Europe-wide environmental benchmarking system of the industrial bioeconomy sectors

Overview

Funding is available to establish a Europe-wide benchmarking system for industrial bioeconomy sectors, assessing emerging techniques in bio-based systems to reduce environmental footprints, support climate neutrality, and align with EU directives. The grant targets consortia of experts from academia, industry, and government to collect and evaluate data on innovative bio-based techniques.

Who Can Apply

Consortia comprising representatives from academia, industry, and government, covering at least the specified bioeconomy sectors. Eligible applicants include entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with provisions for participation from certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries under specific conditions.

Funding Details

Maximum funding amount: 8,000,000 EUR. Funding is provided as a lump sum.

What Is Funded

Development of a benchmarking framework for industrial bio-based systems, excluding food/feed, biofuels/bioenergy, and health/medical devices. Key activities include:

• Establishing a forum of experts and stakeholders.
• Collecting and assessing data on emerging techniques in sectors such as pulp & paper, bio-based chemicals, bio-based plastic recycling, and bioremediation.
• Evaluating environmental performance, cost-effectiveness, and trade-offs of selected techniques.
• Aligning data collection with the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring and the Sevilla process through INCITE.
• Integrating life cycle assessment (LCA) data in line with the Environmental Footprint recommendation and the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) Framework.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

Focus on emerging techniques as defined in Article 3.14 of the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive (IED 2.0), which are novel techniques with potential for higher environmental protection or cost savings compared to existing best available techniques.

Key Dates

• Open date: 2027-04-19
• Deadline: 2027-09-21

Application Process (High-Level)

Single-stage application process. Proposals must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Geographic Scope & Language

Open to applicants from EU Member States and Associated Countries. Applications must be submitted in English.

Notes

• International cooperation is encouraged, particularly for data collection on emerging techniques.
• Synergies with existing projects under Horizon Europe Cluster 6 (bioeconomy) and Cluster 5 (biofuels/bioenergy) are recommended.
• Proposals must adhere to the page limits and layout specified in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.