Pre-announcement: LEAP-SE 2026 Call - Europe-Africa Cooperation on Sustainable Energy | Deadline: 5 Feb. 2026
The Joint Partnership between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) is preparing to launch its second call for the funding of research and innovation (R&I) projects in the field of sustainable energy. The call is expected to open on 19 November 2025.
The Long-Term Europe-Africa Partnership on Renewable Energy (LEAP-SE) is co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme and aims to promote scientific cooperation between Europe and Africa in the field of the energy transition.
The LEAP-SE 2026 Call will focus on seven multi-annual roadmaps:
- Assessment of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and integration of RES in sustainable energy scenarios;
- End-of-life and second-life management and environmental impact of RE components;
- Smart stand-alone systems;
- Smart grid (different scales) for off grid application;
- Processes and appliances for productive uses (agriculture, mobility and industry);
- Innovative solutions for priority domestic uses (clean cooking and cold chain);
- Production and utilization of Green Hydrogen.
Each project consortium must include partners from at least four countries across the two continents:
- at least two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries participating in the call; and
- at least two independent legal entities from two different countries of the African Union.
In addition, each consortium must include at least one partner from the institutional research sector (such as a university, public research centre, or non-profit organisation) and at least one partner from the private sector (commercial company), both coming from the participating countries.
The application process will take place in two stages: the submission of pre-proposals (1st stage) by 5 February 2026; and the submission of full proposals (2nd stage) by 24 June 2026.
Portuguese entities will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). In the 2025 edition, the maximum funding granted was €150,000 for a consortium with Portuguese participation and €250,000 for a consortium with Portuguese coordination.
Detailed call conditions will be published in the official announcement to be released soon.
An online information session will be held on 24 November 2025 at 09h00 (Portuguese time). Registration is mandatory and can be completed here.
For more information about the call, please consult the official pre-announcement and the LEAP-SE Partnership website.