Sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications: cultivation and optimised production systems

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal has announced a call for proposals under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) targeting sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative applications. This call, identified as HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-01, is a part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically categorized under Innovation Actions. The call is open for submissions from April 3, 2025, with a deadline set for September 18, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time, and follows a single-stage submission process.

Eligible applicants for this grant include startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, and nonprofit organizations located in EU member states and associated countries. The proposal encourages public-private partnerships and local/regional authorities' involvement. The funding mechanism being utilized is a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based model, with approximately €7 million allocated to the specific topic of the call.

The primary goal of this initiative is to support projects that demonstrate the industrial scalability of sustainable cultivation and processing of macroalgae, including the development of novel bio-based products. Proposals should focus on high-market potential applications, showcase resource efficiency across the value chain, and ensure environmental sustainability. Projects must address challenges related to algal biotechnology while avoiding negative impacts on marine ecosystems.

Participating projects need to comply with various conditions such as ensuring environmental safety, including public perception assessments, and establishing synergies with related initiatives. Proposals must leverage local relationships and demonstrate economic and environmental benefits, such as job creation and improved biodiversity and water quality.

While the specific success rates and co-funding requirements are not detailed, it is implied that applicants may need to explore funding synergies and establish compliance with Horizon Europe's broader eligibility framework. The call underscores the importance of innovation in sustainable agriculture and resource management, encouraging a multi-actor approach to enhance collective impacts in the bioeconomy and sustainable practices.

Additional resources and documents to support the application process are available via the EU submission system, including application forms, evaluation criteria, and relevant guides. The project outcomes aim for proven scalability, socio-economic benefits, and sustainable practices within the context of the EU’s environmental goals and strategic initiatives.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the HORIZON Call Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025), specifically targeting "Sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications: cultivation and optimised production systems" with the topic ID HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-01. This call falls under HORIZON JU Innovation Actions (HORIZON-JU-IA) and uses the HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement.

The call opened on April 3, 2025, and has a deadline of September 18, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. It employs a single-stage submission model.

The expected outcomes of successful proposals are: Proven industrial scalability potential of sustainable cultivation, pretreatment, and valorisation options for macroalgae species; Novel bio-based product(s) and viable business opportunities for bio-based applications from cultivated macroalgae; Socio-economic benefits with demonstrated potential for job creation and/or preservation; Demonstrated environmental sustainability, encompassing biodiversity and water quality preservation and/or enhancement, and restoration.

The scope of this call emphasizes the role of the aquatic environment in a sustainable bioeconomy, particularly through the exploitation of biomass or genetic potential. It aims to reduce pressure on land resources and promote a sustainable supply of biomass for food, feed, and industrial applications. The call acknowledges that marine biorefining is less developed than terrestrial crop biorefineries and seeks to address the challenges in algal biotechnology, such as sustainable cultivation technologies, cost-efficient harvesting, product extraction, and biorefinery processes. It also stresses the importance of avoiding detrimental effects on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Proposals should: Select and optimise macroalgal feedstock (naturally occurring and modified varieties), focusing on applications with high market potential; Demonstrate cultivation in suitable and scalable sustainable systems, aiming at high biomass yield and optimised production parameters; Demonstrate further sustainable biomass processing and conversion steps into added value bio-based product(s); Maximize resource/energy efficiency across the value chain, potentially integrating with renewable energy sources.

In addition to general requirements for this type of action as described in section 2.2.3.1 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2025, proposals should: Ensure environmental safety and avoidance of environmental risks; Include a task to assess public perception and acceptance of the demonstrated value chains; Include relevant local/regional authorities, end-users, and consumers as part of the Multi-Actor Approach (MAA); Ensure complementarities with past and ongoing R&I projects; Establish synergies with the European Algae Stakeholder Platform (EU4Algae).

The call specifies that EU-native species should be used in open environments, while non-native species may be supported in closed systems. Macroalgae, seaweed, and marine plants, such as seagrass, are within the scope of this topic.

A new version of the Application Form (Part B) template is available in the Submission System as of April 4, 2025.

General conditions for participation include: Admissibility Conditions regarding 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; Eligible 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 Eligible Conditions as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes; 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 set-up of the grants as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are detailed in section 2.2.3 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2025.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025, the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, rules for Legal Entity Validation, the EU Grants AGA, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and related terms and conditions and privacy statements.

The budget allocated to this topic for the year 2025 is approximately 7,000,000 EUR, and it is anticipated that one grant will be awarded.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the portal.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service via the provided link and carefully select the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

Support resources include the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search tools.

In summary, this opportunity is a call for Innovation Actions under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the development of sustainable and scalable macroalgae cultivation and production systems. The goal is to foster the bioeconomy by creating novel bio-based products from macroalgae, while also ensuring environmental sustainability and socio-economic benefits. The call encourages a multi-actor approach, involving local authorities, end-users, and consumers, and emphasizes the importance of aligning with EU initiatives and platforms related to algae and the bioeconomy. Successful projects are expected to demonstrate industrial scalability, environmental safety, and public acceptance of macroalgae-based value chains.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the Horizon Europe framework and the nature of Innovation Actions (IA), eligible applicants can include: startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofit organizations, and other legal entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The call encourages participation from local/regional authorities, end-users, and consumers, suggesting that public-private partnerships and collaborations are also welcome.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG], which falls under the broader category of procurement.

Consortium Requirement: The call encourages a Multi-Actor Approach (MAA), which implies that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not required. The inclusion of local/regional authorities, end-users, and consumers as part of the project further supports the consortium approach.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries as defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The call also 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, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: biotech and biomanufacturing, bioeconomy, environment, sustainable blue economy, agriculture/food, and innovation. Specifically, it focuses on sustainable macroalgae systems, marine biorefining, algal biotechnology, and bio-based products.

Mentioned Countries: The call does not explicitly mention specific countries but refers to EU member states, associated countries, and non-EU/non-associated countries that have specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects. Therefore, the geographic scope is broad, encompassing the EU and beyond, based on the Horizon Europe framework.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the innovation action stage, which implies a focus on demonstration, validation, and scaling up of existing technologies and solutions. The call emphasizes industrial scalability potential, novel bio-based products, and viable business opportunities, suggesting that projects should be beyond the initial research phase and closer to commercialization.

Funding Amount: The budget overview indicates that the topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-01 has approximately €7,000,000 allocated to it. The budget overview also lists other topics with different budget allocations, ranging from around €1,000,000 to around €20,000,000.

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 grant to support their research, development, and innovation activities.

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 co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

This opportunity is a Horizon Europe call under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) program, focusing on "Sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications: cultivation and optimised production systems." It aims to support projects that contribute to the EU's initiatives on biotech and biomanufacturing, the bioeconomy strategy, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, and the sustainable blue economy. The call specifically targets the development of sustainable and scalable cultivation, pretreatment, and valorization options for macroalgae species to produce novel bio-based products with industrial scalability potential. Projects should demonstrate socio-economic benefits, environmental sustainability, and resource/energy efficiency across the value chain. The call encourages a Multi-Actor Approach (MAA), involving relevant local/regional authorities, end-users, and consumers. Eligible applicants can include startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, and nonprofit organizations from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions. The funding mechanism is a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG], with a budget of approximately €7,000,000 allocated to the topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-01. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of September 18, 2025.