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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to drive the sustainable and circular transformation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) by developing and demonstrating innovative solutions. It supports the EU's objectives for climate neutrality, circular economy, and industrial strategies. - Target recipient type and size: SMEs, SME associations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and industry players, typically working together in consortia. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC focusing on circular economy and bioeconomy sectors. - Geographic scope: Organizations from EU Member States, Associated Countries, and potentially other non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding under Horizon Europe. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on SMEs, sustainable and circular solutions, bioeconomy, and alignment with EU environmental and industrial policies. Applications follow a two-stage process. - Grant frequency: This is a specific call within the recurring Horizon Europe Work Programmes for 2025.

Financial Structure

Total budget for this topic: 10,000,000.0 EUR.
Minimum grant amount per project: 5,000,000.0 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project: 5,000,000.0 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Funding rate: Not explicitly specified in the provided text, but typically for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions, it is 70% for for-profit entities and 100% for non-profit entities.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible organizations: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), SME associations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and suitable industry or industry associations.
Consortium requirements: It is expected that SMEs or SME associations participate in the consortia to ensure applicability and dissemination of results. The engagement of NGOs, small-scale initiatives, and suitable industry or industry associations is encouraged.

Geographic Requirements

Eligible countries: Organizations from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Specific provisions may allow participation from other non-EU/non-Associated Countries. (Refer to Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes for a definitive list).

Application-Specific Requirements

Blind evaluation pilot: For first-stage proposals, applicants must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their application.

Exclusion Criteria

Duplication: Proposals must convincingly explain how they build on and do not duplicate topics covered by previous Horizon Europe calls (2021-2022 or 2023-2024) in the 'Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors' destination.

Application Process

This grant uses a two-stage submission procedure.
Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Application Deadlines

Stage 1 Deadline: 2025-09-04 00:00:00+00 (latest date for first stage).
Stage 2 Deadline: 2026-02-18 00:00:00+00 (latest date for second stage, which is the final deadline).

Required Documentation and Materials

Application form templates: Specific forms are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA; Standard application form HE RIA IA Stage 1).
Part B of the application: Must adhere to the blind evaluation pilot rules for Stage 1, meaning no identifying organizational or personnel information.

Support and Guidance

Comprehensive guidance available through:
- Online Manual
- Horizon Europe Programme Guide
- Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ
- Research Enquiry Service
- National Contact Points (NCPs)
- Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for SME-focused advice.
- IT Helpdesk for technical portal issues.
- European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property concerns.
- CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk for standardization advice.
Partner Search function is available on the portal to find collaborators.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria and Scoring

Detailed award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes are detailed in Annex F of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Expected Impact and Contribution

Proposals should set out a credible pathway contributing to achieving healthy soils and forests, clean air, fresh and marine water, water resilience, and the transition to a clean, competitive, and circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy.
Specific impacts include:
- Development of innovative circular and bio-based materials, products, processes, and value chains that replace unsustainable alternatives and lead to new waste management and pollution prevention approaches.
- Benefit to industry and consumers through sustainable novel products (aligned with Ecodesign principles) and novel circular business models that reduce resource use and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Advancement of innovative business and governance models to foster safe and sustainable product design (durability, reusability, recyclability) with a comprehensive environmental approach.
- Large-scale diffusion of social and technological innovation across circular and bioeconomy sectors within planetary boundaries.
- Leveraging the full potential of marine and freshwater biological resources and blue biotechnology for societal benefits (e.g., environment-friendly industrial products, public health, environmental conservation).
- Fostering multi-functionality of forests based on economic, environmental, and social sustainability pillars, enhancing bioeconomy, restoring biodiversity, and delivering ecosystem services.

Innovation and Feasibility

Proposals should address common, new, or unforeseen challenges for SME green transition through innovative, disruptive, and sustainable solutions.
Solutions can include new business models (e.g., regenerative), collaborative governance, tailored transformation plans, meaningful metrics/indicators, environmental management tools, and digital solutions (e.g., Digital Product Passports, AI, Generative AI).
Demonstration of the solutions' feasibility (economic, technical), environmental performance, utility, and transferability is required.
Demonstrations should be conducted in a large-scale operational environment with strong SME involvement.
Solutions must be transferable and include effective replication in other contexts.

Policy Alignment and Recommendations

Proposals should address the requirements of relevant EU policies (e.g., Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Green Claims Directive, EMAS, EU taxonomy, Best Available Techniques standards, Digital Product Passports).
Development of policy recommendations that support widespread adoption of the validated solution and use of new knowledge in regulatory frameworks is expected.

Collaboration and Synergies

Successful proposals should build on publicly available achievements and findings of related previous national or EU-funded projects.
Collaboration with existing public organizations (e.g., Enterprise Europe Network, Innovation Centre for Industrial Transformation and Emissions (INCITE), EU pact for skills initiative) is encouraged.
International cooperation is encouraged to maximize impacts.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Proposals must address requirements of relevant EU policies, including but not limited to:
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
- Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
- Green Claims Directive
- Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
- EU taxonomy
- Best Available Techniques (BAT) standards
- Digital Product Passports (DPP)
Development of policy recommendations supporting the widespread adoption of validated solutions and use of new knowledge in regulatory frameworks is an expected output.

Technical and Implementation Requirements

Proposals should include an analysis of required skills and include skill development activities for current and future employees of the SMEs.
Project results should contribute to reducing pollution emissions to air, water, and soil, and to protecting, restoring biodiversity, and sustainably using ecosystem services.

Cross-Cutting Considerations

For R&I activities impacting or involving civil society, proposals should consider the participation of disadvantaged groups based on gender and other social categories.

Strategic Alignment and Synergies

Synergies are expected with:
- Horizon Europe Cluster 4 ('Digital, industry and Space') and Cluster 5 ('Climate, Energy and Mobility')
- Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)
- EU partnership for a climate neutral, sustainable and productive blue economy
- EU mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030'
- Soil mission
- Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI)
- New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility
Coordination with the EC Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy and potential synergies with other JRC activities are encouraged.
Synergies and complementarities with the future European Partnership 'Forests and forestry for a sustainable future' should be sought.

Grant Details