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Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

- - The core objective is to develop and demonstrate sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications, focusing on optimised cultivation and production. - Target recipients are organizations capable of participating in Innovation Actions (IA), including businesses, research organizations, and public bodies, collaborating in consortia. - This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on the bio-based economy, aquaculture, marine resources, and environmental sustainability. - The geographic scope includes EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. - Key filtering criteria: Projects must involve macroalgae cultivation (not wild harvesting), focus on bio-based product development, contribute to a sustainable blue economy, and have a clear pathway to industrial scalability and market potential. - This grant is part of the annual CBE JU Call for Proposals, indicating it is a recurring program.

Financial Structure

  • The maximum grant amount per project for this topic is 7,000,000 EUR.
  • The minimum grant amount per project for this topic is 7,000,000 EUR.
  • The currency for all financial amounts is EUR.
  • There are two projects expected to be funded under this specific topic.
  • The total budget allocated for this specific topic (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-01) is 14,000,000 EUR (2 projects x 7,000,000 EUR each).
  • The overall budget for the entire 'HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025' call is 172,137,258.88 EUR.
  • The legal and financial set-up of grants is described in 'Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes'.
  • Funding rates for Innovation Actions under Horizon Europe typically cover 70% of eligible costs for for-profit entities and 100% for non-profit entities, but exact details will be specified in 'Annex G' and the Model Grant Agreement.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Legal Structure
  • Legal entities of any type are generally eligible, provided they are established in an eligible country. Horizon Europe Innovation Actions typically involve collaborative consortia.
  • Specific types of organisations are detailed in 'Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes'.
Geographic Location
  • Organizations must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country (as defined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes).
  • Eligible EU Member States include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Technical & Operational Capacity
  • Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity, as described in 'Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes'.
  • Projects require expertise in areas such as macroalgae cultivation, biomass processing, biorefinery, environmental impact assessment, socio-economic analysis, coastal governance, and stakeholder engagement.
Consortium Requirements
  • This grant type (Innovation Action) generally requires a consortium composed of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country. (Note: This is a standard Horizon Europe requirement for Innovation Actions, not explicitly stated here but implied by the grant type and program context).
  • A Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) is required, meaning proposals must include relevant local/regional authorities (for coastal governance aspects), as well as end-users and consumers (especially for B2C products).

Application Process

Application Deadlines & Submission
  • The application submission deadline is 2025-09-18 00:00:00+0000.
  • The submission session became available on 2025-04-03.
  • The submission procedure is single-stage.
Required Documentation & Materials
  • Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in 'Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes'.
  • The specific Application Form (Part B) template for this call is available in the Submission System.
  • Applicants must submit through the Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Evaluation & Selection Process
  • The evaluation and award processes, including the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, are described in 'Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes' and the Online Manual.
  • Evaluation form templates (Standard evaluation form for HE RIA, IA) will be used with necessary adaptations.
Available Application Support
  • Applicants can access support through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
  • Direct assistance is available via the Research Enquiry Service.
  • National Contact Points (NCPs) provide guidance and assistance in participating countries.
  • The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) offers advice, especially for SMEs.
  • An IT Helpdesk is available for technical submission issues.
  • The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property questions.
  • CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardisation in proposals.
  • A Partner Search tool is available to help find consortium members.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are primarily described in 'Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes'. Specific criteria for this topic emphasize: Excellence
  • Soundness and quality of the proposed macroalgae cultivation and processing methodology.
  • Relevance to the state of the art in algal biotechnology and biorefining, demonstrating innovation beyond current practices.
  • Clarity and pertinence of the project objectives relative to the topic scope.
Impact
  • Potential to contribute to industrial scalability of macroalgae systems and valorisation options.
  • Creation of novel bio-based products and viable business opportunities from cultivated macroalgae.
  • Generation of socio-economic benefits, including job creation and preservation, especially in blue economy sectors.
  • Demonstrated environmental sustainability, covering biodiversity, water quality preservation/enhancement/restoration.
  • Alignment with key EU initiatives: EU Biotech and Biomanufacturing Initiative, EU Bioeconomy Strategy, Zero Pollution Action Plan, EU strategy for a Sustainable Blue Economy, and the Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030' (Objective 3: carbon-neutral and circular blue economy).
  • Assessment of public perception and acceptance of the value chains.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation
  • Quality of the proposed work plan, including appropriate resources, effective risk management, and coherent management structure.
  • Complementarity of the skills and expertise within the consortium to achieve project objectives.
  • Effective engagement of relevant stakeholders through the Multi-Actor Approach.
  • Strategies for maximizing resource and energy efficiency across the value chain, potentially integrating renewable energy sources.
  • Clear demonstration of environmental safety, monitoring, and mitigation measures.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance
  • All projects must comply with the 'EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509'.
  • Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment must be followed.
Environmental & Ethical Standards
  • Projects must ensure environmental safety and avoidance of environmental risks.
  • This includes monitoring and mitigation measures, specifically addressing biodiversity protection and potential enhancement, avoidance of invasiveness, and toxicity.
  • Carbon sequestration and nutrient loads must be assessed as part of the environmental assessment.
Data Protection & Privacy
  • Compliance with the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement is required.
Intellectual Property
  • Intellectual property policies will be governed by the 'Legal and financial set-up of the grants' described in 'Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes' and the 'EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement'.
Special Considerations
  • A Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) is mandatory, requiring the inclusion of relevant local/regional authorities (for coastal governance) and end-users/consumers (for B2C products).
  • Proposals must include a dedicated task to assess public perception and acceptance of the demonstrated value chains, especially regarding the potential impact of large-scale macroalgae production on land and marine ecosystems.
  • Projects are expected to ensure complementarity with past and ongoing R&I projects addressing similar challenges (e.g., projects funded under Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe and BBI JU/CBE JU).
  • Proposals should establish synergies with the European Algae Stakeholder Platform (EU4Algae) and leverage its EU Algae projects database.
  • The topic focuses exclusively on cultivation of macroalgae; harvesting from the wild is explicitly excluded.
  • While EU-native species are in scope for open environments, non-native species may only be supported in closed systems to prevent ecological risks.

Grant Details

algaculture aquaculture aquafarming benthic freshwater kelp mariculture seaweed step-biotech bio-based products bio-based materials bio-based plastics biofuels bulk chemicals fine chemicals novel materials chemical engineering environmental protection fisheries circular bioeconomy sustainable blue economy innovation actions marine biotechnology biorefinery resource efficiency climate action pollution reduction job creation societal engagement digital agenda ocean restoration
Sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications: cultivation and optimised production systems
HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-01
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)
SME ENTERPRISE NGO PUBLIC UNIVERSITY OTHER
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE
AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY ENERGY OTHER
DEVELOPMENT EARLY_MARKET GROWTH
OTHER
SDG8 SDG9 SDG12 SDG13 SDG14 SDG15
FUNDING RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT PILOT_PROJECTS INNOVATION_COMMERCIALIZATION CAPACITY_BUILDING
172137258.88
7000000.00
7000000.00
EUR
None
Sept. 18, 2025, midnight
None