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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core Objective: To scale up the production of nutritional proteins from diverse alternative sources, contributing to sustainable, resilient, and consumer-accepted food systems.
Target Recipient Type & Size: This grant targets organizations involved in innovation, research, and development. Given the funding amount and the 'Innovation Action' nature, it is likely intended for consortia comprising enterprises (SMEs and large companies), research organizations, universities, and other relevant entities.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Food and Drink Processing, Bio-based Products, Bioprocessing Technologies, Nutrition, Agriculture.
Geographic Scope & Location Requirements: Open to organizations established in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Key Filtering Criteria: Proposals must demonstrate innovative processes for protein extraction/production, address nutritional adequacy and safety (toxicological testing), include consumer awareness/acceptance, and ensure resource efficiency and circularity. Focus is on nutritional proteins for food.
Grant Frequency & Program Context: This is part of the HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025 call, which operates under the annual Work Programme of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU). It appears to be a recurring annual funding opportunity.

Financial Structure

Budget for the HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025 call (encompassing multiple actions): 172137258.88 EUR.
Minimum grant amount per project (for HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-03): 7000000.0 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project (for HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-03): 7000000.0 EUR.
Currency: 'EUR' (Euro).
Funding Rate: Not explicitly specified within the provided text. For Horizon Europe Innovation Actions, funding typically covers 70% of eligible costs for for-profit organizations and 100% for non-profit organizations.
Eligible and Ineligible Costs: Not detailed in the provided grant specific text. Applicants should refer to Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Annotated Model Grant Agreement (AGA) for specifics on eligible cost categories (e.g., personnel, subcontracting, travel, equipment, other goods and services, indirect costs).
Matching Fund/Co-financing Requirements: Not explicitly detailed, but co-financing is implied for for-profit entities if the standard 70% funding rate applies.
Payment Schedule & Mechanisms: Details regarding payment schedule and mechanisms are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Model Grant Agreement.
Financial Reporting & Audit Requirements: Financial reporting and audit requirements are outlined in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Types

Organizations typically eligible for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions include:
- 'SME' (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises)
- 'ENTERPRISE' (Large companies)
- 'UNIVERSITY' (Universities and higher education institutions)
- 'NGO' (Non-governmental organizations)
- 'PUBLIC' (Public bodies or governmental organizations)
- 'OTHER' (Any other legal entities contributing to the project objectives)

Geographic Location Requirements

Organizations must be established in one of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Specific Qualifications

Must demonstrate capacity for innovative process development for protein extraction/production.
Expertise required in toxicological testing, regulatory compliance (EU, EFSA guidelines), and nutritional assessment.
Ability to engage with end-users and consumers for market acceptance and product development.
Demonstrated track record in R&I projects, particularly those related to alternative proteins and bio-based solutions, is advantageous.

Consortium Requirements

While not explicitly stated as mandatory, 'consortium' formation is strongly implied and typical for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions of this scale and complexity, especially given the allowPartnerSearch: true indicator. Projects are expected to bring together diverse expertise across the value chain.

Application Process

Application Deadlines & Submission

Application Deadline: 2025-09-18T00:00:00+0000.
Submission Window: The submission session opened on 2025-04-03.
Submission Procedure: This is a single-stage submission process.
Submission Format & Platform: Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service. Applicants need to use the Application Form (Part B) template, which was updated on 2025-04-04.

Required Documentation & Materials

Application Form (Part B) template: Ensure to use the latest version available in the Submission System.
Supporting documents as per Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex A, E, B, C, G) and the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2025 section 2.2.3.
Project proposal outlining the objectives, methodology, impact, and implementation plan.

Review Process & Timeline

Evaluation and award criteria are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Assistance & Support

Online Manual: Comprehensive guide for submission and grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on structure, budget, and political priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service: For general questions on European research and EU Research Framework Programmes.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Guidance and practical assistance on participation in Horizon Europe, available in EU and associated countries.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Advice for businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues related to the Funding & Tenders Portal.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advice on standardization in project proposals.
Partner Search: Availability of a partner search tool to facilitate consortium formation.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Evaluation Criteria (Implied)

Excellence: This criterion assesses the quality of the proposed project, including:
- Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives.
- Soundness of the proposed methodology and scientific approach.
- Extent to which the project is ambitious and goes beyond the state-of-the-art.
- Appropriateness of the inter-disciplinary approach and gender dimension (if relevant).
Impact: This criterion evaluates the potential effects of the project, including:
- Contribution to the expected outcomes mentioned in the grant description (e.g., increased protein availability, food system resilience, sustainability, consumer acceptance).
- Measures to maximize the impact of the project results through dissemination, exploitation, and communication activities.
- Alignment with EU strategies (Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, Farm2Fork, Food 2030).
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: This criterion concerns the management and resources of the project, including:
- Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources.
- Complementarity of the participants within the consortium and the extent to which they bring the necessary expertise.
- Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including risk management.

Specific Scoring Factors for This Grant

Innovation requirements: Demonstration of innovative processes for protein extraction/production.
Quality thresholds: Meeting targeted quality and stability for final applications, nutritional adequacy (at least 50% protein content by weight), and adherence to safety standards (toxicological tests per EU regulations and EFSA guidelines).
Social impact: Improved consumers' awareness and acceptance of alternative proteins, contribution to sustainable healthy diets.
Environmental impact: Resource efficiency and circularity, sustainability of food systems within planetary boundaries (land use, water, energy, nitrogen cycle).
Strategic alignment: Ensuring complementarities with past and ongoing R&I projects addressing similar challenges.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory & Ethical Compliance

Safety Testing: Projects must conduct toxicological tests on developed proteins and formulations, strictly adhering to EU regulatory requirements and EFSA guidelines.
Regulatory Gaps: Applicants are expected to identify potential regulatory gaps in the field of alternative proteins and provide recommendations to address these bottlenecks.
Data Protection & Privacy: Compliance with Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement and general EU data protection regulations is required.
Environmental Compliance: Projects should address resource efficiency and circularity, ensuring no pathogens or contaminants are re-introduced into the loop to prevent negative toxicological effects.
Ethical Standards: Adherence to ethical considerations related to food safety, consumer health, and animal welfare (if applicable to protein sources).

Technical & Quality Standards

Protein Content: Targeted products (pure proteins, protein-rich mixtures, protein-enriched ingredients) must contain at least 50% protein by weight.
Nutritional Adequacy: Demonstration of nutritional adequacy and effect on food formulations according to established testing procedures. Consideration of properties like prevention of intolerances/allergies.
Downstream Processing: Efficient and cost-effective downstream separation and purification processes are crucial for meeting quality and stability targets.

Intellectual Property (IP) Policies

While specific policies are not detailed here, the mention of the European IPR Helpdesk implies that intellectual property management within the project, including ownership and exploitation of results, will be a key aspect of the grant agreement.

Unique Project Aspects

Consumer Engagement: A mandatory task involves engaging end-users (including consumers) from the early stages of product development to assess market acceptance and integrate insights.
Complementarity: Projects must ensure strong complementarities with past and ongoing R&I initiatives (e.g., projects funded under Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, BBI JU, CBE JU).
Strategic Alignment: Contribute to broader EU strategies such as the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, EU Industrial Strategy, Circular Economy Action Plan, Europe's food security, Farm2Fork strategy, Food 2030 pathways, and the EU Initiative on Biotech and Biomanufacturing.

Grant Details