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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 2028–2034, a proposed €175 billion research and innovation programme. The request is a lobbying position, not an adopted funding decision; negotiations are expected to continue through 2026 and 2027 ahead of a planned January 2028 launch.
The European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) is asking the EU to give heat pumps a dedicated European Partnership and name the technology as a priority in Horizon Europe 2028–2034, the proposed €175 billion research and innovation programme. The request is a proposal from the industry association; the programme’s final priorities and funding arrangements have not been decided.
The EHPA says a dedicated partnership would establish a long-term, predictable research agenda jointly supported by the EU and participating industry, research organisations and national funders. European Partnerships are instruments within the programme in which public and private participants commit to shared research priorities and co-fund activity over several years, according to the source report.
The association wants the research agenda to cover the full range of heat pump technologies and applications. It identifies cost competitiveness, environmental performance, energy-system integration and market uptake as areas for structuring the work. The report also lists potential research needs including improved efficiency, new refrigerants, lower costs, grid integration and high-temperature industrial applications.
Alongside a dedicated partnership, the EHPA proposes a broader set of EU measures: a heat-pump working group to implement the Strategic Energy Technology plan, a stronger focus within the working group on buildings and industry, continued support for a heat pump accelerator platform and a net-zero industry academy for heat pumps. It also calls for links to the European Competitiveness Fund and deployment funding, including the proposed Industrial Decarbonisation Bank.
A Long-Term Research Route for Heat Pumps
The request concerns more than research funding. If adopted, a dedicated European Partnership could give heat pump research a defined place in EU policy and multi-year funding, rather than relying only on broader or shorter-term programmes. That could help research organisations and companies plan work across technology development, industrial uses and deployment, though the EHPA’s proposal does not itself guarantee funding or results.
Heat pumps are used for heating and cooling in buildings and can also serve some industrial applications. The association’s proposed agenda spans equipment performance, refrigerants, connections to electricity networks and higher-temperature uses. A programme covering those areas could connect research with the practical requirements of adoption, including affordability and integration into energy systems. Those are the objectives the EHPA says it wants the partnership to address, not confirmed outcomes of the programme.
The decision also has potential implications for how the EU signals its industrial priorities. The EHPA argues that a specific, visible role for heat pumps would recognise the technology as strategic and complement support for deployment. Whether policymakers accept that case will depend on negotiations over a programme that covers research and innovation across many fields, rather than heat pumps alone.
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Horizon Europe’s Next Funding Cycle
Horizon Europe is the EU’s research and innovation framework programme. The current cycle covers 2021–2027; the next, known as FP10, is planned for 2028–2034 and is described in the source report as a €175 billion programme. It is intended to succeed the current funding cycle, but its proposed size and priorities remain subject to the legislative process.
The report says negotiations between EU member states and the European Parliament are expected to continue through 2026 and 2027. The full programme is targeted to launch in January 2028. The EHPA’s appeal therefore comes while the next framework is being shaped, before its final structure or specific partnership choices have been settled.
The association is not proposing only a standalone research instrument. Its call combines a European Partnership with coordination through existing policy and industry channels and connections to funds aimed at competitiveness and deployment. That wider approach reflects the EHPA’s stated position that heat pumps need a long-term, technology-specific place across both research and industrial policy.
“Heat pumps should be given a visible, long-term and technology-specific place in European R&I and industrial policy.”
— European Heat Pump Association, as reported by Cooling Post
Funding Priorities Still Under Negotiation
The source report describes the EHPA’s position but does not say that the European Commission, member states or Parliament have accepted it. No dedicated heat pump partnership has been confirmed, and the final Horizon Europe budget, structure and priority areas remain subject to negotiations. The proposed €175 billion figure is the programme amount cited in the report, not a confirmed allocation for heat pumps.
It is also not clear how a potential partnership would be funded, which organisations would take part, what project-selection rules would apply or how much money would be available for each research area. The report does not provide a response from the Commission or other negotiating parties, or set out competing proposals. The EHPA’s suggested supporting measures, including links to deployment funding, are likewise proposals rather than confirmed commitments.
Negotiations Set the Next Milestones
The next major step is the legislative process on Horizon Europe 2028–2034. According to the report, member states and the European Parliament are expected to negotiate the programme during 2026 and 2027. The EHPA is seeking recognition of heat pumps as a priority as those decisions take shape; the final outcome will show whether its call is reflected in the programme.
The programme is targeted to launch in January 2028. Before then, readers can expect further decisions on the framework’s overall design and research priorities. The source report does not give a specific date for a Commission response to the EHPA’s request or identify an agreed timetable for deciding whether a dedicated heat pump partnership will be established.
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 given a dedicated European Partnership to organise and co-fund research.
Has the EU approved a heat pump partnership?
No approval is reported. The partnership is an EHPA proposal, and the programme’s priorities remain under negotiation.
What research does the association want covered?
The EHPA cites efficiency, refrigerants, lower costs, grid integration and high-temperature industrial applications. It also proposes priorities around competitiveness, environmental performance, energy-system integration and market uptake.
When is the next Horizon Europe programme due to begin?
The programme covers the planned 2028–2034 cycle and is targeted to launch in January 2028. Negotiations are expected to run through 2026 and 2027, according to the source report.
Does the €175 billion figure represent heat pump funding?
No. The report gives €175 billion as the proposed size of Horizon Europe. It does not state that this amount, or a specified share of it, would be allocated to heat pumps.
Source: coolingpost.com
