Europe-wide environmental benchmarking system of the industrial bioeconomy sectors

This is a Horizon Europe grant opportunity focused on establishing a Europe-wide environmental benchmarking system for industrial bioeconomy sectors. Specifically, it is part of the HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 initiative within the Coordination and Support Actions category of Horizon Europe, featuring a total funding amount of €3 million. The call for proposals is a single-stage application process scheduled to open on April 20, 2027, and close on September 22, 2027.

Eligible applicants include a diverse range of entities, such as universities, research institutions, private companies, small and medium enterprises, industrial associations, non-profits, government agencies, and technology centers, all required to form a consortium. The project aims to support industrial bio-based systems, particularly in areas like pulp and paper, bio-based chemicals, recycling of bio-based plastics, and bioremediation. It emphasizes the exclusion of food, biofuels, and health-related sectors.

The project's main objectives are to outline guidelines for industrial operators as they align with various EU directives, including the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive, the Clean Industrial Deal, and the Zero-pollution Action Plan. This involves collecting and analyzing data on innovative techniques, integrating findings into the INCITE platform and EU Bioeconomy Monitoring systems. The project seeks to engage with international cooperation, particularly in data collection, to enhance the sustainability and environmental performance of bio-based industries and facilitate a transition to a circular economy.

The opportunity presents no mandatory co-financing requirements, and while success rates are not specified, the competitive nature of the grant is indicated by the expectation of a single award under this call. The funding is provided as a lump sum, streamlining budget management for the beneficiaries. Overall, the initiative aims to foster innovative solutions and practices that reduce the environmental impact of the bioeconomy while promoting biodiversity and climate neutrality across Europe.

This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals, specifically HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04, which aims to establish a Europe-wide environmental benchmarking system for the industrial bioeconomy sectors. It falls under the HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) funding scheme with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement. The call is a single-stage process, planned to open on April 20, 2027, and close on September 22, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The budget for this specific topic is 3,000,000 EUR for the year 2027, and it is expected that around one grant will be awarded.

The successful proposal should provide guidelines to industrial operators and administrators to meet the objectives of several EU directives and action plans, including the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive, the Clean Industrial Deal, and the Zero-pollution Action Plan. It also aims to address technical goals outlined in the Communication on boosting biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU and the new EU bioeconomy strategy.

The project results are expected to contribute to the deployment of innovative circular industrial bio-based systems, including biotechnologies and biomanufacturing, within the EU bioeconomy to decrease the environmental footprint of industries, avoid harming biodiversity, and achieve climate neutrality.

The scope of the call focuses on industrial bio-based systems, excluding food/feed, biofuels/bioenergy, and health and medical devices. Proposals should establish a forum of experts and stakeholders, animate the forum to select and collect data on emerging techniques, align data collection with existing EU initiatives like INCITE and the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring, emphasize specific sectors such as pulp & paper, bio-based chemicals, and bio-based plastic recycling, include data on climate change and biodiversity, align LCA information collection with the Environmental Footprint recommendation and the SSbD Framework, and integrate collected data into the Sevilla process and the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring. International cooperation is encouraged, particularly in data collection. Synergies with other relevant projects are also encouraged.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries (as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide), other eligible conditions (described in Annex B), financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria (described in Annex C), evaluation and award criteria (described in Annex D), submission and evaluation processes (described in Annex F and the Online Manual), and an indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement (described in Annex F). The legal and financial setup of the grants involves lump sum contributions as defined in a specific decision.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the decision authorizing the use of lump sum contributions, rules for legal entity validation, and various guidance documents and online manuals.

The budget overview lists various topics under the same call, including those related to biodiversity (BIODIV) and circular bioeconomy (CIRCBIO), each with its own budget, type of action (RIA, CSA, IA), opening and deadline dates, contribution amount, and indicative number of grants.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity is about creating a system to measure and compare how well different bio-based industries are doing in terms of environmental impact. The goal is to help these industries become more sustainable and contribute to a cleaner, more environmentally friendly economy in Europe. The project involves bringing together experts to gather data and develop guidelines that can be used by companies and governments to improve the environmental performance of bio-based industries. The focus is on using innovative techniques and making sure these industries don't harm biodiversity or contribute to climate change.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include a range of entities such as academia, industry, and government, given the requirement to establish a forum of experts and stakeholders. The call is part of Horizon Europe, which generally includes universities, research institutions, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA), with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, as the proposal should establish a forum of experts and stakeholders, implying multiple participants.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes the EU and Associated Countries (AC). Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible under specific provisions, as detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The target sector is the bioeconomy, specifically industrial bio-based systems, biotechnology, and biomanufacturing. It also includes sectors like pulp & paper, bio-based chemicals, recycling of bio-based plastics, and bioremediation applications. The focus is on reducing the environmental footprint of industries and addressing climate neutrality.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions the EU and Associated Countries (AC). It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may be eligible for funding under specific provisions.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on coordination and support actions, which suggests a mature project stage aimed at benchmarking, data collection, and integration of information into existing processes like the Sevilla process and the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring. The project is expected to provide guidelines and a framework for benchmarking innovative techniques.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 is EUR 3,000,000, and the indicative number of grants is 1. Other related topics under the same call have varying budgets and indicative numbers of grants. For example, HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-04 has a budget of EUR 24,000,000 and aims to award around 3 grants.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to support the coordination and support actions.

Application Stages: The application process involves 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 HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04, the indicative number of grants is 1, suggesting a highly competitive process.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, specifically topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04, aims to foster a Europe-wide environmental benchmarking system for the industrial bioeconomy sectors. The project seeks to provide guidelines for industrial operators and administrators to align with objectives such as the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive, the Clean Industrial Deal, and the Zero-pollution Action Plan. The core activity involves establishing a forum of experts to collect and assess data on emerging techniques in industrial bio-based systems, excluding food/feed, biofuels/bioenergy, and health/medical devices. The project should align with the European Innovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions (INCITE) and the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring. International cooperation is encouraged. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant under a single-stage application process, targeting entities from academia, industry, and government within the EU and Associated Countries. The ultimate goal is to deploy innovative circular industrial bio-based systems to reduce the environmental footprint of industries, protect biodiversity, and achieve climate neutrality.