SUNER-C overarching objective is to aggregate fragmented knowledge and develop the framework conditions to overcome scientific, technological, organizational and socioeconomic challenges to accelerate innovation and enable the transition of technologies for solar fuels and chemicals from laboratory and demonstrator level to large-scale industrial and broad societal application. Through a holistic approach, SUNER-C will contribute to circular economy by replacing fossil-derived fuels and chemicals by renewables and carbon recycling as key element towards the EU net-zero emissions target by 2050. SUNER-C will build upon the work of SUNERGY, a pan-European initiative on fossil-free fuels and chemicals from renewable power and solar energy, with to date over 300 supporting organisations across and beyond Europe. SUNER-C specific outcomes during the CSA will be to: develop an inclusive pan-European innovation community and eco-system on solar fuels and chemicals with global outreach, linked to political and societal needs, gathering stakeholders from different fields, sectors and disciplines around a shared vision, and coordinating with existing initiatives to ensure complementarity; develop a roadmap and a blueprint to implement it, as main drivers to identify and tackle long-term research and innovation challenges to de-fossilize society with solar fuels and chemicals; prepare the foundations for a large-scale research and innovation initiative (LSRI), ready to be launched at the end of the CSA, through an instrument to be agreed upon with the European Commission and the Member States. The LSRI will continue developing the eco-system and supporting the implementation of the roadmap, speeding up industrial and societal uptake of technologies for solar fuels and chemicals in the EU and contributing to wider, longer-term impacts, including those on “Increased autonomy in key strategic value chains for resilient industry” outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme.
Partners: Universiteit UTRECHT (NL) (Coordinator); Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) (FR); European Research Institute of Catalysis A.I.S.B.L. (ERIC) (BE); Universiteit Gent (UGent) (BE); Universiteit Leiden (LU) (NL); Uniwersytet Warszawski (UW) (PL); Fundacio Privada Institut Catala D’investigacio Química (ICIQ) (ES); Siemens Energy Global Gmbh & Co. KG (SE) (DE); DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie (DECH) (DE); Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung (fraunhofer) (DE); Carbyon (CAR) (NL); Turun Yliopisto (UTU) (FI); Ustav Fyzikalni Chemie J. Heyrovskeho (HIPC) (CZ); Uppsala Universitet (UppU) (SE); Covestro Deutschland (COV) (DE); CO2 Value Europe A.I.S.B.L. (CVE) (BE); IMDEA Energy Institute (IME) (ES); Alma Digit SRL (AD) (IT); Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC) (BE); Avantium Chemicals BV (AVT) (NL); NextChem S.p.A (NEXT) (IT); Alliance Europeenne de Recherche dans le domaine de l’Energie (EERA) (BE); Synest Idiotiki Kefalaiouchiki Etaireia (SYN) (EL); Universitatea Din Bucuresti (UB) (RO); Arcelormittal Belgium NV (AM) (BE); Vicat (VIC) (FR); Climate Action Network Europe Asbl ( (BE); Belgisch Laboratorium Van de Elektriciteitsindustrie Laborelec (ENGIE-Lab)(BE); Solvay – Rhodia Operations (Solvay) (FR); Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen (BBL) (BE).
Assoc. partner: TotalEnergies One Tech Belgium (TEOTB) (BE)
Funding Institution/Program: The project received EU funding under the grant agreement Nº 101058481
Call: HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01
Type of action: HORIZON-CSA
Period: June 2022- May 2025
IMDEA Energy Institute external funding: 70,300 €
Total EU contribution: 3,997,646 €
Web: https://sunergy-initiative.eu/suner-c/
Principal Investigators IMDEA Energy: Víctor de la Peña O’Shea & Manuel Romero
