Objective
Heating and cooling account for around half of global final energy use and more than 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions, yet today’s systems remain dominated by vapour-compression technologies that rely on high global warming potential refrigerants. Solid-state cooling replaces gaseous refrigerants with solid materials that undergo reversible thermal changes under electrical, magnetic, or stress fields. Among these, elastocaloric cooling, based on stress-induced thermal effects in shape memory alloys (SMAs), has shown outstanding potential for efficiency, compactness, and environmental compatibility. However, its progress is currently constrained by low specific cooling power (SCP), due to the limited heat transfer area in existing elastocaloric regenerators.
COOLWEAVE proposes a breakthrough solution: the novel elastocaloric cooling system based on porous woven regenerators. Inspired by textile architectures, woven SMAs provide a specific heat transfer area up to 30 times higher than conventional tube designs, enabling SCP values (27 W/g) and compact architectures far beyond the state of the art. The project pursues three objectives: (i) characterisation of thermo-mechanical behaviour in woven regenerators, including phase transformation and buckling; (ii) development and evaluation of single-stage devices, addressing heat transfer, flow distribution, and durability; and (iii) upscaling strategies through parallel, cascade, and hybrid configurations, culminating in real-world demonstrations.
The expected outcome is a new generation of high-SCP, scalable, sustainable cooling and heating technologies, with air conditioning as the primary target, while also offering potential in refrigeration, freezers, medical cold-chain storage, battery cooling, and heat pumps. By integrating materials science, mechanical engineering, and system-level innovation, COOLWEAVE will not only transform elastocaloric cooling but also open new frontiers in solid-state thermal management.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
76131 Karlsruhe
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.