Circular and SSbD bio-based construction & building materials with functional properties

Opened

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking

Programme Description

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a €2 billion partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.

CBE JU is operating under the rules of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme, for the 2021-2031 period. The partnership is building on the success of its predecessor, the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), while addressing the current challenges facing the industry.

 

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-04

Call

Circular and SSbD bio-based construction & building materials with functional properties

Summary

Buildings produce about 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions, throughout the phases of material production, construction, useful life of the construction facility and end-of-life of its components, contributing to environmental pollution. To meet the increasing demand for sustainable, circular, energy efficient buildings and construction materials, there is a need to adopt cost effective, environmentally appropriate technologies and upgrade traditional techniques to increase circularity. Bio-based materials and products can often provide more sustainable and circular solutions and at the same time confer useful functional properties. At the same time, their scalability and environmental sustainability needs to be clearly demonstrated compared to conventional building materials.

Detailed Call Description

Proposals under this topic should:

  • Demonstrate bio-based products with tailored functional properties for large-scale applications in construction and renovation of buildings. Products in scope are functional elements such as (but not limited to) acoustic and thermal insulation panels, façade elements, interior fittings, foams, membranes, door structures, window frames. Examples of target functionalities include durability; fire retardancy; water barrier, moisture transfer, antimicrobial, antifungal/mould prevention, corrosion prevention among others. While the primary focus should be on construction and building products, proposals can also consider replication of the developed solutions in other large market sectors such as transport and furniture among others.
  • Assess the compatibility of the innovative solutions developed with the built environment in terms of materials and of planning, construction, maintenance, renovation and/or demolition practices. Assess the compliance of products with the relevant regulatory framework and provide recommendations to overcome any identified bottleneck. Perform field trials of the newly developed materials and products involving end users (assessment, training and awareness raising). When applicable, test the compatibility with other components relevant to the final application.
  • Ensure health and safety requirements of workers and end users/consumers are met, including indoor air quality benefits when applicable.
  • Demonstrate improved environmental profiles compared to conventional (fossil or bio-based) materials in the production, use phase and end of life (including disassembly for easier recycling where applicable, reduction of waste and sustainable waste management).
  • Demonstrate sustainable and resource efficient production routes.
  • Include a task to integrate assessment based on the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission, for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials. Under this context, projects are expected to contribute with and develop recommendations that can advance further the application of the SSbD framework.

Call Total Budget

€15 million

Thematic Categories

  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation

Eligibility for Participation

  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions

Call Opening Date

24/04/2024

Call Closing Date

18/09/2024