CEF 2 Energy - Projects of Common and Mutual Interest 2026

Home Funding Calls for proposals Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO₂ networks - Studies Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO₂ networks - Studies CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-STUDIES Topic Calls for proposals Internal navigation General information Topic description Topic updates Conditions and documents Budget overview Partner search announcements Start submission Topic Q&As Get support General information Programme Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Call CEF 2 Energy - Projects of Common and Mutual Interest 2026 (CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI) Type of action CEF-PJG CEF Project Grants Type of MGA CEF Action Grant Budget-Based [CEF-AG] Open For Submission Deadline model Single-stage Opening date 30 April 2026 Deadline date 30 September 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time Topic description Expected Impact: As indicated in section 1 the Multi-annual Work Programme, it is expected that the financial assistance contributes to the further development and implementation of PCIs and PMIs helping to achieve the broader TEN-E policy objectives and the CEF energy policy objectives of: further integration of an efficient and competitive internal energy market, interoperability of networks across borders and sectors, facilitating decarbonisation of the economy, promoting energy efficiency and ensuring security of supply. In accordance with Recital 5 of the CEF Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 and in line with the Multi-annual Work Programme, this call for proposals aims at financing projects contributing to the goals and objectives of the European Green Deal, as well as the Paris Agreement and the 2030 climate and energy targets and the EU's mid-term and long-term objectives in terms of decarbonisation. Expected Outcome: This topic aims to enable Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) to be implemented within the framework of the deployment of trans-European networks in the energy sector. In particular, the call shall contribute to supporting energy infrastructure PCIs and PMIs that have significant socio-economic benefits and ensure greater solidarity among Member States, but which do not receive adequate financing from the market. Projects supported by this call pursue the goals and objectives of the European Green Deal, as well as the Paris Agreement and the 2030 climate and energy targets and long-term decarbonisation objectives. Therefore, financial assistance provided under this call for proposals should maximise its added value towards decarbonisation of the energy sector. The European Grids Package underlines the critical importance of energy infrastructure in the energy transition. Objective: The objective of this topic is to support and contribute to the implementation of PCIs and PMIs. Scope: This topic refers to projects for studies contributing to the preparation of the implementation of a PCI or a PMI. Studies in the meaning of CEF Energy include activities needed to prepare project implementation, such as preparatory, mapping, feasibility, evaluation, testing and validation studies, including in the form of software, and any other technical support measure, including prior action to define and develop a project and decide on its financing, site / route identification and preparation of the financial package. Only projects contributing to PCIs and PMIs as identified in the Second Union list of PCIs and PMIs shall be eligible for support through EU financial aid in the form of grants. Pursuant to Article 18 of the TEN-E Regulation, PCIs or PMIs falling under the energy infrastructure categories set out in Article 24 and Annex II of the TEN-E Regulation are eligible for EU financial assistance in the form of grants for studies. Show more Topic updates 18 August 2026 Dear applicants, please note that, as indicated in the call document, questions submitted after 18/09/2026 will not be answered. We invite you to check the available Q&As for the call on the Funding and Tenders portal. For individual questions on the Portal Submission System, please contact the IT Helpdesk. 10 July 2026 Dear applicants, please be informed that the topic Q&A section has been updated. 30 April 2026 The submission session is now available for: CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-STUDIES, CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-WORKS Show more Topic conditions and documents Conditions 1. Admissibility conditions described in section 5 of the call document. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System and in the call document. 2. Eligible countries described in section 6 of the call document. 3. Other eligibility conditions described in section 6 of the call document. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in section 7 of the call document. 5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. 5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in section 9 of the call document. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in section 4 of the call document. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in section 10 of the call document. Call document and annexes: Call document Application form templates (here for information only - the templates should be downloaded from the Portal Submission System (Start Submission > Download Part B Templates), completed, assembled and reuploaded) Standard application form (CEF-E) — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Detailed budget table per WP Letter of support/MS agreement Timetable (Gantt Chart) Environmental compliance file TEN-E compliance form Structured proposal reference The correct structured proposal reference should read “PCI/PMI code - country code(s) - S or W - M - call year - acronym” To generate the correct proposal reference: Open the form → Go to “Other questions” → Save the form → Go to “Table of contents” → Go to “General Information” → Save the form again Model Grant Agreements (MGA) CEF MGA Additional documents: CEF Regulation 2021/1153 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 TEN-E Regulation (EU) 2022/869 Work Programme 2021-2027 (CEF-E) Work Programme 2021-2027 (CEF-E) - Annex GIS User Guide Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement Show more Budget overview Topic Budget year : 2026 Stages Opening date Deadline Contributions Indicative number of grants CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-WORKS - CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects CEF-E-2026-PCI-PMI-STUDIES - CEF-PJG CEF Project Grants 600 000 000,00 € Single-stage 30 April 2026 30 September 2026 Items per page: 10 50 100 Showing 1–1 of 1 Partner search announcements 28 Searches of partners to collaborate on this topic View / Edit LEARs, Account Administrators or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into this Portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile. Start submission Need help? To access the Electronic Submission Service, please click on the submission-button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to your proposal. You will then be asked to confirm your choice, as it cannot be changed in the submission system. Upon confirmation, you will be linked to the correct entry point. To access existing draft proposals for this topic, please login to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page of the My Area section. Please select the type of your submission: CEF Project Grants [CEF-PJG], CEF Action Grant Budget-Based [CEF-AG] Start submission Topic Q&As141 item(s) found General FAQ Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, is a study about an electrolyser intended to produce hydrogen solely for industrial use (i.e. not injected into the gas grid), eligible to apply for funding? Only Projects for Common Interest or Projects of Mutual Interest, if meeting the eligibility conditions in Article 18 of the TEN-E Regulation (EU) 2022/869, are eligible to apply for... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, what is the definition of a CO2 upstream pipeline network and is it eligible for funding? Only Projects for Common Interest or Projects of Mutual Interest, if meeting the eligibility conditions in Article 18 of the TEN-E Regulation (EU) 2022/869, are eligible to apply for... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, is it possible for promoters to submit 2 applications for the same PCI/PMI, 1 for works and 1 for studies (given that it is not possible to combine both studies and works in 1 proposal), or alternatively 2 studies applications? Yes. In principle, there are no restrictions to the number of applications to be submitted for the same PCI/PMI, therefore it is possible to submit two applications – whether for wor... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, what are positive externalities? Applicants need to demonstrate positive externalities in their project specific cost-benefit analysis drawn up pursuant to Article 16(4), point (a), of the TEN-E Regulation. They sho... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, is the adoption of a cross-border cost allocation decision (CBCA) and thus the submission of an investment request a prerequisite to apply for Union financial assistance for studies? No. There is no need to have an investment request or a CBCA decision to apply for grants for studies. This requirement is only for applications for works, when applicable (PCIs and... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, should the Member State endorse a report on the progress of the action before submitting it to CINEA? Is the Member State involved in any way throughout the action implementation? The coordinator must send the reports on the progress of the action for information also to the Member States concerned or provide them with access to the project in the Portal, so t... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, if the studies phase covers the construction + operation of a sub-industrial scale installation to optimise technology in order to generate further input for the design and FEED studies, could this be all included in 1 proposal? If the construction and operation of such an installation is not research-related, but part of the preparatory studies necessary to carry out further design and design studies for th... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, structuring of the reporting periods – are there instructions how to organize them? Previously they were elaborated on a later phase when the GA was prepared. Actions are structured in reporting periods, which are independent from calendar years. The default reporting period for actions funded under this call is 24 months, the first one st... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, should the Section 3.2. “Consortium set-up” be filled-in if no consortium cooperation is planned? That section should include information on cooperation between promoters and the organisation of the project, so even if there is no formal consortium established, please provide inf... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, what are the requirements for storage projects that apply for grants for works? Do they need a cross-border cost allocation (CBCA) decision, or do they need to meet different requirements? Theconditions for applications for grants for works are set out in Article 18 of the TEN-E Regulation , especially paragraphs 2 and 4. Electricity storage projects need to provide a ... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, is there a list of the relevant national authorities in charge of the evaluation referred to in Article 18(4) for smart grids and carbon dioxide sectors of the TEN-E Regulation? The European Commission has invited Member States to indicate the relevant national authorities for the purposes of Article 18(4) of the TEN-E Regulation, with a view to making the i... Under Call CEF-E-PCI-PMI, if there are…