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The European Heat Pump Association is urging the EU to give heat pumps a dedicated European Partnership and priority status in Horizon Europe, the proposed €175bn research and innovation programme for 2028–2034. The programme is still subject to negotiations in 2026 and 2027; no decision on the association’s request is reported.
The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) is calling on the European Commission to give heat pumps a dedicated partnership and priority status in Horizon Europe 2028–2034, the EU’s proposed €175bn research and innovation programme. The request would place the technology on a long-term funding agenda, but the programme remains subject to negotiations and the source report does not indicate that the proposal has been accepted.
The EHPA wants heat pumps to be included in a European Partnership, a programme instrument in which the EU and participating industry, research organisations and national funders agree on a shared research agenda and co-fund it over several years. The association also wants heat pumps identified as a priority area in the wider funding programme.
According to the association’s proposal, research priorities should cover cost competitiveness, environmental contribution, energy-system integration and market uptake. It points to work on improving efficiency, developing new refrigerants, reducing costs and connecting heat pumps to power grids. The proposed research scope would also include high-temperature industrial applications.
The EHPA says the partnership should cover the full range of heat-pump technologies and applications. It also proposes connecting the research effort to other EU initiatives, including work under the Strategic Energy Technology plan, heat-pump activity in the working group on buildings and industry, a continued heat pump accelerator platform and a net-zero industry academy for heat pumps.
A Long-Term Research Funding Route
A dedicated partnership could give heat-pump research a multi-year funding framework, rather than relying only on separate calls or shorter-term projects. That matters to manufacturers and research teams working on efficiency, refrigerants and industrial uses, where development and testing can require sustained investment. The EHPA argues that predictable support would help address these challenges and make the sector more competitive.
The request also concerns how the EU signals its industrial priorities. If heat pumps receive a named place in Horizon Europe, the association says, that would indicate recognition of the technology as strategic for Europe. This is the EHPA’s case for inclusion, not a decision by EU institutions. The practical effect would depend on the final programme design, funding levels and how any partnership’s research agenda is implemented.
The association is also seeking links between research funding and instruments intended to support deployment, including the proposed Industrial Decarbonisation Bank and the European Competitiveness Fund. Such links could connect technology development with industrial uptake, but the source report does not specify funding commitments or confirm how those instruments would work together.
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How Horizon Europe Is Taking Shape
Horizon Europe 2028–2034, also known as FP10, is intended to succeed the EU’s current 2021–2027 research and innovation funding cycle. The source report says the next programme was announced last year and has a proposed overall value of €175bn.
The programme’s rules and priorities are not yet settled. Legislative negotiations between EU member states and the European Parliament are scheduled to run through 2026 and 2027, with a launch targeted for January 2028. The European Partnership mechanism is one part of the proposed structure: it brings public and private participants together around shared research priorities and co-funding over several years.
Alongside a dedicated partnership, the EHPA wants heat pumps to feature across several policy and funding channels. Its proposals include a Strategic Energy Technology plan implementation working group on heat pumps and a strong focus on the technology in the existing interworking group covering buildings and industry. These are requests for a coordinated approach, not confirmed additions to the next programme.
“The association calls for heat pumps to be recognised as a dedicated thematic priority, covering the full technology and application spectrum.”
— European Heat Pump Association
No Funding Decision Yet
The available report describes an advocacy proposal, not an approved programme feature. It does not say whether the European Commission supports a dedicated heat-pump partnership, whether member states or Parliament have endorsed the request, or how much funding a partnership might receive.
The final scope and budget for Horizon Europe 2028–2034 remain subject to negotiations. It is also unclear whether the EHPA’s proposed links to other initiatives and deployment instruments would be incorporated, or what specific research calls and eligibility rules might follow. The €175bn figure refers to the programme as a whole, not to funding earmarked for heat pumps.
Negotiations Set the Next Milestones
The next formal stage is the legislative negotiation period scheduled for 2026 and 2027, when EU member states and the European Parliament will work on the shape of the next research programme. The EHPA is asking the Commission to recognise heat pumps as a thematic priority and to include them in the programme’s partnership structure.
The programme is targeted to begin in January 2028. Before then, the key developments to watch are whether heat pumps appear in negotiated priorities, whether a dedicated European Partnership is included, and whether any proposed connection to industrial and deployment funding is reflected in final programme documents. No decision or timetable for resolving the EHPA request is provided in the source report.
Key Questions
What is the EHPA asking the EU to do?
The European Heat Pump Association wants heat pumps named as a priority in Horizon Europe 2028–2034 and included in a dedicated European Partnership for research and innovation.
What is Horizon Europe 2028–2034?
Also known as FP10, it is the planned successor to the EU’s 2021–2027 research and innovation funding programme. The source report gives the proposed overall programme value as €175bn.
Has the EU approved a heat-pump partnership?
No approval is reported. The EHPA is making a request, and the programme’s priorities are still subject to negotiations between EU member states and the European Parliament.
What research does the association want funded?
The EHPA identifies work on efficiency, new refrigerants, lower costs, grid integration and high-temperature industrial applications. It also proposes priorities covering competitiveness, environmental contribution and market uptake.
When could the programme begin?
Legislative negotiations are scheduled through 2026 and 2027, and the programme is targeted to launch in January 2028. These are the reported plans; final programme details have not been settled.
Source: coolingpost.com
