Increasing the circularity of bio-based sector: upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits
Overview
The Horizon Europe funding opportunity titled "Increasing the circularity of bio-based sector: upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits" (HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09) is set to open on April 20, 2027, with a submission deadline of September 22, 2027. This single-stage call aims to support projects that enhance European industry's competitiveness and decarbonization by developing and deploying sustainable, circular bio-based value chains, particularly in sectors such as construction, packaging, pulp and paper, textiles, and bio-based consumer products.
Eligible applicants include private enterprises, research institutions, universities, and public-private partnerships that meet Horizon Europe criteria. The funding is structured as a lump sum grant, approximately €6 million per grant, with a total budget of €12 million for two expected grants. Projects should focus on developing circular bio-based materials and solutions, creating digital marketplaces for bio-based resources, and addressing regulatory and standardization needs.
The opportunity encourages multidisciplinary approaches involving Social Sciences and Humanities experts and fosters international collaboration. While no explicit co-funding requirement is stated, leveraging additional financing is encouraged.
Overall, this initiative represents a significant investment in supporting innovation for a sustainable and circular bioeconomy in Europe, aligning with various EU strategies and policies aimed at promoting biotechnology, sustainable resource management, and climate change mitigation.
Eligible applicants include private enterprises, research institutions, universities, and public-private partnerships that meet Horizon Europe criteria. The funding is structured as a lump sum grant, approximately €6 million per grant, with a total budget of €12 million for two expected grants. Projects should focus on developing circular bio-based materials and solutions, creating digital marketplaces for bio-based resources, and addressing regulatory and standardization needs.
The opportunity encourages multidisciplinary approaches involving Social Sciences and Humanities experts and fosters international collaboration. While no explicit co-funding requirement is stated, leveraging additional financing is encouraged.
Overall, this initiative represents a significant investment in supporting innovation for a sustainable and circular bioeconomy in Europe, aligning with various EU strategies and policies aimed at promoting biotechnology, sustainable resource management, and climate change mitigation.
Detail
This is a description of the EU funding opportunity HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09, titled "Increasing the circularity of bio-based sector: upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits." It falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically Call 01 - single stage (2027) (HORIZON-CL6-2027-01). The type of action is HORIZON-IA (HORIZON Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 20 April 2027, and the deadline for submission is 22 September 2027, 17:00:00 Brussels time.
The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic are to enhance European industry’s competitiveness, decarbonization, and strategic autonomy through the development and deployment of safe, sustainable, circular, and bio-based value chains. Additionally, the projects should contribute to improved climate change adaptation and mitigation, overall environmental sustainability, higher resource efficiency through the application of biotechnologies and industrial symbiosis, and the recovery of biological materials, water, and energy.
The scope of this funding opportunity aligns with EU policies related to the Commission communication on Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, the Life Sciences Strategy, the EU Biotech Act, Clean Industrial Deal, and the SME Strategy. It also supports the Start-ups and Scale-ups strategy. Synergies with activities under the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking and New European Bauhaus are strongly encouraged, while taking care to avoid overlaps.
The proposals should address the following activities:
Develop and deploy/scale-up safe and sustainable, circular, and bio-based materials, products, processes, and value chains. Examples include but are not limited to the construction, packaging, pulp and paper, textile sectors, or other bio-based consumer products. These should use upcycled and recycled resources incorporating secondary raw materials with minimal quality loss, aiming at best environmental performance, while increasing the uptake of recycled materials and preventing waste through repair, refurbishment, and reuse. Attention should be paid to environmental and health risks and trade-offs due to treated or impregnated bio-based materials, where relevant. The bioenergy/biofuels sector is not in scope, but synergies with this sector can be considered while respecting the cascading biomass valorization principle and aiming at industrial symbiosis.
Develop innovative new or upgraded existing circular solutions to tackle complex bio-waste streams and create markets for bio-waste materials by transforming them into valuable secondary resources, while fostering urban/rural/coastal industrial symbiosis, providing data and digital tools, and promoting a more efficient use of bio-based resources.
Develop a ‘digital marketplace’, ensuring convergence with digital technology, tools, and applications, to enhance accessibility and traceability of bio-based resources, promoting efficient and sustainable resource management.
Provide recommendations for the development of bio-based product value chains, based on the identified and analyzed needs of stakeholders in terms of national and European regulations and standards, financial incentives, professional training, etc.
While the main focus of this topic is not the gaseous carbon conversion, this technology can be considered as part of the whole value chain approach to increase environmental and economic impact, e.g. as part of the cascading biomass conversion, taking care to avoid overlaps and seek synergies. Synergy and cooperation with the parallel topics HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-02: Enhancing ecodesign and circularity of construction products and HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-02: Circularity of seafood supply chain are strongly encouraged.
Proposals are encouraged to build on the knowledge and results of completed and ongoing EU-funded projects. Cooperation between all proposals funded under this topic should also be foreseen, as a specific task, with an allocation of resources, for synergies.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) disciplines and involvement of SSH experts in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. This can cover the educational aspect, to facilitate knowledge promotion within different target groups (e.g. students, industry, society). International cooperation is encouraged.
General conditions for participation include:
Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries are 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.
Other Eligible Conditions are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
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. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). Further details are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:
Application form templates: The application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System. The standard application form (HE RIA, IA) should be used.
Evaluation form templates: These will be used with the necessary adaptations. The standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) will be used.
Guidance: The HE Programme Guide provides guidance.
Model Grant Agreements (MGA): The Lump Sum MGA is applicable.
Call-specific instructions: A detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" are available.
Additional documents include:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
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
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
The budget overview for 2027 includes several topics:
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-02 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 7,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-03 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-04 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 24,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 8,000,000 EUR, 3 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-05 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-06 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-07 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-08 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-09 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-01 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-02 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-04 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 9,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-05 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 9,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-06 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-07 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-08 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-10 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 6,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 4,000,000 EUR, 3 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 9,800,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 4,900,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 3,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 3,000,000 EUR, 1 grant
Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants who have logged into the portal and have an active public Person profile. The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.
For support, applicants are encouraged to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses frequently asked questions. The Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance, practical information, and assistance. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical questions related to the Funding & Tenders Portal. The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardisation in project proposals. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers. Partner Search tools help find partner organizations for proposals.
In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on promoting the circularity of the bio-based sector through upcycling and recycling. It seeks to fund innovation actions that develop and scale-up sustainable bio-based value chains, tackle bio-waste streams, create a digital marketplace for bio-based resources, and provide recommendations for the development of bio-based product value chains. The call encourages synergies with other relevant initiatives and requires the involvement of SSH expertise. The funding will be provided as a lump sum, and the indicative budget for the HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 topic is 12,000,000 EUR, with an expected grant amount of around 6,000,000 EUR, and it is anticipated that 2 projects will be funded. The call opens on April 20, 2027, and closes on September 22, 2027.
The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic are to enhance European industry’s competitiveness, decarbonization, and strategic autonomy through the development and deployment of safe, sustainable, circular, and bio-based value chains. Additionally, the projects should contribute to improved climate change adaptation and mitigation, overall environmental sustainability, higher resource efficiency through the application of biotechnologies and industrial symbiosis, and the recovery of biological materials, water, and energy.
The scope of this funding opportunity aligns with EU policies related to the Commission communication on Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, the Life Sciences Strategy, the EU Biotech Act, Clean Industrial Deal, and the SME Strategy. It also supports the Start-ups and Scale-ups strategy. Synergies with activities under the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking and New European Bauhaus are strongly encouraged, while taking care to avoid overlaps.
The proposals should address the following activities:
Develop and deploy/scale-up safe and sustainable, circular, and bio-based materials, products, processes, and value chains. Examples include but are not limited to the construction, packaging, pulp and paper, textile sectors, or other bio-based consumer products. These should use upcycled and recycled resources incorporating secondary raw materials with minimal quality loss, aiming at best environmental performance, while increasing the uptake of recycled materials and preventing waste through repair, refurbishment, and reuse. Attention should be paid to environmental and health risks and trade-offs due to treated or impregnated bio-based materials, where relevant. The bioenergy/biofuels sector is not in scope, but synergies with this sector can be considered while respecting the cascading biomass valorization principle and aiming at industrial symbiosis.
Develop innovative new or upgraded existing circular solutions to tackle complex bio-waste streams and create markets for bio-waste materials by transforming them into valuable secondary resources, while fostering urban/rural/coastal industrial symbiosis, providing data and digital tools, and promoting a more efficient use of bio-based resources.
Develop a ‘digital marketplace’, ensuring convergence with digital technology, tools, and applications, to enhance accessibility and traceability of bio-based resources, promoting efficient and sustainable resource management.
Provide recommendations for the development of bio-based product value chains, based on the identified and analyzed needs of stakeholders in terms of national and European regulations and standards, financial incentives, professional training, etc.
While the main focus of this topic is not the gaseous carbon conversion, this technology can be considered as part of the whole value chain approach to increase environmental and economic impact, e.g. as part of the cascading biomass conversion, taking care to avoid overlaps and seek synergies. Synergy and cooperation with the parallel topics HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-02: Enhancing ecodesign and circularity of construction products and HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-02: Circularity of seafood supply chain are strongly encouraged.
Proposals are encouraged to build on the knowledge and results of completed and ongoing EU-funded projects. Cooperation between all proposals funded under this topic should also be foreseen, as a specific task, with an allocation of resources, for synergies.
This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) disciplines and involvement of SSH experts in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. This can cover the educational aspect, to facilitate knowledge promotion within different target groups (e.g. students, industry, society). International cooperation is encouraged.
General conditions for participation include:
Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries are 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.
Other Eligible Conditions are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
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. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). Further details are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:
Application form templates: The application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System. The standard application form (HE RIA, IA) should be used.
Evaluation form templates: These will be used with the necessary adaptations. The standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) will be used.
Guidance: The HE Programme Guide provides guidance.
Model Grant Agreements (MGA): The Lump Sum MGA is applicable.
Call-specific instructions: A detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on "Lump sums - what do I need to know?" are available.
Additional documents include:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
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
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement
The budget overview for 2027 includes several topics:
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-02 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 7,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-03 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-04 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 24,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 8,000,000 EUR, 3 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-05 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-06 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-07 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-08 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-09 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-01 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-02 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-04 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 9,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-05 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 9,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-06 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-07 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 14,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 7,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-08 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 - HORIZON-IA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-10 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 6,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 1 grant
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 4,000,000 EUR, 3 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 9,800,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 4,900,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-03 - HORIZON-RIA: Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 6,000,000 EUR, 2 grants
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 - HORIZON-CSA: Budget 3,000,000 EUR, Indicative grant amount around 3,000,000 EUR, 1 grant
Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants who have logged into the portal and have an active public Person profile. The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.
For support, applicants are encouraged to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses frequently asked questions. The Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance, practical information, and assistance. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical questions related to the Funding & Tenders Portal. The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardisation in project proposals. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles, responsibilities, and entitlements of researchers. Partner Search tools help find partner organizations for proposals.
In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on promoting the circularity of the bio-based sector through upcycling and recycling. It seeks to fund innovation actions that develop and scale-up sustainable bio-based value chains, tackle bio-waste streams, create a digital marketplace for bio-based resources, and provide recommendations for the development of bio-based product value chains. The call encourages synergies with other relevant initiatives and requires the involvement of SSH expertise. The funding will be provided as a lump sum, and the indicative budget for the HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 topic is 12,000,000 EUR, with an expected grant amount of around 6,000,000 EUR, and it is anticipated that 2 projects will be funded. The call opens on April 20, 2027, and closes on September 22, 2027.
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Breakdown
Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that this is a Horizon Europe call, eligible applicants typically include a mix of entities such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The specific eligibility criteria are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) being HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Consortium Requirement: While the text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, it encourages cooperation between all proposals funded under this topic and encourages international cooperation. This suggests that a consortium is not mandatory, but highly encouraged.
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides information on non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
Target Sector: This program targets the circular bio-based sector, focusing on upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits. It is relevant to EU policies related to biotechnology, biomanufacturing, life sciences, the bioeconomy, and SME strategies. Specific sectors mentioned include construction, packaging, pulp and paper, and textiles.
Mentioned Countries: The text mentions "EU" and "non-EU/non-Associated Countries".
Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is innovation action (IA), which implies a focus on demonstration and scaling up of existing technologies and solutions. The projects should aim to deploy or scale-up safe and sustainable, circular and bio-based materials, products, processes and value chains.
Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 is EUR 12,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 2, suggesting that the funding per project will be around EUR 6,000,000.
Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model.
Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to cover eligible costs.
Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.
Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 is 2, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the number of expected applications.
Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, as this is an Innovation Action, co-funding may be implicitly expected.
Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09, focuses on increasing the circularity of the bio-based sector through upcycling and recycling. The call aims to enhance European industry's competitiveness, decarbonization, and strategic autonomy by developing and deploying safe, sustainable, and circular bio-based value chains. The scope includes activities such as developing circular bio-based materials and products, creating markets for bio-waste, developing a digital marketplace for bio-based resources, and providing recommendations for bio-based product value chains. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the call is open to entities from the EU and associated countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries. The projects should be at the innovation action stage, focusing on demonstrating and scaling up existing technologies. The total budget for this topic is EUR 12,000,000, with an indicative number of 2 grants to be awarded, suggesting funding of approximately EUR 6,000,000 per project. The application process is a single-stage call with a deadline of September 22, 2027. International cooperation and the involvement of SSH experts are encouraged. This call is about fostering a more sustainable and circular bioeconomy in Europe by supporting innovative projects that can transform bio-waste into valuable resources, improve resource management, and promote industrial symbiosis. It encourages applicants to develop and scale up solutions that align with EU policies on biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the circular economy.
Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) being HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Consortium Requirement: While the text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, it encourages cooperation between all proposals funded under this topic and encourages international cooperation. This suggests that a consortium is not mandatory, but highly encouraged.
Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides information on non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
Target Sector: This program targets the circular bio-based sector, focusing on upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits. It is relevant to EU policies related to biotechnology, biomanufacturing, life sciences, the bioeconomy, and SME strategies. Specific sectors mentioned include construction, packaging, pulp and paper, and textiles.
Mentioned Countries: The text mentions "EU" and "non-EU/non-Associated Countries".
Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is innovation action (IA), which implies a focus on demonstration and scaling up of existing technologies and solutions. The projects should aim to deploy or scale-up safe and sustainable, circular and bio-based materials, products, processes and value chains.
Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 is EUR 12,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 2, suggesting that the funding per project will be around EUR 6,000,000.
Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model.
Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to cover eligible costs.
Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.
Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09 is 2, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the number of expected applications.
Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, as this is an Innovation Action, co-funding may be implicitly expected.
Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09, focuses on increasing the circularity of the bio-based sector through upcycling and recycling. The call aims to enhance European industry's competitiveness, decarbonization, and strategic autonomy by developing and deploying safe, sustainable, and circular bio-based value chains. The scope includes activities such as developing circular bio-based materials and products, creating markets for bio-waste, developing a digital marketplace for bio-based resources, and providing recommendations for bio-based product value chains. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the call is open to entities from the EU and associated countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries. The projects should be at the innovation action stage, focusing on demonstrating and scaling up existing technologies. The total budget for this topic is EUR 12,000,000, with an indicative number of 2 grants to be awarded, suggesting funding of approximately EUR 6,000,000 per project. The application process is a single-stage call with a deadline of September 22, 2027. International cooperation and the involvement of SSH experts are encouraged. This call is about fostering a more sustainable and circular bioeconomy in Europe by supporting innovative projects that can transform bio-waste into valuable resources, improve resource management, and promote industrial symbiosis. It encourages applicants to develop and scale up solutions that align with EU policies on biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the circular economy.
Short Summary
Impact The funding aims to enhance European industry competitiveness, decarbonization, and strategic autonomy through the development and deployment of safe, sustainable, circular, and bio-based value chains. | Impact | The funding aims to enhance European industry competitiveness, decarbonization, and strategic autonomy through the development and deployment of safe, sustainable, circular, and bio-based value chains. |
Applicant Applicants should possess expertise in biotechnology, materials engineering, circular economy, and Social Sciences and Humanities to effectively address complex sustainability challenges. | Applicant | Applicants should possess expertise in biotechnology, materials engineering, circular economy, and Social Sciences and Humanities to effectively address complex sustainability challenges. |
Developments The funding will support projects focused on developing circular bio-based materials and products, creating markets for bio-waste, and providing recommendations for bio-based product value chains. | Developments | The funding will support projects focused on developing circular bio-based materials and products, creating markets for bio-waste, and providing recommendations for bio-based product value chains. |
Applicant Type This funding is designed for private enterprises, research institutions, universities, public-private partnerships, and other legal entities involved in the bioeconomy and circular economy sectors. | Applicant Type | This funding is designed for private enterprises, research institutions, universities, public-private partnerships, and other legal entities involved in the bioeconomy and circular economy sectors. |
Consortium A consortium of multiple applicants is required to bring together complementary expertise and resources for the projects. | Consortium | A consortium of multiple applicants is required to bring together complementary expertise and resources for the projects. |
Funding Amount The funding amount is approximately €6,000,000 per project, with a total budget of €12,000,000 supporting around 2 expected grants. | Funding Amount | The funding amount is approximately €6,000,000 per project, with a total budget of €12,000,000 supporting around 2 expected grants. |
Countries The funding is open to applicants from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries under specific provisions. | Countries | The funding is open to applicants from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries under specific provisions. |
Industry This funding targets the circular bioeconomy and bio-based innovation ecosystem, specifically focusing on sustainable materials and processes. | Industry | This funding targets the circular bioeconomy and bio-based innovation ecosystem, specifically focusing on sustainable materials and processes. |
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