Operationalisation of bioeconomy sustainability principles

The grant opportunity titled "Operationalisation of bioeconomy sustainability principles" (HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-04) falls under the Horizon Europe Programme's Cluster 6, focusing on research and innovation actions. This initiative aims to implement sustainability frameworks within the EU bioeconomy to support the European Green Deal and the EU's climate targets for 2030 and 2050.

Eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, and potential consortia, emphasizing a multi-actor approach that accommodates diverse stakeholders. The expected outcomes of funded projects involve developing frameworks for bioeconomy sustainability, transparency in biomass availability, and capturing social sustainability issues within bioeconomy monitoring systems.

Funding for this call is provided as a lump sum grant, with a budget of €8 million allocated for this specific topic, allowing for potentially two grants. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline set for September 24, 2025. Proposals must demonstrate clarity in their sustainability principles, allowing flexibility to adapt to local contexts and ensuring that projects contribute effectively to multi-level governance and coherent policy mixes.

Project goals emphasize promoting environmental, social, and economic sustainability in bioeconomy sectors, including sustainable biomass use and circular bio-based solutions. International cooperation is encouraged, and projects should integrate Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines alongside traditional research fields.

Key conditions for application include adhering to admissibility and eligibility criteria, as well as ensuring financial and operational capacity for project implementation. Applicants are advised to engage with the European Commission's guidelines and requirements while preparing their proposals.

This funding opportunity seeks to foster innovations in the bioeconomy that align with the EU's overarching sustainability goals, ensuring effective deployment and integration of bioeconomic solutions across Europe.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on the operationalization of bioeconomy sustainability principles. It falls under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically Cluster 6, and is designated as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a lump sum grant agreement. The call, identified as HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-04, follows a single-stage submission process.

The call aims to support the European Green Deal and the EU's climate targets for 2030 and 2050, aligning with the bioeconomy strategy vision for an economic system operating within planetary and social boundaries. Successful proposals are expected to contribute to effective policy mixes and multi-level governance, facilitating a just and sustainable transition.

Expected outcomes of funded projects include:

Improved understanding of how bioeconomy sustainability principles can be applied to food and bio-based value chains in diverse contexts. This includes principles like cascading use of biomass and the food-first principle.
Clarity on future sectoral biomass availability and demand, enhancing transparency for businesses and consumers to enable informed choices.
New insights into capturing and operationalizing social sustainability, particularly concerning distributional and inter-generational justice, within Bioeconomy Monitoring Systems.
Increased deployment of bioeconomies across Europe, emphasizing environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Enhanced knowledge of the bioeconomy's impact on ecosystems, providing options for ecosystem protection and restoration, biodiversity preservation, and climate action.

The scope of the call emphasizes that bioeconomy is a place-based policy framework. The implementation of sustainability principles depends on local environmental and human assets, challenges, priorities, and access to resources. Proposals should develop sustainability principles with clarity and flexibility to accommodate diverse contexts. Assessing the impact of bioeconomy on ecosystems and developing protection/restoration options is crucial. The principles should guide conflicting objectives and prevent unintended consequences from unsustainable biomass use.

Successful proposals should:

Develop or improve sustainability assessments of bio-based and food value chains, increasing transparency for businesses and consumers.
Analyze the performance of bioeconomy innovation ecosystems regarding sustainability and long-term feasibility, demonstrating the applicability of bioeconomy sustainability principles in regional case studies, based on the concept of Regional Innovation Valleys for Bioeconomy and Food Systems.
Identify and address challenges for deploying sustainability principles at EU, Member State, and regional levels, providing policy recommendations.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate in projects to ensure compatibility with the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy's working streams. International cooperation is encouraged. Projects should involve Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines, including gender studies, and implement the 'multi-actor approach' with a balanced consortium of relevant actors, including rural stakeholders.

Proposals must include a dedicated task, resources, and a plan for synergies with other EU programs and initiatives, ensuring complementarities with relevant activities in Horizon Europe. They should also build on the findings of the “Global Resources Outlook” 2024 from the International Resource Panel.

The general conditions for this call include:

Admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligibility criteria for countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other eligibility conditions, including the potential participation of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the mandatory use of the multi-actor approach.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria, as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds, as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes, as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial setup of the grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

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 guidance and documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table, and various Horizon Europe Work Programme annexes and guides.

The budget for this specific topic, HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-04, is 8,000,000 EUR for the year 2025. The call is a single-stage process, with the opening date on May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submissions on September 24, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The indicative number of grants to be awarded is 2.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service through the provided link and carefully review all provisions before preparing their application.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to promote the sustainable development of the bioeconomy in line with the European Green Deal. It seeks to fund projects that can improve the understanding and implementation of bioeconomy sustainability principles, enhance transparency in bio-based value chains, and contribute to ecosystem protection and restoration. The call encourages international cooperation, the involvement of SSH disciplines, and the implementation of the multi-actor approach. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the submission deadline is September 24, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the nature of Horizon Europe calls, eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, NGOs, and other relevant organizations. The "multi-actor approach" requirement suggests a consortium with a balanced mix of actors, including rural actors. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium. 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.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, as the proposals must implement the 'multi-actor approach' with a balanced mix of relevant actors.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. 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.

Target Sector: The target sector is the bioeconomy, with a focus on food systems, bio-based value chains, agriculture, natural resources, and environmental sustainability. The program also targets policy mixes, multi-level governance, social sciences, humanities, and gender studies.

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to EU member states and non-EU/non-associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the type of action. Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) suggest projects in the research, development, and validation stages. Innovation Actions (IA) imply projects in the demonstration, commercialization, or scale-up stages. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) focus on networking, coordination, and dissemination activities.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from €3,000,000 to €16,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies, with some topics expected to fund one project and others expected to fund two.
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-01 - HORIZON-RIA: €6,000,000 (around €6,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-02 - HORIZON-IA: €12,000,000 (around €6,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-03 - HORIZON-RIA: €12,000,000 (around €6,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-04 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000 (around €4,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-05 - HORIZON-RIA: €9,000,000 (around €4,500,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-06 - HORIZON-CSA: €4,400,000 (around €4,400,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-07 - HORIZON-CSA: €4,000,000 (around €4,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-08 - HORIZON-RIA: €10,000,000 (around €5,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-09 - HORIZON-IA: €15,000,000 (around €7,500,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-10 - HORIZON-RIA: €16,000,000 (around €8,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-11 - HORIZON-RIA: €12,000,000 (around €6,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-12 - HORIZON-CSA: €3,000,000 (around €3,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-13 - HORIZON-CSA: €10,000,000 (around €10,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-14 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000 (around €8,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: Success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically within Cluster 6, focusing on governance and the operationalization of bioeconomy sustainability principles. The call aims to support projects that contribute to the European Green Deal, the EU’s climate targets, and the bioeconomy strategy. It seeks to foster effective policy mixes and multi-level governance for a just and sustainable transition. The call includes various topics covering research and innovation actions (RIA), innovation actions (IA), and coordination and support actions (CSA), each with specific objectives and funding levels. Eligible applicants are expected to form consortia implementing a multi-actor approach, involving a balanced mix of relevant actors, including rural stakeholders. International cooperation is encouraged, and projects should align with the Horizon Europe Programme guidelines and priorities. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process consists of a single stage with a deadline of September 24, 2025. The call addresses the need for improved knowledge and understanding of bioeconomy sustainability principles, enhanced deployment of bioeconomies across Europe, and better integration of social sustainability and ecosystem protection in bioeconomy initiatives.