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.

Bio-based value chains for valorisation of sustainable natural fibre feedstock

Closed

Code: 34446 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IAFlag-03 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Sustainable agricultural and forestry practices can deliver feedstock meeting industry requirements (such as fibre yield, quality) while ensuring all aspects of sustainability, thus offering significant opportunities not only for industrial competitiveness, but also for climate change mitigation, rural development, and transition to low carbon bioeconomy.

The scope covers the establishment of industrial fibre crop production systems, compatible with the biodiversity protection and enhancement, and soil health, not interfering with (and where applicable taking advantage of synergies with) with food value chains through sustainable cultivation practices as well as maintenance or enhancement of soil health, soil carbon sequestration potential, soil regeneration, contributing to environmental benefits.

The scope includes fibres from primary non-woody crops and/or wood-based fibres, as well as fibres from the respective residues and side streams. The scope excludes algae, while higher aquatic plants are included proven they have a starting TRL at least 6. Both long and short fibre applications are in scope. Natural fibres (including modified fibres) are in scope, while synthetic bio-based fibres are excluded. The scope also includes tackling bottlenecks in trait optimization and cultivation practice where applicable.

Bio-based dedicated platform chemicals via cost-effective, sustainable and resource-efficient conversion of biomass

Closed

Code: 34442 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IAFlag-02 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Bio-based platform chemicals, according to their chemical structure, can be classified as dedicated, drop-ins or smart drop-ins. There is often medium/high TRL maturity when it comes to the production of bio-based dedicated chemicals. However, cost competitiveness and the sustainability of production can often be hindering factors for further upscaling and uptake of dedicated bio-based platform chemicals.

Bio-based value chains for valorisation of sustainable oil crops

Closed

Code: 34440 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-IAFlag-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 24/04/2024 | End submission calls: 18/09/2024

Developing and deploying climate-positive industrial crop feedstock in Europe compatible with the objectives of biodiversity protection is essential for the EU’s strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness. Oil crops are key feedstock for numerous bio-based chemicals and materials; their large variety could enable the enhancement of existing bio-based value chains and the creation of new ones.

The scope covers the industrial use of plant oil crops including cascading use of their side-streams/residues. Algae are out of scope of this topic, as well as biofuel applications. Respecting the ‘food first’ principle, multipurpose oil crops are in scope.

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2024

Opened

Code: 34429 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) (2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 29/05/2024 | End submission calls: 27/11/2024

MSCA Doctoral Networks will implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and research infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. MSCA Doctoral Networks are indeed open to the participation of organisations from third countries, in view of fostering strategic international partnerships for the training and exchange of researchers.

Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO₂ networks – Studies

Closed

Code: 34427 | Identifier Code: CEF-E-2024-PCI-PMI-STUDIES | Programme name: 3569 | Sub-program: Connecting Europe Facility – Energy Infrastructure | Start submission calls: 30/04/2024 | End submission calls: 22/10/2024

This topic aims to enable PCIs and PMIs to be implemented within the framework of the deployment of trans-European networks in the energy sector. In particular, the call shall contribute to supporting energy infrastructure PCIs and PMIs that have significant socio-economic benefits and ensure greater solidarity among Member States, but which do not receive adequate financing from the market.
The objective of this topic is to support and contribute to the implementation of PCIs and PMIs.

Electricity, Gas, Smart Grids, Hydrogen and CO₂ networks – Works

Closed

Code: 34424 | Identifier Code: CEF-E-2024-PCI-PMI-WORKS | Programme name: 3569 | Sub-program: Connecting Europe Facility – Energy Infrastructure | Start submission calls: 30/04/2024 | End submission calls: 22/10/2024

This topic aims to enable Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMis) to be implemented within the framework of the deployment of trans-European networks in the energy sector. In particular, the call shall contribute to supporting energy infrastructure PCIs and PMIs that have significant socio-economic benefits and ensure greater solidarity among Member States, but which do not receive adequate financing from the market.

This topic refers to projects for works contributing to the implementation of a PCI or a PMI.

Assessment of Soil Health in Africa

Closed

Code: 34421 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01-09 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Missions | Start submission calls: 08/05/2024 | End submission calls: 08/10/2024

Africa has a large degree of degraded soils, suboptimal land use, population growth and increasingly urban population. These factors are contributing to increased competition and pressures on land (less land per farmer, less quality land per farmer, climate change, biodiversity loss) resulting in unfavourable economics of farming and ecosystem management.

The IPBES report on land degradation and restoration highlights huge economic cost of land and soil degradation, including increasing cost of no action. Soil health is key to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Therefore, holistic systems approaches are needed for addressing multiple context specific soil health related challenges at country and regional level. In addition, evidence driven analytical framework is urgently needed for adequate soil health priority setting and planning at regional and national level, alignment of partners and investments.

Managing forest peatsoils

Closed

Code: 34419 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01-08 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Missions | Start submission calls: 08/05/2024 | End submission calls: 08/10/2024

Peatlands can provide multiple ecosystem services such as timber production, climate regulation, water quality control, flood abatement, biodiversity conservation, as well as recreational benefits. However, this potential is compromised due to drainage. Alternative soil management practices for forest peat soils, in particular through the combination of rewetting techniques and forest management (with the exclusion of afforestation), have the potential to improve the environmental, climate and economic performance of peatlands, as well as reduce the impacts of forest harvesting on nutrient, sediment and dissolved organic carbon exports. In particular, practices are needed that effectively address trade-offs from forests multifunctionality and apply an integrated approach to their management (considering biodiversity, climate change challenges, bio-economy needs etc.).

This topic does not cover agricultural emissions.