In the context of the EU Green Deal and related policies, there is the need to speed up the green transition, including under the sectors covered by Cluster 6. Nevertheless, several socio-economic barriers impede the deployment of solutions aimed at facilitating such transition.

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• overcoming barriers to the uptake of new knowledge and innovation for the green transition under the sectors covered by Cluster 6 and propose credible pathways towards addressing these barriers;
• improved adoption of tools, methods and options by actors along value chains as well as decision makers, including local and regional authorities, to overcome the identified barriers and support the deployment of innovative solutions that facilitate the green transition.

Scope:

Under this topic, proposals should seek to address new, upcoming or unforeseen challenges related to barriers towards the green transition and propose creative or disruptive solutions to overcome them that are not covered by the other topics of Horizon Europe Cluster 6 calls in Work Programmes 2021-2022 and 2023-2024.

Proposals funded under this topic should:

• identify barriers to the uptake by end users of new knowledge and innovation for the green transition on aspects of water resilience, circular economy, biodiversity, zero pollution, and climate change;
• address factors (socio-economic, cultural, etc.) that differ across the EU and play a fundamental role in determining the acceptance of technological and social innovation solutions designed to foster the green transition;
• develop solutions to overcome identified barriers, including by taking advantage of technological and digital tools as well as innovative dissemination strategies, organisational models and educational activities. The involvement of actors as appropriate, based on the elements of the multi-actor approach, is encouraged.

Adapted to the nature, scope and type of proposed projects, proposals should convincingly explain how they will plan and/or carry out demonstration, testing or validation of developed tools and options. Proposals should also delineate the plans to develop possible future uptake and upscaling at national and EU level for possible next steps after the research project.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related innovation activities.