Alternative biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber

The HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-03 grant aims to support research and innovation in sustainable biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber, aligning with the EU's broader bioeconomy initiatives. It calls for proposals that focus on developing sustainable alternatives to traditional rubber production methods. The grant is open for various eligible applicants, including startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutions, and public-private partnerships.

As part of Horizon Europe's Research and Innovation Actions framework, the funding type is a grant, with the overall budget for the specific topic being approximately €3.5 million per project. A consortium, involving multiple actors from different sectors, is required to address complex technical and market challenges.

Geographically, applicants must be based in EU member states or associated countries, with potential eligibility for certain non-EU entities under specific conditions. The targeted sectors for this call are biotechnology, advanced materials, and industrial processes, specifically focusing on the production of bio-based rubber.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with submissions due by September 18, 2025. Projects are expected to contribute to the circular economy by identifying sustainable rubber sources, developing bio-based solutions that achieve high yields, and validating these alternatives for end-use applications. The requirement includes in-kind contributions covering 5% of total eligible costs.

Although success rates are not explicitly stated, Horizon Europe projects generally have a competitive nature, often yielding acceptance rates between 10-20%. Proposals should demonstrate their potential market application and alignment with EU sustainability targets, focusing on resource efficiency and reduced environmental impacts from rubber production.

This funding opportunity encourages collaboration across sectors and fosters innovation to enhance the sustainability and strategic autonomy of Europe’s rubber industry.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025 program, specifically targeting "Alternative biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber" with topic ID HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-03. This call falls under the HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-JU-RIA) and utilizes the HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] model grant agreement. The call opened on April 3, 2025, and has a deadline of September 18, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time, employing a single-stage submission process. The indicative budget for this specific topic is around 3,500,000 EUR, with an expected 2 grants to be awarded.

The core objective of this call is to support the EU's broader initiatives, including the EU Initiative on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the EU Zero pollution ambition, the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the EU Industrial strategy, the EU Biodiversity strategy 2030, and the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products. Project results should contribute to a wider availability of sustainable sources for natural and bio-based synthetic rubber, enhancing European industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy. The projects should also establish competitive and robust production routes for rubber, emphasizing high environmental performance, resource efficiency, and overall sustainability. The ultimate goal is to develop biomanufactured alternatives that meet market requirements for targeted end-product applications.

The scope of the projects should address the current market situation where rubber-based products are essential in various industries, and the market is split between natural and fossil-based synthetic rubber. Natural rubber is considered a critical raw material for Europe, which relies heavily on imports. The call acknowledges the sustainability issues associated with increasing natural rubber demand, such as land use, deforestation, labor rights, and fungal diseases. It also recognizes that fossil-based synthetic rubbers are widely imported. Therefore, the call aims to diversify resource sourcing for European rubber manufacturers, ensuring compliance with the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products and focusing on sustainable natural rubber sources and bio-based synthetic rubber alternatives.

Specifically, proposals should:
1. Identify and characterize suitable sources of rubber-bearing genetic backgrounds, including plants, yeast, and microbial hosts, that can be optimized for biomanufacturing. Plant-based sources should prioritize low-ILUC (indirect land use change) solutions.
2. Develop bio-based solutions to achieve high yields of isoprenoid and/or other elastomers, utilizing modern biotechnology and biomanufacturing approaches.
3. Advance EU/AC-based production, extraction, and processing methods to improve the productivity and quality of high molecular weight natural rubber and/or other bio-based elastomers.
4. Test the suitability of biomanufactured alternatives in end-products.
5. Address environmental aspects to lower the environmental impact of rubber production in the EU/AC and globally, focusing on resource efficiency and preventing microplastics release.
6. Ensure complementarities with existing R&I projects, including those funded under Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, and BBI/CBE JU.
7. Contribute to the global discussion on the sustainability of natural rubber and developed alternatives, integrating this into the project's dissemination and exploitation plan.

Applicants should consult several reference documents, including the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2025, Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and the EU Financial Regulation. A new version of the Application Form (Part B) template is available in the Submission System as of April 4, 2025.

The general conditions for admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award, and legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Specific conditions are outlined in section 2.2.3 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2025.

Application templates are available in the Submission System, and evaluation will be based on a standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA). Additional guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and call-specific instructions in the CBE JU Call for proposals 2025.

The portal also offers partner search functionalities to help applicants find collaborators. Support is available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

In summary, this call aims to foster innovation in the bio-based rubber industry by promoting sustainable alternatives to both natural and synthetic rubber. It encourages research and development of new biomanufacturing routes, focusing on environmental impact, resource efficiency, and strategic autonomy for the European bioeconomy. The call is structured within the Horizon Europe framework, providing detailed guidelines and support resources for potential applicants.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to a variety of entities as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, encompassing entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially, under specific provisions, also from non-EU/non-Associated Countries. This suggests eligibility could extend to startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, and other legal entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities in the bio-based sector.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG], under the HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-JU-RIA).

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the nature of Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and the need for multidisciplinary approaches often favor consortia. The partner search functionality also suggests that collaborative projects are encouraged. Therefore, a consortium is likely preferred, although single applicants might be eligible if they demonstrate sufficient capacity.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries (EU/AC). However, the text mentions that 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. This indicates that entities from certain third countries may also be eligible under specific conditions.

Target Sector: The program targets the bio-based industry, specifically focusing on biotechnology and biomanufacturing related to rubber production. This includes sectors like bioeconomy, cleantech, advanced materials, and industrial processes. The specific focus is on sustainable alternatives to natural and fossil-based synthetic rubber.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions the EU and associated countries (EU/AC). It also refers to the "Global South" in the context of global discussions on sustainability, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is research and innovation actions (RIA). This suggests projects should be in the research, development, and validation stages, aiming to create new knowledge or explore the feasibility of new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. The projects should also test the suitability of the developed biomanufactured alternatives into end-products.

Funding Amount: The budget overview indicates that the topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-03 has a budget of around 3,500,000 EUR. This suggests that the funding range for individual projects under this topic is up to approximately 3.5 million EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call, as indicated by "Open For Submission" and "single-stage" in the call information.

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

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. As a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based, co-funding may be required, but this would be detailed in the specific call conditions and the Model Grant Agreement.

Summary:

This EU funding opportunity, under the HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-03 topic, aims to promote alternative biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber. It falls under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) and supports the EU's broader initiatives in biotechnology, bioeconomy, and sustainability. The call encourages projects that can identify and characterize suitable sources for rubber biomanufacturing, develop bio-based solutions for high-yield elastomer production, advance EU-based production methods, and test the suitability of biomanufactured alternatives in end-products.

The goal is to reduce reliance on imported natural rubber and fossil-based synthetic rubber, both of which have significant environmental and sustainability concerns. By fostering resource diversification and promoting sustainable sourcing, the call seeks to enhance the competitiveness and strategic autonomy of European industries.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially certain third countries, with a preference for collaborative consortia. The funding mechanism is a research and innovation action grant, with a budget of approximately 3.5 million EUR per project. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of September 18, 2025.

In essence, this opportunity is about funding research and innovation projects that can create sustainable, bio-based alternatives to conventional rubber production, contributing to a more circular and environmentally friendly economy in Europe.