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Developing and embedding upcycling technologies into viable business (Processes4Planet partnership) (IA)

Last Updated: 8/6/2025Deadline: TBD€48.0M Available

Quick Facts

Programme:Horizon Europe
Call ID:HORIZON-CL4-2025-05-TWIN-TRANSITION-35-two-stage
Deadline:TBD
Max funding:€48.0M
Status:
open

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💰 Funding Details

Funding Description


1. What the Grant Funds

* Development, pilot-scale demonstration and industrial integration of *upcycling technologies* that turn end-of-life (EoL) waste streams into higher-value secondary raw materials.

* Creation of circular business models and logistics schemes – from collection and dismantling to separation, purification, digital tracking and re-insertion into manufacturing value chains (incl. net-zero technologies such as batteries, PV, wind-turbine components, fuel-cells, heat-pumps, etc.).

* Deployment of digital tools (e.g. Digital Product Passports, FAIR data spaces, advanced sensing & monitoring) that enable traceability, automation and data sharing across process industries.

* Techno-economic analysis, LCA/LCC including carbon & planetary-boundary indicators, regulatory & market uptake studies.

* Skills development, standardisation activities, and (optionally) support for reconstruction / upgrading of industrial infrastructure in Ukraine.


2. Budget & Financing Model

* EU contribution per project: up to €48 million.

* Action type: Horizon Europe Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) implemented as a Lump-Sum Grant (HORIZON-AG-LS). 100 % of eligible direct costs (indirect costs are 25 % flat-rate) are pre-agreed and paid upon successful completion of milestones/deliverables.

* Co-funding: No mandatory co-funding rate, but industrial cash/in-kind contributions strengthen credibility.

* Technology Readiness: typically TRL 5 → 7 by project end (first-of-a-kind pilot / demo lines).


3. Eligibility Snapshot

* Consortium: minimum 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries; at least 1 must be established in an EU Member State.

* Typical actors: process industries, recyclers, equipment suppliers, digital tech providers, logistics companies, SMEs, RTOs, universities, public authorities, standards bodies. Participation of Ukrainian entities and Hubs4Circularity nodes is encouraged.

* Duration: 36–60 months is usual for large IA lump-sum projects.


4. Timeline (Two-Stage Call)

1. Stage 1 – Short Proposal (max. 10 pp.)

* Opening: 22 May 2025

* Deadline: 23 Sept 2025 (17:00 Brussels)

2. Invitation to Stage 2 (Dec 2025-Jan 2026 expected)

3. Stage 2 – Full Proposal

* Deadline: 14 Apr 2026 (17:00 Brussels)

4. Grant Agreement: Q4 2026 (indicative); projects start shortly after.


5. Key Policy Links

* EU Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, Critical Raw Materials Act, Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), REACH & RoHS restrictions, Skills Agenda.


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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages

EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for "Developing and embedding upcycling technologies into viable business (Processes4Planet partnership) (IA)"


1. Single Market Access – 450 + Million Consumers

Pan-European demand for secondary raw materials: Harmonised End-of-Waste criteria and REACH rules allow immediate market entry for up-cycled inputs across 30 + EEA countries, multiplying sales volumes vs. any single-state launch.

Green Public Procurement (GPP): EU institutions and 27 Member States jointly spend ~€2 trn/yr on public purchasing; compliance with Circular Economy Action Plan makes project outcomes procurable EU-wide.

Corporate ESG pressure: EU taxonomy & CSRD oblige ~50,000 companies to report circularity KPIs, creating continent-wide pull for validated up-cycling technologies produced under this call.


2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

Processes4Planet Partnership network: 180 + industrial & RTO members in 22 countries give immediate access to demo sites, waste streams and pilot customers.

Mandatory value-chain consortia: Grant encourages inclusion of collectors, sorters, recyclers, SME tech providers, digital twins, logistics operators and end-users from multiple Member States—lowering transaction costs and speeding replication.

Ukraine industrial recovery window: Unique opportunity to pilot circular hubs in reconstruction efforts, attracting additional EU-IPA & EIB blending.


3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies

European Green Deal & Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0: Directly targets doubling of secondary raw material share and supports Net-Zero Industry Act objectives.

Digital Europe & Data Act: Mandated FAIR data, Digital Product Passport and cross-sectoral data spaces fit seamlessly with ongoing EU digital standardisation, eliminating future compliance retrofits.

Industrial Strategy & Critical Raw Materials Act: Up-cycling of battery, PV, wind and electronics waste strengthens resilience of strategic value chains.


4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

Unified environmental & product standards (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation): A single conformity assessment unlocks all EU markets, slashing certification costs by up to 70 %.

Cross-border waste shipments: Revised Waste Shipment Regulation facilitates intra-EU movement of materials for pilot plants, avoiding national export licences.

IPR protection through Unitary Patent & SME Fund: Simplified patent coverage across 17 countries reduces legal complexity for novel separation technologies.


5. Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem Leverage

Access to 3,000+ Horizon-funded labs & pilot lines: e.g. EIT RawMaterials demo centres, Hubs4Circularity, Catapult-style KIC facilities.

Human capital pipelines: Erasmus+ Alliances & Pact for Skills support custom curricula on AI-enabled sorting and circular business modelling.

Open Science & data repositories: Zenodo, EU Data Space for Manufacturing accelerate replication and peer validation.


6. Funding Synergies & Financial Leverage

Combination with other EU instruments:

- Innovation Fund (large-scale pilots >€7.5 M) for CAPEX-heavy demo lines.

- InvestEU green window for first-of-a-kind plants, de-risked by Horizon results.

- LIFE Circular Economy sub-programme for post-2027 market roll-out.

Structural Funds & Just Transition Mechanism: Eligible regions can co-finance up-cycling hubs, improving proposal bankability and regional acceptance.

EIB & EIF blending: Positive EU taxonomy alignment speeds loan approvals and guarantees.


7. Scale & Impact Potential

Pan-EU replication roadmap required by call: Industrial symbiosis models can be cloned across energy-intensive clusters (chemicals, steel, cement) in at least 10 Member States during project lifetime.

Carbon footprint reduction: Expected >30 % CO₂-eq savings EU-wide contribute measurably to 55 % emission-cut goal for 2030.

SME competitiveness: Up-cycling value chains forecast to generate 170,000 new EU jobs by 2030, with SMEs capturing 60 % of value added.


8. Strategic Value of Operating at EU Scale

Network effects: More diverse waste streams & larger material pools increase economies of scale, improving LCOE and ROI vs. national pilots.

Policy influence: Consortium can feed real-time evidence into EU standardisation (CEN/CENELEC) and taxonomy delegated acts, shaping future market rules to its advantage.

Market resilience: Diversified sourcing and customer bases across multiple geographies buffer against national policy shifts and supply disruptions.


9. Actionable Opportunities for Applicants

1. Form tri-national circular hubs linking H4C demonstrators in, for example, Belgium, Poland and Spain to validate logistics scalability.

2. Embed Digital Product Passport pilots aligned with EU’s Battery & Construction PEP regulations to pre-empt 2027 mandatory roll-out.

3. Target critical raw material streams (e.g. rare earth magnets, Li-ion batteries) to tap NRRP & CRMA fast-track permits.

4. Integrate Ukrainian industrial partners to score on geo-political priority and unlock additional earmarked budget.

5. Plan post-grant financing mix (Innovation Fund, InvestEU, regional ERDF) in exploitation section to demonstrate bankability.


Bottom Line: Leveraging EU-wide frameworks multiplies technical validation speed, regulatory certainty, market size and financing depth—turning up-cycling innovations into commercially viable, rapidly scalable circular business models that strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy and climate goals.