European UnionDeadline PassedNon-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation
HORIZON-JU Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking 2025 Innovation Actions
Funding Amount
Amount not specified
Deadline
18/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Trusted by
What is the Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation Call?
Grant Description
This Innovation Action supports demonstration of full-scale biorefineries converting separately collected urban bio-waste into high-value bio-based products. It addresses the underutilisation of urban bio-waste, aiming to reduce landfill and incineration, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and foster circular bioeconomy value chains with high replication potential.
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
• Contribution to implementing the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and its Action Plan, the Waste Framework Directive, and the Landfill Directive regarding bio-waste management.
• Support Circular Economy communication and action plan objectives.
• Demonstrate full-scale biorefinery and related value chain(s) for sustainable valorisation of bio-waste into added-value bio-based products with high replication potential.
• Achieve reduction in bio-waste sent to incineration or landfill.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants by avoiding landfilling and incineration of bio-waste.
• Demonstrate economic and social benefits for participating municipalities (e.g., cost savings, revenue streams).
• Increase societal value via direct and indirect job creation and improved job quality at local/regional levels.
• Enhance social acceptance of targeted bio-based products and boost citizen engagement in bio-waste prevention and separate collection.
• Support Circular Economy communication and action plan objectives.
• Demonstrate full-scale biorefinery and related value chain(s) for sustainable valorisation of bio-waste into added-value bio-based products with high replication potential.
• Achieve reduction in bio-waste sent to incineration or landfill.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants by avoiding landfilling and incineration of bio-waste.
• Demonstrate economic and social benefits for participating municipalities (e.g., cost savings, revenue streams).
• Increase societal value via direct and indirect job creation and improved job quality at local/regional levels.
• Enhance social acceptance of targeted bio-based products and boost citizen engagement in bio-waste prevention and separate collection.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
• Feedstock in scope: separately collected urban bio-waste as defined by the Waste Framework Directive (biodegradable garden/park waste, food/kitchen waste from households, offices, restaurants, wholesale, canteens, caterers, retail, food processing plants). Supplementary feedstocks: other bio-based residues and wastes.
• Demonstrate feasibility and viability of a full-scale biorefinery converting bio-waste into added-value products (value higher than compost and biogas).
• Develop SSbD bio-based products while minimizing secondary waste generation.
• Address logistics and proximity factors influencing economic viability and social acceptance of the value chain.
• Include a dedicated task to apply the EC’s SSbD framework and produce recommendations to refine SSbD criteria and methodologies (including bio-based chemical-specific considerations).
• Adopt a multi-actor approach: involve all key chain actors—waste operators, authorities, policymakers, consumer reps, biorefinery developers.
• Include a task on regulatory aspects: end-of-waste criteria, product marketability, compliance with applicable directives (Waste Framework, Landfill, Circular Economy Taxonomy).
• Include a social impact task: assess long-term benefits—local jobs, reduced waste charges, pollution reduction, municipal revenues.
• Identify target regions/areas in EU/EEA/EFTA/ACs with high unexploited bio-waste valorisation potential (low separate collection or low-hierarchy treatment such as landfilling/incineration).
• Include a task to assess regional implementation of developed solutions, considering local/regional conditions and regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrate complementarities with, and build on, previous and ongoing R&I projects (e.g., CIRCULAR BIOCARBON, CIRCLE, MIXMATTERS, URBIOFIN, EMBRACED, DEEP PURPLE, DAFIA, VOLATILE, VALUEWASTE, SCALIBUR, Ways TUP!, HOOP, RES URBIS).
• Explore synergies with CCRI, H4C, and the R&I Mission on climate-neutral and smart cities.
• Demonstrate feasibility and viability of a full-scale biorefinery converting bio-waste into added-value products (value higher than compost and biogas).
• Develop SSbD bio-based products while minimizing secondary waste generation.
• Address logistics and proximity factors influencing economic viability and social acceptance of the value chain.
• Include a dedicated task to apply the EC’s SSbD framework and produce recommendations to refine SSbD criteria and methodologies (including bio-based chemical-specific considerations).
• Adopt a multi-actor approach: involve all key chain actors—waste operators, authorities, policymakers, consumer reps, biorefinery developers.
• Include a task on regulatory aspects: end-of-waste criteria, product marketability, compliance with applicable directives (Waste Framework, Landfill, Circular Economy Taxonomy).
• Include a social impact task: assess long-term benefits—local jobs, reduced waste charges, pollution reduction, municipal revenues.
• Identify target regions/areas in EU/EEA/EFTA/ACs with high unexploited bio-waste valorisation potential (low separate collection or low-hierarchy treatment such as landfilling/incineration).
• Include a task to assess regional implementation of developed solutions, considering local/regional conditions and regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrate complementarities with, and build on, previous and ongoing R&I projects (e.g., CIRCULAR BIOCARBON, CIRCLE, MIXMATTERS, URBIOFIN, EMBRACED, DEEP PURPLE, DAFIA, VOLATILE, VALUEWASTE, SCALIBUR, Ways TUP!, HOOP, RES URBIS).
• Explore synergies with CCRI, H4C, and the R&I Mission on climate-neutral and smart cities.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Admissibility: comply with page limits and layout (Annex A & E of HE WP General Annexes, Part B Application Form template).
• Eligible countries: as per Annex B of HE WP General Annexes; certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries must secure national co-funding.
• Financial/operational capacity and exclusion criteria: Annex C of HE WP General Annexes.
• Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, thresholds: Annex D; submission and evaluation processes: Annex F; indicative timelines: Annex F.
• Legal and financial grant setup: Annex G.
• Specific CBE JU conditions (section 2.2.3.1, AW Programme 2025).
• Use updated Application Form (Part B) template as of 04/04/2025.
• Deadline model: single-stage; Opening: 03 April 2025; Deadline: 18 September 2025, 17:00 Brussels time.
• Submission via Funding & Tenders Portal, selecting HORIZON-JU-IA, Budget-Based AG model.
• Must ensure compliance with Horizon Europe Programme Guide, HE WP General Annexes, MGA, and call-specific instructions.
• Indicative budget per project: €3.5–20 M (depending on specific IA topic), total call budget: €172.14 M, ~11–22 grants expected.
• Eligible countries: as per Annex B of HE WP General Annexes; certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries must secure national co-funding.
• Financial/operational capacity and exclusion criteria: Annex C of HE WP General Annexes.
• Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, thresholds: Annex D; submission and evaluation processes: Annex F; indicative timelines: Annex F.
• Legal and financial grant setup: Annex G.
• Specific CBE JU conditions (section 2.2.3.1, AW Programme 2025).
• Use updated Application Form (Part B) template as of 04/04/2025.
• Deadline model: single-stage; Opening: 03 April 2025; Deadline: 18 September 2025, 17:00 Brussels time.
• Submission via Funding & Tenders Portal, selecting HORIZON-JU-IA, Budget-Based AG model.
• Must ensure compliance with Horizon Europe Programme Guide, HE WP General Annexes, MGA, and call-specific instructions.
• Indicative budget per project: €3.5–20 M (depending on specific IA topic), total call budget: €172.14 M, ~11–22 grants expected.
Important dates
Open from: 03/04/2025
Deadline:18/09/2025
Application period has ended
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