HEDGE-IoT Open Call for SMEs and Innovators

HEDGE-IoT Open Calls are designed to empower SMEs and startups by providing financial support and resources to develop innovative, IoT-enabled, data-driven energy services within the HEDGE-IoT framework. Through the two open calls, selected third parties will have the opportunity to contribute to the project’s technological advancements and validate their solutions in real-world demonstrators.

About the Open Call 1

HEDGE-IoT Open Call 1 opens on 22nd of July, 2025 and it will close on 24th of October, 2025 at 17:00 CET.

HEDGE-IoT Open Call 1 will fund up to 12 successful applications to develop data-driven energy services. The Open Call will foster innovation through a cascade-funding mechanism.
By participating, SMEs and innovators will:

Leverage HEDGE-IoT’s distributed digital solutions.
Prove the interoperability and scalability of their solutions.
Contribute to advancing energy consumer services and the EU’s energy transition.

HEDGE-IoT Open Call 1 will distribute a total of €700,000 for financial support, with a maximum funding of €60,000 per third party.

Important Documents

Below you can find the documents you need to use in order to submit your application:

How It Works

The Open Call process follows a structured approach to ensure transparency, fairness, and efficiency:

Preparation & Publication

Guidelines and templates can be found in “Important Documents” section in this page.
Open Call details will be disseminated widely.

Application & Selection

Proposals will be evaluated based on technical excellence, innovation potential, and alignment with HEDGE-IoT goals.
An impartial panel will assess submissions.

Implementation & Support

Selected applicants will receive funding and mentorship.
Services developed will be integrated into the HEDGE-IoT framework.

Evaluation & Sustainability

Progress will be monitored to ensure objectives are met.
Solutions will be assessed for long-term viability.

Eligibility and Project Types

Who can apply?

SMEs and startups legally established in Horizon Europe participating countries.
Entities developing IoT-enabled, data-driven energy services.

What types of projects are supported?

Horizontal projects: Enhancing HEDGE-IoT’s framework, tools, and services.
Vertical projects: Advancing real-world energy consumer applications and validation scenarios.

Technical Definition of the Call

Applicants must address clearly defined technical requirements linked to real-world business cases, leveraging the HEDGE-IoT framework. The Open Calls specifically aims to enable third parties, particularly SMEs, to use the solutions developed within HEDGE-IoT as a foundation to build their innovative data-driven energy services targeting energy consumers. The technical focus is structured around fifteen main topics:

Solutions that Enhance Observability and Resiliency of the Grid (Cooperation with the Finnish Pilot)
Market Integration for Local Flexibility Services (Cooperation with the Finnish Pilot)
DER Optimization Tools (Cooperation with the Finnish Pilot)
Energy resource forecasting models – Scalable edge-level solutions enabling distributed optimization of DERs (Cooperation with the Greek Pilot)
Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring for Device-Level Visibility (Cooperation with the Greek Pilot)
AI-driven predictive flexibility pricing models – Development of dynamic pricing algorithms that optimize flexibility bids based on congestion and market conditions (Cooperation with the Greek Pilot)
DSO Perimeters for flexibility resources pre-qualification (Cooperation with the Italian Pilot)
Standardized IoT & Data‐Sharing Protocols” – Development of open APIs and middleware that enable seamless integration of smart‐grid assets for secure data exchange (Cooperation with the Dutch Pilot)
Standardized DER‐Integration Solutions for Smart Grids” – Smart control & monitoring of heat pumps, PV, batteries, V2G chargers and building equipment (Cooperation with the Dutch Pilot)
Hardware utilization for edge computing and testing facilities for HEDGE-IoT models operational testing (Cooperation with the Portuguese Pilot)
Cross-border flexibility value chain and market integration (Cooperation with the Portuguese Pilot)
Federated Learning (FL) Algorithm Validation in Energy Communities
(Cooperation with the Portuguese Pilot)
Load Disaggregation at the Substation Level (Cooperation with the Slovenian Pilot)
Integration of Data Space Connectors compliant with the new Data Space
Protocol showcasing scalability and technology agnostic connectivity
AI-Enhanced Data App Discovery & Recommendation Engine
Semantic Mapper as a Service: A cloud-native or edge-deployable toll to map proprietary or heterogeneous data schemas to the HEDGE-IoT ontologies

Financial Support & Funding Rules

Up to
€60,000
per third party.

70% of
eligible costs
covered.

Up to
25% pre-financing,
with further payments tied to milestones and deliverables.

Maximum
20% of the budget
may be allocated to equipment and consumables.

The financial support will be granted under a standard contract, ensuring:

Compliance with EU funding rules.
Protection of intellectual property rights.
Transparency in payment and reporting mechanisms.

Evaluation Criteria

Each proposal will be assessed based on the following principles:

Excellence
Innovative, high-quality proposals aligned with the Open Call objectives.

Impact

Contribution to strengthening SMEs’ market position and improving energy consumer services.

Technical Quality
Well-defined use cases, integration strategies, and implementation plans.

Work Plan
Feasibility
Clear objectives,
risk management, and resource allocation