The Galileo PRS service for governmental authorised use cases

Closed

Code: 34534 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-EUSPA-2023-SPACE-01-44 | Programme name: 3476 | Start submission calls: 09/07/2024 | End submission calls: 05/09/2024

Over the years a cross-border cooperation between Member States (MS) Competent PRS Authorities (CPA) has been fostered through a number of activities related to the implementation of the PRS regulatory framework. These activities (e.g. the Joint Test Activity (JTA) and the market consultation for PRS conducted under FRAME SC2 grant in 2023), and the recent coordination among MS CPA have led to the identification of gaps related to the ongoing market development of PRS civilian applications.

The PRS technology aiming at supporting one or several use cases, the related technical specifications have been selected in such a way so as to be ambitious, but at the same time realistic, so that the market will be able to deliver PRS solutions that meet the operational needs of the authorities responsible for the implementation of the PRS user segment.

Specialised Education Programmes in Key Capacity Areas

Opened

Code: 34532 | Identifier Code: DIGITAL-2024-ADVANCED-DIGITAL-07-KEYCAPACITY | Programme name: 15593 | Start submission calls: 04/07/2024 | End submission calls: 21/11/2024

The objective of the call for this topic is to support excellence in higher education institutions, making them world leaders in training the digital specialists of the future and to increase the capacity of the educational offer in the area of advanced digital skills. This should lead to the development of dynamic digital educational ecosystems where higher education institutions as well as innovative partners from industry and research work together to attract and retain the best talents worldwide.

Saving our Seas – Reducing danger of munitions dumped in European seas

Opened

Code: 34528 | Identifier Code: PPPA-2024-MUNITIONS | Programme name: 2280 | Start submission calls: 25/06/2024 | End submission calls: 21/11/2024

A large quantity of chemical and explosive munitions is currently dumped in EU sea basins. This situation raises environmental concerns as, the corrosion of munition casings due to mechanical and chemical processes results in the release of chemicals contained in the munitions.

This topic focuses on developing new technologies and methodologies and/or improving existing ones used to remove/neutralise/dispose of submerged munitions. Improvements should relate to their efficiency, effectiveness, safety and environmental impact.

Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 1

Opened

Code: 34514 | Identifier Code: I3-2024-INV1 | Programme name: 16401 | Start submission calls: 06/06/2024 | End submission calls: 05/12/2024

Strand 1 of the I3 instrument seeks to increase the competitiveness and the resilience of EU value chains on the basis of interregional cooperation and shared smart specialisation areas.

The objective of the I3 Instrument Strand 1 call for proposals is to support interregional innovation investments by offering consortia of innovation actors from the quadruple helix ecosystems the necessary financial and advisory support to bring their innovations to a mature level, ready for commercialisation and scale-up, while bridging and reducing the innovation divide in Europe with a strong cohesion policy focus of integrating all regions and in particular the less developed regions into European value chains.

Supporting the CBE JU Deployment Group on Primary Producers

Closed

Code: 34512 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-CSA-03 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Primary producers are at the beginning of the circular bio-based value chains as biomass suppliers. They also play an important role as producers and end-users of bio-based products and innovations. As such, they have a critical role in the deployment of circular and bio-based innovations. However, do not always fully benefit from the opportunities that this can offer to them and are often not entirely integrated into the bio-based value chains together with other actors. The long-term economic viability of novel bio-based business models, from which the primary producers can benefit, is sometimes uncertain and affected by associated technical barriers but also by policy, regulatory & legal barriers as well as for other unpredictable climatic or global circumstances.

The CBE JU Deployment Groups are established in accordance with articles 22 and 56 of the Council regulation establishing the Joint Undertakings, taking also into consideration the CBE Impact Assessment and the CBE JU Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

Under this framework, a specific Deployment Group of primary producers will be established to provide advice to CBE JU on critical issues encountered by primary producers with an impact on the deployment of circular bio-based solutions and innovations. In particular, the Deployment Group on primary producers will address opportunities and challenges faced by the primary sector which constitutes critical issues for the deployment of circular bio-based solutions and innovations and to ensure that primary producers benefit from their involvement in new and innovative circular and bio-based value chains.

The Deployment Group will be composed by a flexible and balanced group of stakeholders representing the primary sector, including the agricultural; forestry; and fisheries & aquaculture primary sectors. The proposal should engage primary producers from different regions and pedo-climatic zones in Europe.

Mobilize inclusive participation in bio-based systems and supporting the CBE JU widening strategy and its action plan

Closed

Code: 34510 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-CSA-02 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Stimulating research activities in countries and regions with underdeveloped R&I capacity for bio-based systems is a stated priority of the CBE JU Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and is monitored by a specific KPI 10 ‘Improving the participation of regions and countries with high unexploited potential and strategic interest to develop it’.

In this context, a dedicated Widening Participation strategy for the CBE JU was endorsed by the CBE JU Governing Board together with its first Action Plan for the period 2023-2024, which includes a list of concrete actions to step up the participation of under-represented countries in the CBE JU programme.

This CSA is one of the measures aiming at supporting the practical implementation of the CBE JU Widening Participation and its action plans.

New forms of cooperation in agriculture and the forest-based sector

Closed

Code: 34500 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-CSA-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

The circular use of waste, by-products and residues from agriculture, forestry, and the agri-food industry can lead to the creation of new economic opportunities in rural areas. However, primary producers are often not fully integrated in bio-based value chains, and thus, benefits are not sufficiently distributed among value chain actors. In addition, actors in the bio-based economy need a specific understanding on processes optimisation and high degree of investments in innovation and technologies.

This topic addresses diverse forms of cooperation among primary producers and beyond in wider value networks as well as suitable business models to create high-value bio-based products in vertically integrated value chains via advanced biorefineries. A more efficient collaboration poses several opportunities for primary producers: a significant bargaining power as a consequence of higher production volumes, economies of scales, stronger competitiveness and better access to market, portfolio diversification in production while reducing risks and creating new economic benefits, better investment capacity due to pooling resources and control over the whole production, facilitated access to information and to new knowledge.

SSbD bio-based coating materials for applications under demanding and/or extreme conditions

Closed

Code: 34496 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-04 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Coating materials are used in a wide range of industries (such as transport, construction, processing industry, textiles, energy, electronics, telecommunications, water and waste management). They protect the product, communicate information to the user, increase its lifetime, and confer performance and functionality (e.g. anticorrosion, antimicrobial, antifouling). At present, coatings are mostly fossil- based or of mineral origin. Some paints and synthetic coatings are under scrutiny or have been banned altogether for their health & safety and environmental impacts. Safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives are needed. The main technical challenges in developing bio-based coatings are obtaining stable and homogenous formulations meeting market requirements in term of performance while showing potential cost-effectiveness in the perspective of further scale-up.

Valorisation of polluted/contaminated wood from industrial and post-consumer waste streams

Closed

Code: 34494 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Post-consumer and post-industrial wood waste is an abundant secondary feedstock mainly coming from construction and furniture, but also secondary packaging. Policies around Europe are prompting separate collection and recycling of wood waste. Despite the great potential of urban and industrial wood waste to be exploited through a circular bioeconomy approach, this complex waste stream is difficult to be recycled/reprocessed, as it often features contaminants in the form of additives (glues, varnishes, paints, additives, etc..), pollutants (wood treatment products and heavy metals), and contaminating materials (glass, plastics, metals, etc.).

Biotech routes to obtain bio-based chemicals/ materials replacing animal-derived ones

Closed

Code: 34491 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-02 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Several industries (examples being in, cosmetics ingredients, but also in textile, leather, chemical and material production) utilise animal-derived raw materials as a basis to produce a wide range of products. Examples include hormones, amino acids/peptides, animal oils and fats, fibres, casein, collagen, bone, blood, feathers, leather, etc. Animal derivatives are often characterised by a variable composition and pose sustainability issues due to land use for feed and animal breeding and related environmental footprint but also the animal welfare concerns. There is a growing consumer awareness and drive to move away from animal-derived products in mass-market products. Moreover, the possible presence of pathogens is a critical issue which impacts safety and requires costly downstream purification. Plant-based, fungi-, algae or microbial streams and related side-streams can provide a safer, more sustainable and consistent alternative.

Innovative bio-based food/feed ingredients

Closed

Code: 34489 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-05 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Human and animal nutrition are two key areas where the bio-based industries can play an important role in addressing the present societal and climate challenges. Considerable attention is given to the mobilisation of alternative sources of proteins, fibres and carbohydrates, due to the increasing world population and the current unsustainable animal protein production systems. In addition to proteins, fibres and carbohydrates where significant advancements are under way, there is still the need to develop and validate at pilot scale breakthrough innovations in other food and feed ingredients which play an important role in human and animal health such as prebiotics, postbiotics, vitamins, peptides, oligosaccharides, fats, emulsifiers, enhancers of digestibility. In addition to those having a direct role in nutrition, other ingredients have an indirect, but nonetheless key, role in promoting healthier food and feed systems by enhancing organoleptic properties, texture, colour, palatability, digestibility etc. Unlocking this opportunity alongside with the current push to healthier and sustainable food chains makes the market of sustainable food and feed ingredients extremely promising for high tech bio-based applications.

Sustainable, bio-based alternatives for crop protection

Closed

Code: 34487 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-03 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Plant protection products (PPPs) are used to protect crops and other plants from pests and diseases.
Biopesticides are a promising alternative to chemical synthetic pesticides and tend to have lower health and environmental risks.

The development of sustainable bio-based alternatives to chemical synthetic pesticides in the EU remains challenging, as each feedstock source requires specific considerations on logistics, processing and transformation technologies, as well as final product development and validation. In addition, food and feed safety as well as human health aspects need to be fully elaborated to enable a placing on the market of the end-products.

Moreover, the lack of alternatives to deal with some pests and diseases affect agricultural sustainability and poses a challenge for food security. Further efforts will be needed to support farmers in the transition to achieve the ambitious targets of the Farm to Fork Strategy. In addition, climate change is altering pests’ behaviour and geographical distribution, which may further increase the risk of introducing pests to new areas and the severity of the impact.

Selective and sustainable (co)-production of lignin-derived aromatics

Closed

Code: 34483 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-05 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Aromatics production is a billion € market and the share of EU is around 25%. Aromatics have impact on applications such as solvents, agrochemicals, dietary supplements, while also being important in plastics production and other materials (e.g. resins, polyurethanes). The demand for chemicals from renewable sources is rapidly increasing and there is an urgent need for alternative feedstock and sustainable technologies to produce aromatics in bio-based industry. Lignin is available at large volumes and currently mostly downcycled because of the lower feasibility to obtain scaled up, selective aromatic streams, of which there are very few alternatives to fossil-based aromatics. Approximately, only 1-2% of the lignin annual production is used in chemicals production.

Innovative bio-based adhesives and binders for circular products meeting market requirements

Closed

Code: 34480 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-06 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Adhesives and binders are used in several sectors; their strength, ease of application and stability are of significant help in the manufacture and service of products. However, certain conventional fossil-based products can present significant health and safety and environmental issues at production, use and end of life phases. The chemical composition of and volatile substances released from conventional synthetic adhesives and binders raise health and safety concerns; moreover they are often based on formaldehyde or epoxy resins, some of which are under scrutiny as candidate substances of concern. Bio-based solutions could represent safer alternatives, provided they match application requirements in terms of cost, performance and end of life.

Innovative bio-based adhesives and binders for circular products meeting market requirements

Closed

Code: 34470 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-06 | Programme name: 23016 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Οι κόλλες και οι συγκολλητικές ουσίες χρησιμοποιούνται σε διάφορους τομείς. Η αντοχή, η ευκολία εφαρμογής και η σταθερότητά τους βοηθούν σημαντικά στην κατασκευή και το σέρβις των προϊόντων. Ωστόσο, ορισμένα συμβατικά προϊόντα με βάση τα ορυκτά μπορεί να παρουσιάσουν σημαντικά ζητήματα υγείας και ασφάλειας και περιβάλλοντος κατά τις φάσεις παραγωγής, χρήσης και τέλους ζωής. Η χημική σύνθεση και οι πτητικές ουσίες που απελευθερώνονται από συμβατικά συνθετικά συγκολλητικά και συνδετικά εγείρουν ανησυχίες για την υγεία και την ασφάλεια. Επιπλέον, συχνά βασίζονται σε φορµαλδεΰδη ή εποξειδικές ρητίνες, ορισμένες από τις οποίες εξετάζονται ως υποψήφιες ουσίες που προκαλούν ανησυχία. Οι λύσεις που βασίζονται σε βιολογικά προϊόντα θα μπορούσαν να αντιπροσωπεύουν ασφαλέστερες εναλλακτικές λύσεις, υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι ταιριάζουν με τις απαιτήσεις εφαρμογής όσον αφορά το κόστος, την απόδοση και το τέλος ζωής.

Innovative conversion of biogenic gaseous carbon into bio-based chemicals, ingredients, materials

Closed

Code: 34469 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-07 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Biogenic gaseous carbon from bio-based systems and biorefineries can be used as a sustainable feedstock to replace fossil carbon to obtain chemicals (including polymers), ingredients and materials while further contributing to reducing CO2 emissions and to increasing carbon sequestration in circular and/or long-lasting bio-based products and materials. The resulting innovative value chains have the potential to turn a problem (related to carbon gaseous emissions in the atmosphere) into an opportunity for EU socio-economic growth and global strategic autonomy for raw materials, while mitigating negative impacts to climate change and biodiversity preservation. Bio-based industry can lead the way to such untapped potential providing examples which could be in the future adapted and replicated also by big emitters of CO2, including those out of the scope of this topic.

Proposals under this topic should focus on carbon in gaseous emissions from biomass-based systems and industrial biorefineries or any other bio-based operation (including emissions from primary sectors) as main feedstock for further conversion. Biogenic gaseous carbon emissions from plants dedicated to the production of bioenergy from biomass combustion and from syngas are not in scope.

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

Closed

Code: 34459 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-04 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

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.

Enlarging the portfolio of commercially produced bio-based SSbD solvents

Closed

Code: 34457 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-03 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Solvents play an essential role in many applications, from production processes (both upstream and downstream steps), including recycling processes, to being essential components in final products. The EU bio-based production share is 1.5% (1% CAGR), indicating a ‘young’ market. The safety of solvents (conventional or not) is a concern; hence there is growing interest in safe and sustainable alternatives.

Sustainable micro-algae as feedstock for innovative, added-value applications

Closed

Code: 34455 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-02 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

The valorisation of micro-algae and cyanobacteria into bio-based products is increasing but still relatively limited. Past R&I activities related to strain, process and technology developments have brought significant progress for high-value/low-volume specialties based on micro-algae, produced in bioreactors. At the other end of the spectrum, low-value/higher volume products are produced at large scale in open ponds. There is a range of products for which production technologies are available, but not cost competitive. Presently there is a need to upscale production technologies, including downstream separation and purification, which would allow to cover the mid-price range of products in a cost-effective way, thereby contributing to increasing the market penetration of micro-algae derived chemicals and products.

Bio-based materials and products for biodegradable in-soil applications

Closed

Code: 34450 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IA-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Some plastics applications such as those in agriculture, infrastructure or landscaping are intended to be used in the open environment. Plastic mulch films, for example, are used extensively within a range of arable and horticultural cropping settings to prevent evaporation of water from the soil, avoid fluctuations in soil temperature, protect the crops and increase their yield. Geotextiles and geomembranes find widespread application in construction and roadworks to stabilise and improve mechanical properties of soil, collect and transport groundwater and prevent contamination between different kinds of soil. Additional plastics applications in agriculture include greenhouses, pheromones dispensers, clips, pots, etc. The improper or unintentional disposal of plastic products and their degradation may result in soil pollution and environmental contamination. While in some cases recovery from the environment for reuse or recycling would be feasible, for some applications it is either impossible or disproportionally expensive and biodegradable (in soil) alternatives may be preferable, provided that the products are able to meet technical performance requirements throughout their use.