Optimise the usage of resources in a circular economy (RIA) (Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships)

The EU grant opportunity titled HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-04 falls under Horizon Europe, specifically within the INDUSTRY pillar. It is classified as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) and employs a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant funding mechanism. The total funding available for this call is €64 million, with individual project contributions ranging from €5 million to €8 million. The submission process is single-stage, with applications opening on January 6, 2026, and closing on April 21, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. There will be approximately nine grants awarded.

The main goals of this call are to enhance material recycling and upcycling, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, reduce dependency on imported raw materials, and optimize the use of resources such as raw materials, water, and energy. Projects funded will be expected to effectively recover materials from production waste and enhance processes for dealing with these by-products.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, SMEs, and large enterprises from EU, EEA, and associated countries. The project requirements include forming consortia of at least two independent legal entities from different countries, thereby promoting interdisciplinary collaborations.

The scope targets multiple sectors, focusing on circular economy initiatives, advanced materials, and sustainable manufacturing. Proposals should aim to address at least three specific points, such as fostering circular material flows, improving product designs for recyclability, and enhancing technology for more efficient material recovery.

Successful projects will demonstrate scalability and economic viability at pilot scales and must incorporate business cases and exploitation strategies. The overarching objectives are to support the transition towards a resource-efficient economy while promoting low-carbon processes in key industries, particularly through partnerships like Processes4Planet and Clean Steel.

Application guidance and additional conditions can be found in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, which detail admissibility, evaluation processes, and the financial framework for the grants. This opportunity promotes sustainability in industrial operations, reduces environmental impacts, and enhances competitiveness in European material production.

This EU grant opportunity, HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-04, falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the INDUSTRY (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01) call. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of January 6, 2026, and a deadline of April 21, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget for this topic is EUR 64,000,000, with individual contributions ranging from EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 8,000,000. The indicative number of grants to be awarded is 9.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include:

 Significantly enhanced material recycling and upcycling compared to the state of the art, achieved through technology development along the value chain and integrated value chain optimisation, leading to reduced GHG and air pollutant emissions.
 Reduced EU dependencies on imports from single or very limited numbers of country suppliers through the recycling of production waste, residuals, and by-products (iron-containing or other) or optimisation of the recovery of critical and strategic raw materials or ferroalloys, and increased yields of recycling of production-waste and by-products.
 Minimised usage of raw materials, fresh water, and energy, and avoided ecosystem and habitat degradation.
 Reduced impact of impurities in materials produced for special applications of strategic importance for European environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability, either by minimising their amount or by modification of impurity-material-structure, morphology, and properties.
 Cost-efficient use of resources with minimal energy usage and optimized use of labour.

The scope of this topic is to optimise the efficiency of materials, water, and energy use by recycling and upcycling side streams from production and end-of-use waste, to become more competitive, safe, and sustainable. It aims to make material production less dependent on imports and/or the use of non-renewable materials by improving recovery along the value chain, developing and upscaling low-CO2 processes to recover materials, including replacing current efficient but CO2-intensive recycling. The focus is on re-integrating and valorising secondary resources (end-of-use waste) and industrial side-streams into the process industries as feedstock, prioritising streams that contain critical and insufficiently available raw materials, and streams with a large carbon footprint or a large required energy input for their production.

The development of technologies should encompass the entire value chain from the collection, dismantling, sorting, and separation of waste to the processing of the streams and the production of new high-quality materials. The demonstration of innovative, efficient, and economically viable technologies is required, considering a scale and conditions that can give reliable indications on the real-world economic potential. Minimising the intake of energy and water should be considered.

Proposals under this topic are expected to address at least 3 of the following points:

 Increase the share of sustainable feed streams of the process industries from end-of-use waste and/or foster circular material flows in house and/or across sites of iron-containing and other residuals / waste / by-products, avoiding incineration or disposal, including the development / upscaling of low CO2 processes with reduced negative impact on air quality.
 Improve product designs including by-products for easier re-cycling and upcycling.
 Enhance existing technologies for a more efficient residual / waste / by-products collection, sorting, classification, characterisation, treatment, processing and re-use. This can include development / improvement of end-of-life recycling processes targeting waste, scrap, dust and sludges for possible use for high-performance high-reliability products.
 Recover relevant secondary raw materials, including critical ones, and target maximum process efficiency.
 Reduce the usage of scarce and critical raw materials in the production processes, while at the same time preserving ecosystem and reducing pressures on biodiversity that would be caused by extraction.
 Reduce the number of manufacturing stages by shortening of production processes, leading to a reduction in the energy consumption; and/or consider approaches/technologies for optimising efficiency in terms of water use.
 Understand the effect of specific contaminants on the properties of materials produced from secondary feedstock and develop technologies for their removal if needed, also in view of the need for pre-treatment and secondary manufacturing steps.
 Where relevant, include analytical techniques for micro- and/or nano-characterisation of materials to gain the necessary knowledge to influence processes and allow dedicated modelling.
 Showcase improved performance, scalability, and cost efficiency of the proposed solution through at least one case at laboratory level pilot scale. Digitalisation should be included when effective, but it must not be targeted independently from the development and validation of the necessary process technologies.
 The re-integration of side streams in the production cycle can take place within one sector or across sectors (industrial symbiosis). Impacts of regulations must be considered and proposals for their modification and/or enhancement should be suggested where required.

Proposals should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnerships Processes4Planet and Clean Steel.

The admissibility conditions are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries 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.

To ensure a balanced portfolio covering also support for the steel sector, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to two proposals that are the highest ranked that focus on the recovery of iron-containing residuals / waste / by-products using low-CO2 processes; provided that the applications attain all thresholds.

Evaluation and award processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. The legal and financial set-up of the grants is also detailed.

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.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE RIA, IA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, and Framework Partnership Agreement FPA. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and other relevant documents.

This funding opportunity aims to promote a circular economy by optimising the use of resources, reducing waste, and lowering carbon emissions in material production. It encourages projects that develop and demonstrate innovative technologies for recycling and upcycling, with a focus on critical raw materials and low-CO2 processes. The goal is to enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of European industries while reducing their dependence on primary resources and imports. Successful proposals should address multiple aspects of the value chain, showcase scalability and cost-efficiency, and include a robust business case and exploitation strategy. The initiative is part of the broader Horizon Europe program and aligns with the objectives of the Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but given the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants could include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other types of organizations involved in research and innovation activities. The program guide should be consulted for a definitive list.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant.

Consortium Requirement: The content does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and nature of the projects, a consortium is highly probable. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The content mentions that 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. This suggests that while the primary focus is on EU and associated countries, there are mechanisms for some third-country participation.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: material production, recycling, upcycling, resource efficiency, low-CO2 processes, waste management, industrial processes, clean steel, and circular economy.

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to "EU" and "non-EU/non-Associated Countries".

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the type of action:
HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions): Projects are expected to be at the research, development, and validation stages, with a focus on laboratory-level pilot scale demonstrations.
HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions): Projects are expected to be at the demonstration and commercialization stages, requiring demonstration of innovative, efficient, and economically viable technologies.
HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions): These actions support networking, coordination, and dissemination, and do not necessarily involve technology development.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action, ranging from €800,000 to €13,000,000.
HORIZON-IA: €5,000,000 to €13,000,000
HORIZON-RIA: €5,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-CSA: €800,000 to €4,000,000

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

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

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

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, under the INDUSTRY pillar (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01), focuses on optimizing the usage of resources in a circular economy, specifically through the Processes4Planet and Clean Steel partnerships. The call aims to enhance material recycling and upcycling, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize the use of raw materials, fresh water, and energy, and promote cost-efficient resource utilization. It covers a range of activities from research and innovation (RIA) to innovation actions (IA) and coordination and support actions (CSA). Projects are expected to contribute to outcomes such as enhanced material recycling, reduced dependence on imported raw materials, minimized resource usage, and reduced impact of impurities in materials. Proposals should address at least three of the specified points, including increasing sustainable feed streams, improving product designs, enhancing existing technologies, recovering secondary raw materials, reducing the use of scarce materials, and understanding the effect of contaminants. The call is open to a variety of organizations, including universities, research institutes, SMEs, and large enterprises, primarily from EU and associated countries, with some provisions for third-country participation. Funding amounts vary depending on the type of action, ranging from €800,000 to €13,000,000, and will be provided as lump sum grants. The application process is a single-stage open call, and proposals should include a business case and exploitation strategy. The call aims to support projects from laboratory-level pilot scale to demonstration and commercialization stages, with a focus on technologies that encompass the entire value chain from waste collection to the production of new high-quality materials.