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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to drive the development and market uptake of new Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) bio-based polymers and copolymers. It aims to unlock novel market applications and improve the sustainability, safety, and circularity of bio-based materials compared to current benchmarks. The grant supports the demonstration and validation of these innovative solutions, fostering a broader acceptance of bio-based products. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: The grant targets a broad range of legal entities, including companies (SMEs and large enterprises), research organizations, and universities, capable of high-TRL research, development, and industrial demonstration. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: This grant is highly sector-specific, focusing on bio-based chemistry, materials engineering, and the manufacturing of advanced bio-polymers and bio-plastics. It is also aligned with circular bioeconomy principles. - Geographic scope and any location requirements: The geographical scope includes entities established in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on bio-based polymers/copolymers, high technology readiness levels (TRL 5-7), integration of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles, and clear market application potential. - Grant frequency and program context: This is part of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) annual work programme, suggesting a recurring nature within the broader Horizon Europe framework.

Financial Structure

Overall call budget: The total budget for the HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025 call, which this topic (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IA-05) is part of, is 172,137,258.88 EUR.
Funding per project for this topic: Each selected project for this specific topic is expected to receive 7,000,000 EUR.
Minimum grant amount per application: 7,000,000.0 EUR
Maximum grant amount per application: 7,000,000.0 EUR
Currency: EUR
Funding rate: For Innovation Actions, the grant typically covers up to 70.0% of eligible costs for for-profit organizations and up to 100.0% for non-profit organizations.
Eligible costs: Standard Horizon Europe eligible costs apply, including personnel costs, costs of travel and subsistence, equipment costs, costs of other goods and services, and indirect costs.
Co-financing requirements: Applicants are responsible for covering the remaining percentage of costs not covered by the grant, which serves as co-financing.
Financial reporting requirements: Grantees will be subject to regular financial reporting as per Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (MGA) guidelines.
Audit requirements: Projects may be subject to ex-post audits to verify the proper use of funds and adherence to financial rules.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Eligible organization types: Legal entities of all types, including private companies (SME, ENTERPRISE), public bodies (PUBLIC), research organizations (UNIVERSITY, OTHER), and non-governmental organizations (NGO).

Consortium Requirements

Partnership or consortium requirements: Projects must be submitted by a consortium of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Geographic Location

Geographic location requirements: Organizations must be established in one of the EU Member States or countries associated with the Horizon Europe Programme. The specific list of eligible countries is detailed in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Technical Readiness Level

Technical readiness levels (TRL) for demonstration: Projects must demonstrate the production of bio-based (co-)polymeric structures at TRL 6-7.
Technical readiness levels (TRL) for validation: Validation of the targeted (co-)polymeric structure(s) into end products must be at a minimum of TRL 5.

Exclusion Criteria

Scope exclusions: The development of bio-based composites as end products is not in scope.
End-of-Life (EoL) exclusions: Landfilling and incineration are not in scope as valid End-of-Life options for the bio-polymeric structures.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Application deadline: The single-stage submission deadline is 2025-09-18 00:00:00+0000.
Submission platform: Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application Form (Part B): A specific template is available in the Submission System (updated as of 04/04/2025). This form outlines the detailed project proposal.
Administrative forms: Standard administrative forms as required by the Funding & Tenders Portal, typically covering consortium details and budget summaries.
Supporting materials: Any specific supporting documents outlined in the call details and general Horizon Europe guidelines (e.g., consortium agreement details, financial capacity assessment information).

Evaluation and Selection Process

Review process and timeline: The evaluation and award processes are described in Annex F of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also described in Annex F.
Selection criteria: Proposals are evaluated based on award criteria, scoring, and thresholds described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Support for Applicants

Application assistance availability: Extensive support is available through the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, dedicated FAQ for applicants (CBE JU 2025 call for proposals), Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, and European IPR Helpdesk. Partner search tools are also available to facilitate consortium building.

Evaluation Criteria

Excellence

Quality of proposed research and innovation: Proposals will be evaluated on the soundness of the concept and the quality of the proposed methodology, including scientific/technical quality and interdisciplinary aspects.
Level of innovation: Demonstrated production of bio-based (co-)polymeric structures with market potential and functional properties at least on par with fossil-based counterparts or higher than bio-based benchmarks, potentially adding new functionalities.
Integration of SSbD: Quality and rigor of the proposed task to apply the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, including contributing recommendations to advance its application, defining thresholds, and identifying data gaps.

Impact

Contribution to EU strategies: Expected contributions to the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, EU Zero pollution ambition, EU Industrial Strategy, and the Transition Pathway for the chemicals industry.
Market potential: Capability of proposed solutions to unlock novel applications and/or market sectors for bio-based (co-)polymers.
Sustainability and Circularity: Demonstrated improvement in sustainability, safety, and circularity compared to selected benchmarks, including resource efficiency measures (e.g., reduction of energy/water consumption, water recycling, (bio)-catalyst recycling, and valorization of side-streams/by-products).
Social Acceptance: Potential to improve social acceptance of bio-based products in the transition to sustainable materials.
End-of-Life Solutions: Eco-design of the bio-based (co-)polymeric structure and end product(s) to address sustainable End of Life, validating selected EoL options (excluding landfilling/incineration) and addressing compatibility with existing EoL frameworks.

Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

Quality of project management and work plan: Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriate allocation of tasks and resources.
Quality of the consortium: The expertise, complementarity, and commitment of the participants, and the appropriateness of the overall consortium structure.
Risk management: Soundness of the risk management approach and proposed mitigation measures.
Complementarity: Assurance of complementarities with past and ongoing R&I projects addressing similar challenges.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance

General compliance: Projects must adhere to all relevant EU laws and regulations, including those governing research and innovation activities.
Ethical standards: Strict adherence to ethical principles, as outlined in Horizon Europe guidelines and EU legislation, is mandatory for all project activities.
Data protection and privacy: Compliance with EU data protection and privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR) is expected for any data collection, processing, or storage activities within the project.

Technical and Environmental Standards

Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD): A dedicated task within the project must apply the SSbD framework developed by the European Commission for polymer formulations. Projects are also expected to actively contribute recommendations to advance this framework, including defining thresholds and identifying data gaps (especially safety, environmental, and socio-economic factors) and priorities for data collection.
Resource efficiency: Projects must incorporate robust measures to achieve process cost reduction and higher sustainability. This includes aspects like reducing primary energy consumption, implementing water recycling, efficient (bio)-catalyst recycling, and valorization of side-streams/by-products.
Sustainable End-of-Life (EoL): The eco-design of bio-polymeric structures and related end product(s) must specifically address sustainable End of Life. Validation of selected EoL options (at minimum TRL 5) is required, along with an assessment of compatibility with existing EoL frameworks or proposals for necessary changes/adaptations. Landfilling and incineration are explicitly excluded as acceptable EoL options.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Intellectual property policies: Standard Horizon Europe IP rules apply. These typically require a Consortium Agreement among partners to define the ownership, protection, and exploitation of foreground and background IP generated or used within the project.

Project Scope Limitations

Project scope exclusions: The development of bio-based composites as end products is explicitly outside the scope of this call. This means the focus is on the polymer itself rather than complex composite materials.

Strategic Alignment

Complementarity: Projects must ensure clear complementarities with past and ongoing research and innovation projects that address similar challenges. This includes projects funded under Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe and BBI/CBE JU, promoting synergy and avoiding duplication.

Grant Details