Improving availability of secondary raw materials through recycling (IA)

The call for proposals under Horizon Europe, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14, focuses on enhancing the availability of secondary raw materials through improved recycling processes. This initiative falls under the broader Horizon Innovation Action framework, with an estimated total budget of 28 million euros allocated for approximately four grants, each likely receiving around 7.5 million euros.

Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, the Andean Community, and other nations with which the EU has strategic partnerships on raw materials. However, participating entities must not be directly or indirectly controlled by ineligible countries, ensuring that EU strategic interests are safeguarded.

The funding is characterized as a grant under the Horizon Europe Innovation Action category, with a single-stage open application process. The submission period will open on January 6, 2026, and conclude on April 21, 2026. Projects should target Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 6-7, indicating that they should be at the development or near-commercialization stage, and demonstrate innovations in material-efficient, high-quality recycling of metals, particularly critical raw materials.

The proposed actions should cover the entire recycling value chain, including aspects such as collection, logistics, disassembly, separation, shredding, sorting, cleaning, refining, and purification of secondary raw materials, while also addressing the impact on biodiversity. Proposals are expected to include a business case and a credible exploitation strategy that outlines how the project will lead to full-scale deployment in the EU, emphasizing post-project commitments from industrial partners.

International collaboration, particularly with Ukraine, is encouraged as part of the strategy to diversify raw materials sourcing and mitigate dependency on specific regions. Applicants are recommended to include collaborations with other projects in their proposals, highlighting cross-project cooperation and joint activities.

Overall, this call represents a significant opportunity for organizations involved in the recycling sector to contribute to sustainable practices and innovations that align with the EU's goals for circular economy and raw materials security. The application process is straightforward, requiring a full proposal submission within the defined timeline. The expected success rates for obtaining funding are estimated between 10-39%, reflecting a competitive selection process given the number of anticipated applications.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14, which falls under the INDUSTRY call (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01). The topic is "Improving availability of secondary raw materials through recycling (IA)". It is a Horizon Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 06 January 2026, and the deadline date is 21 April 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of this call is to improve raw materials recycling and re-use of components and/or products from end-of-life products technologies and urban mines, including cost-effective and efficient disassembly, separation, shredding and sorting technologies for separation and recycling and the sustainable embedment of the process regarding energy, resource and water efficiency. Projects should analyze impacts on biodiversity of urban mines and subsequently propose solutions for reducing these impacts with the aim of renaturing these sites. The call also aims to improve the responsible supply of raw materials to Europe, contributing to the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) objectives (Article 1).

The scope of this call focuses on raw materials (metals only), particularly on critical raw materials. Actions should demonstrate new or improved systems located in the EU that develop material-efficient, high-quality recycling of raw materials, improved resource efficiency, and reduced impacts on biodiversity. Actions should focus on the whole chain of recycling processes and procedures, from collection, logistics, characterization, disassembly, separation, shredding, sorting, cleaning, refining, purification of secondary raw materials, and quality of produced outputs, ending with renaturation of urban mines or waste deposits. Recycling and re-use where the recycled material is of lower quality and functionality than the original material (downcycling) is not within the scope of the topic. The recycling industry based in the EU and users of recovered secondary raw materials should assume a prominent role in the proposed actions, supported by adequate allocation of resources. Actions should envisage clustering activities with other projects aiming at bioremediation, second life, re-use, repurposing, remanufacturing of products and/or components relevant selected projects for cross-projects co-operation, consultations and joint activities on cross-cutting issues and share of results as well as participating in joint meetings and communication events. To this end proposals should foresee a dedicated work package and/or task, and earmark the appropriate resources accordingly. Proposals submitted under this topic must include a business case and a credible exploitation strategy, covering all required elements as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. For TRLs 6-7, a credible strategy to achieve future full-scale deployment in the EU is expected, indicating the commitments of the industrial partners after the end of the project. International cooperation is encouraged with countries with which the EU has signed Strategic Partnerships on raw materials, especially with Ukraine.

The general conditions include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout: The page limit in part B of the General Annexes is exceptionally extended by 3 pages to include a business case and exploitation strategy. Admissibility conditions are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries: Described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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.

3. Other Eligible Conditions: Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community and countries with which the EU has concluded strategic partnerships on raw materials as well as trade agreements (or association/economic partnership or equivalent agreements, including the new Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships) containing raw materials cooperation provisions (i.e. Energy and Raw materials chapters). Proposals including legal entities which are not established in the countries that fall under the criteria above will be ineligible. Entities established in an eligible country but directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity shall not participate.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: Described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5. Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): Application form templates are available in the Submission System. The standard application form is HE RIA, IA. Evaluation form templates will be used with the necessary adaptations, and the standard evaluation form is HE RIA, IA.

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include HE MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA. Call-specific instructions and information on financial support to third parties (HE) and clinical studies (HE) are also available.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 14. Horizontal Activities, HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates that for HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14, a HORIZON Innovation Action, the budget is 28,000,000 EUR, the opening date is 2026-01-06, the deadline is 2026-04-21, the contribution is around 7,500,000 EUR, and the indicative number of grants is 4.

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This Horizon Europe call focuses on boosting the availability of secondary raw materials by enhancing recycling processes within the EU. It targets metals, especially critical ones, and seeks projects that can demonstrate improved recycling systems, resource efficiency, and reduced environmental impact, particularly on biodiversity. The call encourages projects that cover the entire recycling chain, from collection to purification, and promotes international cooperation, especially with Ukraine. To be eligible, applicants must be legal entities from specific countries, including EU member states, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community, and countries with strategic partnerships on raw materials. The call emphasizes the importance of a strong business case and exploitation strategy in proposals, and it sets aside approximately 7.5 million EUR for each of the four selected projects, aiming for a total budget of 28 million EUR for this specific topic.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types for this opportunity are legal entities established in Member States, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community and countries with which the EU has concluded strategic partnerships on raw materials as well as trade agreements (or association/economic partnership or equivalent agreements, including the new Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships) containing raw materials cooperation provisions (i.e. Energy and Raw materials chapters). Entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or a non-eligible country entity, shall not participate in the action. The recycling industry based in the EU, and users of recovered secondary raw materials should assume a prominent role in the proposed actions.

Funding Type: The funding type for this opportunity is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required for this opportunity.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility for applicants includes EU Member States, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community, and countries with which the EU has concluded strategic partnerships on raw materials, as well as countries with trade agreements containing raw materials cooperation provisions.

Target Sector: This program targets the raw materials sector, specifically metals and critical raw materials, with a focus on recycling, resource efficiency, and biodiversity. It also targets the recycling industry.

Mentioned Countries: Ukraine, EU Member States, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity is Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 6-7, with an expectation of future full-scale deployment in the EU.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €800,000 to €13,000,000. For the specific topic HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14, the contribution is around €7,500,000.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money through grants.

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

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

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

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, INDUSTRY (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01), specifically topic HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14, focuses on improving the availability of secondary raw materials through recycling. It aims to fund innovation actions that demonstrate new or improved systems for material-efficient, high-quality recycling of metals and critical raw materials within the EU. The projects should cover the entire recycling chain, from collection and logistics to purification and renaturation of urban mines, while also considering the impact on biodiversity. The call encourages international cooperation, particularly with countries having strategic partnerships with the EU on raw materials, like Ukraine. Eligible applicants are legal entities from EU Member States, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community, and countries with strategic partnerships or trade agreements with the EU that include raw materials cooperation. Projects should aim for Technology Readiness Levels 6-7 and include a business case and exploitation strategy to ensure future full-scale deployment in the EU. The funding for the HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14 topic is approximately €7,500,000, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline of April 21, 2026. This initiative is designed to enhance the EU's resilience in raw materials supply chains, support the green and digital transition, and align with the objectives of the Critical Raw Materials Act.