BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call for Scaling-up & Piloting (OC2)

BIOECONOMY GIANTS OC2 cascade funding will select four seven-month pilot projects to scale up high-value bio-based products from secondary or underutilised agricultural, agri-food or forestry biomass. The total budget is €280,000 (indicative ~€70,000 per pilot) and projects must be at TRL 6–8, demonstrate active involvement of primary producers, cooperative business models, circularity, climate relevance and market potential. Standalone bioenergy and biofuel projects are excluded. The single-stage call opens 1 November 2026 and closes 31 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, with applications submitted via the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II page.

What it funds

Scope and exclusions

Four 7-month pilots to scale up and pilot high-value bio-based products derived from secondary or underutilised agricultural, agri-food or forestry biomass. Projects must demonstrate circularity, market potential and strengthen cooperative business models. Standalone bioenergy and biofuel projects are excluded.

Use the project webpage for application materials, templates and FAQs. Contact for clarifications is provided below 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Open call page and documents: bioeconomygiants.com. Contact email: giantsopencall@apre.it.

Core objective

BIOECONOMY GIANTS OC2 will fund four pilots of 7 months each to scale up and pilot high-value bio-based products derived from secondary or underutilised agricultural, agri-food and forestry biomass. The call targets solutions that are already mature (TRL 6–8), require active involvement of primary producers, strengthen cooperative business models, demonstrate circularity and market potential, and explicitly excludes standalone bioenergy and biofuel projects.

Key administrative facts

Eligible Applicant Types

The call is designed to support collaborative pilot projects that involve primary producers and cooperative business models. Eligible applicant types include: SMEs, startups, research organisations, universities, research institutes, cooperatives of primary producers (farmer cooperatives, forestry cooperatives), non-profit organisations, and potentially larger enterprises when part of a consortium that includes primary producers. Public bodies and NGOs working directly with primary producers or value chain organisation may also be relevant participants. Individual applicants acting alone are not consistent with the call emphasis on cooperation and active involvement of primary producers; therefore consortiums including producer organisations are expected.

Funding Type

Grant funding via cascade funding mechanism for pilot projects. The call allocates a total of €280,000 to support four pilots for implementation over 7 months each.

Consortium Requirement

Consortium-based proposals are strongly expected. Projects must actively involve primary producers and strengthen cooperative business models, meaning at minimum a partnership that includes producer organisations (farmers, agri-food actors, forestry stakeholders) and one or more implementation partners (SME, technology provider, research partner or cooperative). Single applicants without demonstrable primary producer involvement will not align with the stated requirements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

The call is part of a Horizon-related Joint Undertaking action and is published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Eligible beneficiaries are expected from the EU and likely associated countries under Horizon Europe/Horizon JU rules. The call text and submission portal are in English; applicants should consult the OC2 web page for precise country eligibility and cascade funding rules. The call is targeted at actors in the EU/associated region rather than international-only partnerships.

Target Sector and Technology Focus

Mentioned Countries

No specific countries are listed in the call text. The programme is part of an EU initiative and therefore targets EU and Horizon-associated countries. Applicants should use the BIOECONOMY GIANTS OC2 website for details on eligible countries and legal entities.

Project Stage (Expected maturity)

Funding Amount (Per project guidance)

Total budget available for the call is €280,000 to fund four pilots. This implies an approximate funding envelope of around €70,000 per pilot on average, although the OC2 webpage or application documents should be consulted for exact maximum and eligible cost details per pilot award.

Application Type and Submission

Single-stage open call. Applications must be submitted in English through the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II webpage: bioeconomygiants.com. Submission requires completion of Part A online, an online impact pre-assessment, and upload of Part B as a PDF.

Nature of Support

Monetary support in the form of grant funding for pilot activities. Non-financial support (noted on the project website) may also be available such as technical mentoring, networking, access to project partners and dissemination support; applicants should consult the OC2 web page and FAQ for further information.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Application Stages

Single-stage submission with one evaluation step by independent experts. Therefore applicants pass through: 1) submission (Part A online, impact pre-assessment, Part B PDF) and 2) evaluation by external experts leading to selection — equivalent to one primary stage, but administrative checks and interview/clarification steps may occur as part of evaluation.

Success Rates

The call will fund four pilots. The exact success rate depends on the number of eligible applications received; the selection of 4 winners defines a constrained success probability. Applicants should consider the small number of awards when assessing competitiveness.

Co-funding Requirement

The call documentation does not explicitly state a mandatory co-funding percentage in the scraped text. Applicants should consult the OC2 web page and the call documentation for details on eligible costs, requested co-financing requirements (if any), and reporting rules. Given typical cascade grant practice, co-funding by beneficiaries may be required or strongly recommended to demonstrate commitment.

Templates and Application Structure

Contact and Further Information

For questions, clarifications, or requests for information contact giantsopencall@apre.it. All official documents, FAQ and application guidance are hosted at the BIOECONOMY GIANTS OC2 webpage: bioeconomygiants.com.

Summary and guidance for applicants

This opportunity funds four short-term pilots to scale and pilot high-value biobased products from secondary or underutilised agricultural, agri-food and forestry biomass. Applicants must propose projects at TRL 6–8, demonstrate active involvement of primary producers and cooperative business models, show circularity and market potential, and explain expected progress during the 7-month funded period. Standalone bioenergy and biofuel projects are excluded. Prepare a consortiumed application in English, complete Part A online, submit the impact pre-assessment, and upload Part B PDF. Address the five evaluation criteria thoroughly, and consult the official OC2 webpage and FAQ for templates, exact funding per pilot, eligibility of entities and country lists, and any co-funding requirements.

Footnotes

1. 1Full application documents, templates and FAQs are available at the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II webpage: bioeconomygiants.com.

Executive summary

BIOECONOMY GIANTS OC2 is a cascade funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe project BIOECONOMY GIANTS. It will select four seven-month pilot projects that scale up and test high-value bio-based products made from secondary or underutilised agricultural, agri-food or forestry biomass. The call is aimed at solutions that have already reached technology readiness level 6 to 8 and can demonstrate practical implementation, involvement of primary producers, cooperative business models, circularity, climate relevance and market potential 1.

The total available budget is €280,000. Assuming an equal allocation, the indicative maximum support is €70,000 per selected pilot. The call information provided does not state a separate funding rate, required co-financing percentage, eligible cost categories or whether the €70,000 amount is a fixed lump sum or a maximum grant amount. These points should be confirmed in the official call documents before proposal preparation.

Call identity and status

The opportunity is a forthcoming, single-stage competitive call. It opens on 1 November 2026 and closes on 31 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. The expected participation period is seven months.

The opportunity is implemented by the BIOECONOMY GIANTS project, formally titled FosterinG collaboratIon among primAry producers and beyoNd to promoTe Sustainable growth. The project is funded under Horizon Europe topic HORIZON-JU, New forms of cooperation in agriculture and the forest-based sector, under grant agreement number 101213069.

Key facts

Total funding available is €280,000. Four pilots are expected to be funded, implying an indicative average of €70,000 per pilot.

What the funding is intended to support

The call supports pilots that move mature bio-based products toward larger-scale operation, validation and market uptake. The proposed product or process should use secondary or underutilised biomass arising from agriculture, agri-food activities or forestry. The focus is therefore on converting underused biological resources into higher-value products rather than on conventional disposal, low-value use or energy-only applications.

A credible proposal should explain the current technical solution, the pilot activities, the scale-up pathway, the expected technical and commercial results, the role of primary producers and the route toward replication or wider deployment.

Priority characteristics of a strong project

Who can apply

The supplied official opportunity information does not provide a complete legal-entity eligibility list, country eligibility rule, consortium composition rule or minimum number of participants. Accordingly, applicants should not assume that all companies, organisations or countries are eligible without checking the detailed Open Call II documents and frequently asked questions.

The substantive description indicates that the opportunity is designed for applicants capable of implementing a mature bio-based solution in cooperation with primary producers and other value-chain actors. Potential applicant profiles may include technology developers, innovative companies, SMEs, producer organisations, cooperatives, research or technology organisations, processors and other organisations involved in agricultural, agri-food or forestry bioeconomy value chains, subject to the detailed call rules.

A proposal should be structured so that the involvement of primary producers is operational and verifiable. Where the applicant is not itself a producer organisation or cooperative, it should identify the producer partners, suppliers, users or beneficiaries that will participate in the pilot and explain the basis of their commitment.

The following eligibility matters require confirmation from the call documents because they are not specified in the supplied portal extract: eligible legal entity types, eligible countries, whether single applicants are permitted, consortium requirements, whether affiliated entities may participate, restrictions on beneficiaries that have already received cascade funding, and any financial capacity or exclusion criteria.

Technical and thematic eligibility

The solution must be at TRL 6, 7 or 8 at application stage. The applicant must provide evidence supporting the starting TRL and explain the technical and operational progress expected by the end of the seven-month pilot.

Eligible concepts should concern high-value bio-based products derived from secondary or underutilised agricultural, agri-food or forestry biomass. The application should make the biomass origin, supply chain, conversion process, product characteristics and intended application clear.

Standalone bioenergy and biofuel projects are expressly excluded. A proposal may not qualify merely because it uses biomass or generates energy. The central output should be a high-value bio-based product or application consistent with the purpose of the call.

The project must contribute to cooperation involving primary producers and should show how the pilot strengthens a cooperative business model. Projects that focus only on laboratory development, without a credible pilot and implementation pathway, are likely to be poorly aligned with the call.

Funding and financial conditions

The total call budget is €280,000 and four pilots will be funded. The implied average allocation is €70,000 per project, calculated by dividing the total budget equally among the four expected awards.

The available information does not confirm whether each selected project receives exactly €70,000, whether different amounts may be awarded, or whether the amount is paid as a lump sum. It also does not specify a funding percentage, beneficiary co-financing requirement, indirect cost treatment, VAT treatment, payment schedule, pre-financing, reporting costs or rules on subcontracting and third-party support.

Applicants should prepare a realistic budget linked to the seven-month work plan. The budget should distinguish technical scale-up, pilot operation, personnel, equipment or access costs, testing, validation, producer engagement, market assessment, dissemination and project management, while complying with the detailed financial rules in the call documents.

Evaluation and selection

Eligible proposals will be assessed by independent experts against five criteria. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 5. A proposal must score at least 3 out of 5 on every criterion and at least 15 out of 25 overall. The four highest-ranked proposals will be selected, subject to the applicable eligibility and admissibility requirements.

The quality, relevance and maturity of the proposed bio-based solution, including the use of underutilised biomass and the credibility of the scale-up and pilot concept.

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted in English through the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II submission process. The application package comprises three identified components: Part A completed online, an impact pre-assessment completed online, and Part B submitted as a PDF.

Applicants should ensure that information is consistent across all components. The technical description, impact claims, TRL justification, producer involvement, work plan, budget and expected results should use the same assumptions and figures throughout the submission.

The application should be submitted before 31 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Applicants should allow time for account creation, document preparation, technical validation, file upload and resolution of any submission errors. A submission is not considered secure merely because preparation has started or a document has been uploaded.

Recommended proposal structure

Key compliance risks

The most significant risk is thematic misalignment. A proposal centred on standalone bioenergy or biofuel production should be treated as ineligible or unsuitable because those activities are expressly excluded.

A second risk is insufficient maturity evidence. Describing an early research concept without demonstrating TRL 6 to 8, an existing prototype or relevant pilot evidence would weaken the application against both the concept and implementation criteria.

A third risk is superficial producer participation. Letters of support without defined activities, benefits, resources or decision-making responsibilities may not demonstrate active involvement or a strengthened cooperative model.

A fourth risk is an unsubstantiated climate case. Applicants should avoid generic claims and instead provide a baseline, a method, assumptions and measurable indicators for the expected climate and circularity benefits.

A fifth risk is treating the seven-month period as a research programme. The work plan should focus on execution, scale-up, piloting, validation and market preparation, with results that can be delivered within the participation period.

Information to verify before submission

Overall assessment

This is a focused pilot and scale-up opportunity for mature bioeconomy solutions rather than a general research grant. The strongest applicants are likely to combine a validated TRL 6 to 8 technology with secure biomass access, a clear high-value product, committed primary producers, a credible cooperative business model and measurable climate and market impacts.

The opportunity may be particularly suitable for organisations that have already completed laboratory and prototype development and now need support for demonstration under realistic operating conditions. Applicants should approach the call as a time-limited implementation project with clearly measurable technical, environmental, cooperative and commercial outcomes.

Official submission and information sources

Applications and supporting guidance are available through the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II page BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II. The Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity page is the authoritative EU portal record EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity.

Requests for clarification may be sent to giantsopencall@apre.it. Applicants should use the official call documents and FAQ as the controlling sources for any eligibility, financial or procedural issue not specified in the portal summary.

Footnotes

1. 1The opportunity facts and submission requirements in this report are taken from the supplied BIOECONOMY GIANTS opportunity record and the official Funding and Tenders Portal source. The general Funding and Tenders Portal is the European Commission platform for finding calls and submitting proposals Funding and Tenders Portal.