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Increasing the circularity of bio-based sector: upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits

Horizon Europe · Grant topic

HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-09

Summary

A Polish company can use this call for R&D.

Funds development and deployment of circular bio-based value chains using biotechnology, industrial symbiosis and recovery of biological materials, water and energy.

Who can apply
Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university.
Amount
€6M per projectTotal budget €12,000,000
Deadline
22 Sept 2027 02:00 CESTin 333 days
Status
Forthcomingopens 20 Apr 2027
Open on the portalRegister to keep this call

Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.

Description

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• European industry’s competitiveness, decarbonisation, and strategic autonomy are enhanced through the development and deployment of safe, sustainable, circular and bio-based value chains;

• improved climate change adaptation and mitigation and overall environmental sustainability, as well as higher resource efficiency, through application of biotechnologies and industrial symbiosis, and recovery of biological materials, water and energy.

Scope:

The projects under this topic are relevant to the 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 contributes to the Start-ups and Scale-ups strategy. Synergies with activities under the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking[1] and New European Bauhaus are strongly encouraged, while taking care to avoid overlaps.

Proposals should address the following activities:

• develop and deploy/scale-up safe and sustainable, circular and bio-based materials, products, processes and value chains, e.g. including but not limited to the construction, packaging, pulp and paper, textile sectors, or other bio-based consumer products, using 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, and paying attention to environmental and health risks and trade-offs due to treated or impregnated bio-based materials, where relevant. Bioenergy/biofuels sector is not in scope, but synergies with this sector can be considered while respecting the cascading biomass valorisation principle and aiming at the 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 the 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 analysed needs of stakeholders in terms of national and European regulations and standards, financial incentives, professional trainings, etc.

While the main focus of this topic is not the gaseous carbon conversion (see parallel topic HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-08: Biotechnology application for CCU), 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 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.

Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

[1] Such as the topics HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IAFlag-03: Circular-by-design fibre-based packaging with improved properties, HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IAFlag-01:Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation, etc.

Who can apply, in detail
Applicant types
SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, University
Purpose
Research and innovation
R&D relevance
3 of 3
Poland eligible
Yes
Country limit
—
Region
Any
Consortium
Unclear
Readiness level (TRL)
—
Topics
  • Bio-based circular value chains
  • Biotechnology
  • Industrial symbiosis
  • Upcycling and recycling
  • Resource recovery

Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026

Conditions16

Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.

Applicant restriction
General Annex B also excludes public Chinese universities administered by or under the supervision of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) from any action under all parts of this Work Programme. This records a source-stated potential eligibility restriction; it does not adjudicate any applicant’s status.
Applicant restriction
General Annex B bars legal entities established in China from Innovation Actions and, unless a stated destination exception applies, from Research and Innovation Actions, including participation in any capacity for the listed IA/RIA restrictions. The exact CIRCBIO destination heading is not among the enumerated Cluster 6 RIA exceptions. Topic 08 separately states the control rule for this exact topic.
Applicant restriction
General Annex B excludes entities subject to EU restrictive measures from participation in any capacity and refers to special rules for entities covered by Commission Guidelines 2013/C 205/05 on Israeli entities and activities in territories occupied since June 1967. Eligibility under these rules depends on the entity and activity; this review does not make an applicant-specific determination.
Applicant restriction
General Annex B states that Hungarian public-interest trusts established under Act IX of 2021 and entities they maintain may apply and, if allowed by call conditions, participate as associated partners without EU funding; while the Council measures remain in force, they are not eligible in funded roles. This records the published rule and does not determine the status of a particular entity or current Council measures.
Applicant restriction
General Annex B states that entities established in Russia, Belarus or non-government-controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible in any participation capacity, subject to justified case-by-case exceptions. It also states that entities established outside Russia but more than 50% directly or indirectly owned by a Russia-established entity are not eligible in any capacity. This is the published programme rule, not a determination about a particular applicant.
Applicant type
Unless a specific topic exception modifies it, the standard minimum is three independent legal-entity beneficiaries from three different countries: one Member State plus two others from different Member States or Associated Countries. Affiliated entities do not count toward that minimum.
Application restriction
2027-09-22, 17:00 Brussels local time (published call deadline; Commission may delay by up to two months)
Application restriction
2027-04-20 (planned opening date)
Application restriction
This is the Call 01 single-stage 2027 route. The separate -01-two-stage and -02-two-stage topics are distinct topic records, not alternate stages of this exact record.
Eligible project scope
Innovation Actions
Eligible project scope
Deploy or scale safe, sustainable circular bio-based materials/products/value chains using upcycled and recycled resources; address complex biowaste, digital traceability/marketplace and value-chain recommendations. Bioenergy/biofuels are outside scope (though synergies may be considered subject to cascading biomass valorisation).
Ineligible project scope
Bioenergy/biofuels are out of scope; the text permits considering synergies with the sector subject to the cascading biomass valorisation principle and industrial symbiosis.
Other condition
The Work Programme overview gives an indicative expected award count of 2 project(s) for this topic; it is a planning figure, not a guaranteed award count.
Other condition
For up to four years after the action ends, the granting authority may object to transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results under the Annex 5 provision.
Technology readiness level at end, maximum
7 TRL

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project; activities may start at any TRL. This is an expected result target, not an applicant eligibility threshold.

Technology readiness level at end, minimum
6 TRL

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project; activities may start at any TRL. This is an expected result target, not an applicant eligibility threshold.

Amounts and costs9
Indicative budget
€12,000,000

Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.

Eligible cost
The project-based detailed lump-sum budget is an estimate per cost category, beneficiary/affiliated entity and work package. Its inputs must approximate actual costs, follow the programme’s actual-cost eligibility rules, the beneficiary’s normal practices, be reasonable/non-excessive, and be necessary and aligned to proposed activities. These estimates justify/fix the contribution; they are not actual-cost claims.
Eligible cost
SEDIA identifies the Horizon Lump Sum Grant model; the Lump Sum MGA pays a contribution for completed work packages according to the signed agreement, not reimbursement of each actual payroll or supplier invoice. Topic text explicitly invokes the Lump Sum Decision for those topics that state the legal/financial exception.
Eligible cost
Travel/subsistence, equipment and other goods/works/services are categories in the underlying Horizon cost model; the amount may be included in a lump-sum estimate only where the item would be eligible under actual-cost rules and is needed for the proposed activities. This packet does not assert that a specific purchase is authorized in the final budget.
Eligible cost
Subcontracting may be included in the detailed estimate only where necessary and otherwise eligible; the underlying Horizon MGA rules require usual purchasing practices, best value for money (or lowest price where appropriate), and no conflict of interest. Under the lump-sum model the contribution is not reimbursed invoice-by-invoice.
Eligible cost limit
25 percent of eligible direct costs for actual-cost MGA budget calculations; exclusions as stated in conditions

The general Horizon Europe MGA flat-rate base excludes eligible direct costs for subcontracting, financial support to third parties and unit costs or lump sums that include indirect costs. For a project-based lump sum, any indirect-cost amount is only part of the estimated Annex 2 breakdown if applicable; this is not a separate 25% payment on top of the lump sum. If the beneficiary receives an operating grant, the lump-sum guidance says indirect cost estimates are not eligible.

Funding intensity, maximumEligible Innovation Action legal entities other than non-profit legal entities; beneficiary grant rate, not personnel pay.
70 percent of eligible costs (general action-type maximum)

General Horizon Europe maximum for IA: 70% of eligible costs; non-profit legal entities may receive up to 100%. For lump-sum grants the funding rate is already applied in the methodology used to fix the amount; it is not an additional multiplier to apply to the indicative project contribution or topic allocation. Final grant parameters are fixed in the signed grant agreement. This typed 70% row applies to eligible entities other than non-profit legal entities; the separate 100% maximum row captures that exception.

Funding intensity, maximumNon-profit legal entities participating in this Innovation Action; beneficiary grant rate, not personnel pay.
100 percent of eligible costs (general action-type maximum)

Up to 100% for non-profit legal entities under General Annex G. For lump-sum funding, the rate is already applied through the methodology for fixing the amounts. This is not a guaranteed award or individual compensation rate.

Expected contribution per project
€6,000,000

Around this expected EU contribution per project. It is an estimate, not a minimum, maximum or binding cap; the Commission explicitly permits proposals requesting different amounts.

Topic allocation
€12,000,000

Topic-level indicative call allocation; not an amount per project or individual beneficiary. The Work Programme says the call budget is subject to availability of appropriations.

Personnel and services4

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    Natural persons under a direct contract other than an employment contract may be estimated only when assigned to the action, meeting employee-like working conditions, with the result belonging to the beneficiary unless otherwise agreed. The amount follows the underlying actual contract cost and may not differ significantly from similar employee tasks; no salary rate is published.

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    Costs for employees under an employment contract or equivalent appointing act, assigned to the action. For this lump-sum call this is a budget-estimate category subject to corresponding actual-cost eligibility rules, not an advertised role, required hire, headcount or salary-rate entitlement.

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    Seconded-person personnel-cost estimates require assignment to the action, employee-like working conditions, result ownership by the beneficiary unless otherwise agreed, and an amount tied to actual secondment cost that is not significantly different from comparable employee tasks. No job, headcount or pay rate is specified.

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    The action-related work of a beneficiary SME owner or natural-person beneficiary receiving no salary may be included under the personnel unit-cost method in Annex 2a where general eligibility conditions are met. It is not a payroll salary and this review does not assert a unit amount.

Source documents6
Call facts
Opens
20 Apr 2027
Deadline model
Single-stage
Programme
Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
Call
HORIZON-CL6-2027-01 · Call 01 - single stage (2027)
Types of action
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Keywords
  • bio-based
  • bioeconomy
  • biotechnology
  • circularity
  • construction material
  • ecodesign
  • packaging
  • pulp and paper
  • recycling
  • textiles
Source
ec.europa.eu
Checked
24 Oct 2026
Portal updated
7 Oct 2026
Review status
Partial review
Reviewed
23 Oct 2026

This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.