Deadline: 10-Oct-2025
The Energy and Water Agency has launched Research and Innovation Grant Scheme for advancing sustainability and resilience in the fields of energy and water.
The focus areas for this call are: Optimizing Greywater systems; Enhancement of water circularity in industries; Smart systems for post-meter water leakage detection and/or prevention in commercial buildings; Renewable Energy Systems and Storage for Resilient Island Communities; AI-Driven Smart Systems for Optimised Clean Energy Deployment in the Manufacturing Industries; Integrated Renewable Generation and Storage Solutions for Reliable Clean Energy.
Eligible projects must have a duration of 24 to 36 months and a budget request between €120,000 and €200,000. Funding intensity will vary depending on whether partners fall within the scope of State Aid regulations and on the type of research activity conducted, with public research bodies eligible for up to 100% support for approved costs.
Eligible Costs: Personnel costs will cover experts, researchers, technicians and other supporting staff to the extent employed on the project. Instruments and equipment relate to the purchase of instruments and specialised equipment, including software and datasets required for achieving the objectives of the project, which must be purchased in a transparent manner and paid at market prices, and are eligible to the extent and for the period used for the project. Scientific information includes access to databases, publications, and participation in conferences, with such costs acquired from outside sources at arm’s length conditions. Consumables refer to materials, supplies and similar products incurred directly as a result of the project, with the overall value typically not exceeding 30% of the grant value. Subcontracted activities include project-related tasks such as consultancy, carried out by third parties under arm’s length conditions. Overheads incurred directly as a result of the project will be covered as a flat-rate of 5% of eligible costs. Infrastructure and works are limited to pilot installations, building permits, building material, labour, specialised interventions such as soil remediation or mine-clearing, and expenses related to building the operational prototype or model in a relevant environment. Contingency costs, capped at 2% of eligible costs, may cover unforeseen expenses that augment existing tasks or provide new tasks aligned with the project aims. Travel and subsistence expenses directly resulting from the project are capped at €10,000 per project.
Ineligible Costs: The following expenditure shall be considered as ineligible: expenses related to loans and interest; recoverable value added tax; expenses which are recoverable through other funding mechanisms; re-purchase of equipment originally procured through other funding mechanisms; purchase or lease of equipment from partners or their subsidiaries within the consortium; opportunity costs related to foregone production and production downtime arising from the allocation of resources to the project; any activity related to the reproduction of a commercial product or process by a physical examination of an existing system or from plans, blueprints, detailed specifications or publicly available information; standard office equipment and stationery; organisation of a conference; and purchase of land.
Eligibility of prospective applicants under this 2025 Call for Proposals is subject to the terms and conditions laid down in this document. Applicants who carry out an economic activity within the meaning of article 107 TFEU and thus fall within the scope of State Aid Rules are referred to Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/20142 as amended. In the case of conflict between these Rules of Participation and Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (as amended), it is the latter which will prevail. Eligibility for Participation: An Applicant must be in a Consortium made up of two or more Partners in which at least two (2) of the Categories represented. The Lead Partner is required to have an establishment or branch in Malta at the time of payment of the assistance. Applicants must, at the time of application, have sufficient capacity with respect to suitable qualified human resources (in addition to those that may be recruited for the project), appropriate technology acumen and financial standing to undertake such a project. Confirmation in this regard is to be provided, possibly by referencing to the primary aims and fields of activity of the applicant and past or ongoing project experiences as well as by including profiles (300 words max. per proposed individual) of key personnel.
The scheme supports projects ranging from experimental design to system prototypes, with the requirement of reaching Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 by project completion. Proposals must directly address national policy challenges in energy and water or contribute to economic competitiveness from these perspectives.
The application process will follow two stages, beginning with the submission of project proposals and expert profiles, followed by supplementary documentation and due diligence. Projects will be evaluated on excellence, impact, and implementation, with competitive ranking determining the allocation of funding. Successful applicants will be required to submit technical and financial progress reports, publish awareness articles, and ensure dissemination of project results closes on 10 October 2025.
For more information, visit Energy and Water Agency.
