumer empowerment in distributed energy systems. - A demonstrated AI development environment integrated with the upgraded digital spine of the energy system and energy-saving consumer applications. - Scaled-up capabilities for learning at edge nodes and federated systems using agent-based architectures. - A governance framework and operating model for the Gen(AI)-powered digital spine.

Scope: Building up on previous actions in Horizon Europe (e.g. the digital spine of the energy system in cluster 5 as well as cloud and edge continuum and AI data processing activities in cluster 4) and Digital Europe (Common Reference Framework for energy consumer applications across the EU, Common Energy Data Space), projects are expected to: - Validate (demo site and operational grid) and scale secure state-of-the-art specialised frugal (energy- and resource-efficient, data- and cost-efficient, locally deployed and sustainable) open-source (Generative-)AI tools and models for real-time grid (and market, if relevant) monitoring, balancing, forecasting and consumer empowerment in a distributed energy system. - Demonstrate an AI development environment within the enhanced digital spine of the energy system, including its digital twin, which should incorporate the functionality of the Common Reference Framework for energy saving applications. - Prototype and validate at scale machine…

Summary as listed by the funder. Always read the full announcement for eligibility, limits and how to apply.

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What European Union reviewers look for

  • Most Horizon Europe calls score three criteria (the ERC uses excellence alone). Excellence: clarity and ambition of the objectives, and the soundness of the methodology.
  • Impact: credible pathways to the expected outcomes, and measures to communicate and exploit results.
  • Quality and efficiency of implementation: the work plan, resources and the consortium's capacity.

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