Advancing the European bio-based innovation enabled by biotechnology and biomanufacturing concepts

The European Union has announced a grant opportunity titled "Advancing the European bio-based innovation enabled by biotechnology and biomanufacturing concepts," specifically under the Horizon Europe Programme, referenced as HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07. This call aims to support projects that advance innovations within biotechnology and biomanufacturing, potentially leading to sustainable and circular bio-based value chains.

Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), universities, research institutes, non-profit organizations, and civil society stakeholders such as NGOs and consumer organizations from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Proposals are particularly encouraged to incorporate cooperation among diverse organizations including newcomers to Horizon Europe Cluster 6, and to involve civil society for stakeholder acceptance and market uptake.

The funding provided is in the form of a lump-sum grant amounting to €4 million per project, with a total budget allocation of €12 million for this call and an expectation to fund three projects. The application process follows a single-stage submission system with a deadline set for September 17, 2026, and proposals will be evaluated based on excellence, impact, and implementation quality.

Projects should focus on research, development, and validation of critical technologies in areas such as synthetic biology, gene editing, metabolic engineering, microbiome research, and biofoundry approaches. A significant emphasis is placed on the integration of digital technologies like AI and machine learning, alongside the pursuit of environmental sustainability and resource efficiency. Notably, applications related to health biotechnology and biofuels are excluded.

Cooperation with ongoing projects is encouraged, and there is an emphasis on ensuring that proposals align with the principles of the circular economy, promote decarbonization, and adhere to the 'Do no significant harm' principle concerning environmental impacts.

Overall, this funding opportunity seeks to foster collaboration and innovation in biotechnology and biomanufacturing sectors, facilitating advancements toward environmentally sustainable solutions while enhancing resource efficiency and ensuring stakeholder involvement.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals titled "Advancing the European bio-based innovation enabled by biotechnology and biomanufacturing concepts" under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Programme, specifically call 01 single stage (2026) (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01). The topic is HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07.

This is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 17 April 2026, and the deadline date is 17 September 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects are to significantly advance innovation in biotechnology, life sciences, and biomanufacturing, preparing for the deployment of bio-based and bio-inspired processes, products, and materials for sustainable, fair, safe, and circular value chains. These projects should contribute to decarbonization, industrial competitiveness, and the strategic autonomy of the EU and Associated Countries. Another expected outcome is improved environmental sustainability of bio-based solutions, with a positive impact on climate, biodiversity, and circularity of the European bioeconomy through enhanced resource efficiency.

The scope of the actions includes identifying, selecting, and developing key technologies underpinning bio-based innovation, particularly R&D in synthetic/molecular biology, gene editing, metabolic engineering, microbiome, and/or biofoundry approaches. These should cover all applications aiming at clean growth and environmental solutions, with a focus on advancing towards validation at a pilot scale. Applications in health biotechnology and biofuel/bioenergy are excluded. The proposals should ensure the integration of digital technologies like AI/Machine Learning and bioinformatics. They should also advance the convergence of biotech and life sciences with Nature-based Solutions for environmental applications, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection, aligned with bio-circular economy principles. Ensuring environmental fate, sustainability, and safety to human health and the environment is crucial. The projects should develop recommendations for policymakers and industrial actors, considering the risks and benefits of the developed solutions.

The proposals should involve SMEs as project beneficiaries and external actors, offering opportunities to newcomers in Horizon Europe Cluster 6. Engagement with civil society stakeholders like NGOs and consumer organizations is encouraged to seek stakeholder involvement and acceptance, thus advancing scale-up and facilitating future market uptake. Compliance with the ‘Do no significant harm’ (DNSH) principle is mandatory.

Proposals are encouraged to consider data, expertise, and services offered by European research infrastructures like EMSO ERIC, EU-OPENSCREEN, ELIXIR, EMBRC ERIC, and IBISBA. Efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

Cooperation with parallel projects funded under topic HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-10 is encouraged to benefit from synergies and avoid overlaps. Similarly, activities should benefit from synergies and avoid overlaps with ongoing projects, e.g., funded under topics such as HORIZON-CL6-2022-CIRCBIO-02-05-two-stage, HORIZON-CL6-2023-CIRCBIO-01, HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-14, HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-08, and HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-10.

Cooperation between all projects funded under this topic should be also foreseen, as a specific task, with an allocation of resources, for synergies.

The topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and involvement of SSH experts to enhance the societal impact of the research activities. International cooperation is encouraged.

Admissibility Conditions include proposal page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C, and evaluation and award criteria are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes, as well as the indicative timeline, are described in Annex F. The legal and financial setup of the grants, including eligible costs, will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Application forms, evaluation forms, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) are available in the Submission System. Additional guidance and documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table, guidance on lump sums, and the Horizon Europe Work Programmes for 2026-2027.

The budget overview includes various topics under the same call, with their respective budgets, stages, opening and deadline dates, contributions, and indicative number of grants. For HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07, the budget is EUR 12,000,000, and the indicative number of grants is 3, with contributions around EUR 4,000,000.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity is focused on advancing bio-based innovation through biotechnology and biomanufacturing, aiming to create sustainable and circular value chains. It encourages projects that develop and validate key technologies in synthetic biology, gene editing, and related fields, integrating digital technologies and nature-based solutions. The goal is to improve the environmental sustainability of bio-based products and processes, contributing to decarbonization and the strategic autonomy of the EU. The call emphasizes the involvement of SMEs, collaboration with other relevant projects, and the integration of social sciences and humanities expertise to maximize societal impact.

Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants include SMEs, NGOs, consumer organisations, and other legal entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The call specifically encourages the involvement of SMEs, both as project beneficiaries and external actors, and welcomes newcomers to Horizon Europe Cluster 6. Engagement with civil society stakeholders like NGOs and consumer organizations is also encouraged.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium, as it encourages cooperation between projects and involvement of various stakeholders, including SMEs, NGOs, and consumer organizations. While not explicitly stated as mandatory, the emphasis on collaboration and the nature of the activities suggest a consortium approach is highly favored.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the bioeconomy, biotechnology, life sciences, biomanufacturing, circular economy, agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and environmental solutions. It focuses on advancing bio-based and bio-inspired processes, products, and materials. Specific technologies mentioned include synthetic/molecular biology, gene editing, metabolic engineering, microbiome research, and biofoundry approaches. The program also emphasizes the integration of digital technologies like AI and machine learning.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity is open to EU member states and associated countries. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of projects ranges from research and development to validation at a pilot scale. The program encourages advancing key technologies and bio-based innovation towards pilot-scale validation to enable future exploitation.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. For example, HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 has a budget of €13,000,000 with an indicative contribution of around €6,500,000, while HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07 has a budget of €12,000,000 with an indicative contribution of around €4,000,000. Some topics, like HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-01, have a contribution range of €5,000,000 to €6,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For instance, HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 aims to award 2 grants, while HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 aims to award only 1 grant.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe typically encourages applicants to leverage other sources of funding and resources to maximize the impact of the projects.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, part of the Cluster 6 work programme for 2026, focuses on "Advancing the European bio-based innovation enabled by biotechnology and biomanufacturing concepts." It aims to fund projects that develop and validate key technologies in biotechnology, life sciences, and biomanufacturing to support sustainable, circular bio-based value chains. The call is structured around several specific topics, each with its own budget and expected outcomes, covering areas like biodiversity, circular bioeconomy, and zero pollution.

The call encourages projects that:

Advance key technologies: Focus on R&D in areas like synthetic biology, gene editing, metabolic engineering, and microbiome research.
Integrate digital technologies: Utilize AI, machine learning, and bioinformatics to enhance bio-based innovation.
Promote nature-based solutions: Converge biotech with nature-based solutions for environmental applications, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection.
Involve SMEs and stakeholders: Ensure the participation of SMEs, NGOs, consumer organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.
Adhere to sustainability principles: Comply with the 'Do no significant harm' (DNSH) principle and promote resource efficiency and circularity.
The funding is provided as lump-sum grants, and projects are expected to contribute to the EU's strategic autonomy, decarbonization goals, and industrial competitiveness. The call is open to entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially other countries with specific funding arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate and build consortia to address the complex challenges in the bioeconomy and related sectors. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of September 17, 2026.