Substances of concern and emerging pollutants from bio-based industries and products: mapping and replacement

This Horizon Europe grant opportunity, specifically HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-two-stage, focuses on substances of concern and emerging pollutants from bio-based industries and products. It is part of Cluster 6 and aims to foster the deployment of safe and sustainable bio-based solutions, contributing to climate neutrality and addressing hazardous emissions at the source.

Eligible applicants include a range of stakeholders from bio-based value chains, such as research institutions, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, and public bodies. The funding type is a grant under the HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based model. The requirement for a consortium is implied through the emphasis on a multi-actor approach, although it is not explicitly stated.

Geographic eligibility encompasses EU member states and associated countries, while projects are expected to be in the development and validation stage. The funding amounts vary, with a total budget of approximately 10 million EUR available for the call, and indicative grant amounts around 5 million EUR per project.

The application process consists of two stages, requiring an outline proposal by September 4, 2025, and a full proposal by February 18, 2026. The nature of support is monetary, provided through grants, and there may be a co-funding requirement, although this is not clearly specified.

The grant seeks to promote awareness and solutions for hazardous substances, targeting pollutants like PFAS and endocrine disruptors, and requires proposals to include tasks such as tracking and risk assessment of emissions, identifying safer bio-based alternatives, and sharing methodologies among funded projects.

The initiative encourages the involvement of citizen science and emphasizes collaboration across disciplines, including social sciences, underscoring a comprehensive, community-oriented approach to reducing environmental and health risks tied to bio-based industries. The project aims to improve the knowledge and use of safe and sustainable materials, aligning with the EU's 2030 pollution reduction goals.

Overall, this call seeks innovative projects to map, assess, and replace harmful substances in bio-based industries, fostering a sustainable economy while integrating a holistic lifecycle perspective that engages various stakeholders and emphasizes environmental responsibility.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-two-stage, focusing on "Substances of concern and emerging pollutants from bio-based industries and products: mapping and replacement". It falls under Cluster 6 Call 01, which is a two-stage call. The type of action is HORIZON-IA, meaning HORIZON Innovation Actions, and the Model Grant Agreement type is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

The call is currently open for submission. The first deadline is September 4, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the second deadline is February 18, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome is to support the deployment of safe and sustainable by design bio-based industries and products, contributing to the de-fossilization and climate neutrality of EU industrial systems, aligning with the chemical strategy for sustainability and the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive. Project results should lead to increased awareness among stakeholders (including public procurement, research centers, industries, public administrations, and consumers) regarding the release of hazardous substances and emerging pollutants from bio-based industrial processes and products. Furthermore, the call aims to improve the knowledge and use of safe and sustainable bio-based alternatives to replace hazardous substances, leading to healthier air, water, and soil.

The scope of the call involves preventing hazardous emissions at the source to achieve the 2030 pollution reduction targets. This includes addressing substances of concern, very high concern, and emerging pollutants like PFAS and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as defined in regulations such as REACH, ESPR, and the Batteries regulation. The call promotes bio-based innovative solutions, in line with the biotechnology and biomanufacturing initiative and the industrial carbon management strategy, to replace hazardous substances in industrial assets, final products, and materials. Note that food/feed, biofuels, and bioenergy are excluded from the scope.

The proposals should include several key tasks:

1. Tracking the presence of substances of very high concern, substances of concern, emerging pollutants, and substances that are persistent and liable to bio-accumulate in ecosystems. This tracking should cover emissions from selected bio-based materials and products throughout their entire life cycle, including use and end-of-life phases. The proposals should also evaluate the exposure of targeted end-users to these substances, integrating gender dimensions (sex and gender analysis) and considering vulnerable groups.

2. Performing a full risk assessment of the substances emitted from the selected bio-based materials and products, including assessing the impacts on affected ecosystems and the risk for biodiversity loss.

3. Tracking the presence of the aforementioned substances emitted from a selection of industrial bio-based systems.

4. Identifying and improving a set of bio-based safe and sustainable by design (as per Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/25) and circular solutions to replace hazardous substances and increase resource efficiency. This should be done both at the level of industrial processes and in final materials and products. The number of bio-based solutions is not pre-defined, but the task should include an assessment of the reduction of substances of concern and emerging pollutants resulting from the substitution.

5. Describing the collection of recommendations and best practices for replacing substances of concern with safe and sustainable by design bio-based alternatives.

Proposals must include a task dedicated to sharing methodologies and findings with all projects funded under this topic. They should also collect and analyze outcomes from past and ongoing projects, including those under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, addressing the challenges within the scope of this topic.

For depollution in large industrial installations, applicants are directed to the Innovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions (INCITE).

Citizen Science is encouraged as a research approach, with activities conducted under the guidance and in close cooperation with researchers. The call requires the effective contribution of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) disciplines, including citizen social science and gender studies, particularly in the task of risk assessment.

A multi-actor approach and international cooperation are also encouraged.

Applicants submitting proposals under the blind evaluation pilot must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, or personnel names in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application, as per General Annex F and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

General conditions for admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award, and legal and financial setup are described in the relevant annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex A, B, C, D, F, and G) and the Online Manual.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including standard forms for HE RIA/IA and HE RIA/IA Stage 1. Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including standard forms for HE RIA/IA and HE RIA/IA/CSA Stage 1.

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide and Model Grant Agreements (HE MGA). Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025 sections on General Introduction, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, and General Annexes, as well as the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates that the topic HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-two-stage has a budget of 10,000,000 EUR for 2025 and is expected to fund around 2 projects, with each project receiving approximately 5,000,000 EUR.

There are 16 partner search announcements related to this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and users with active public profiles can publish partner requests.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, selecting the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

The call aims to foster innovation in bio-based industries by addressing and mitigating the environmental and health risks associated with hazardous substances and emerging pollutants. It encourages a holistic approach, considering the entire lifecycle of bio-based materials and products, and promotes the development of safe and sustainable alternatives. The emphasis on citizen science, SSH disciplines, and multi-actor involvement highlights the importance of a collaborative and inclusive approach to achieving zero pollution goals.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks to fund projects that map, assess, and replace substances of concern and emerging pollutants in bio-based industries and products. It aims to support the transition towards a more sustainable and climate-neutral economy by promoting the use of safe and sustainable bio-based alternatives and reducing the release of hazardous substances into the environment. The call encourages a comprehensive approach, considering the entire lifecycle of materials and products, and emphasizes collaboration, citizen involvement, and the integration of social sciences and humanities.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but the call is open to stakeholders of bio-based value chains, including those in public procurement, research centers, industries, public administrations, final consumers, and others. This suggests a broad range of eligible applicants, including startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, and governmental bodies.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The type of action is HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the encouragement of a multi-actor approach and international cooperation suggests that consortia are preferred, though single applicants might be eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The target sector is the bio-based industry, with a focus on preventing pollution, promoting safe and sustainable bio-based materials and products, and contributing to the de-fossilization and climate neutrality of EU industrial systems. This includes sectors related to biotechnology, biomanufacturing, circular economy, and industrial emissions reduction.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity is focused on the European Union, with mentions of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may have specific provisions for funding.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is innovation and demonstration, as the call is for Innovation Actions (IA). This suggests projects should be at the development, validation, or demonstration stage, aiming to deploy safe and sustainable bio-based industries and products.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic. For HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-01-two-stage and HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-two-stage, the budget is EUR 10,000,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 5,000,000. For HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-01-two-stage and HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-02-two-stage, the budget is EUR 14,000,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 7,000,000.

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

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

Application Stages: The application process involves two stages.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned.

This Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focuses on supporting the deployment of safe and sustainable bio-based industries and products to contribute to the de-fossilization and climate neutrality of EU industrial systems. The call aims to prevent hazardous emissions at the source, aligning with the 2030 pollution reduction targets. Projects should track substances of concern and emerging pollutants from bio-based materials and industrial systems, perform risk assessments, and identify bio-based solutions to replace hazardous substances. Citizen science and a multi-actor approach are encouraged, with international cooperation also being welcome. The call is structured as a two-stage process, with specific deadlines in September 2025 and February 2026. Funding is provided through Horizon Innovation Actions, with budgets ranging from 10 to 14 million EUR per topic and indicative grant amounts of 5 to 7 million EUR. The call is part of a blind evaluation pilot, requiring applicants to anonymize their proposals during the first stage. The overall goal is to promote healthier air, water, and soil by improving the knowledge and use of safe and sustainable bio-based alternatives.