BIOECONOMY GIANTS invites collaborative consortia to apply for funding to pilot and scale up high-added-value bio-based products derived from secondary or underutilised biomass from the agricultural, agri-food and forestry sectors.

The call aims to strengthen circular bio-based value chains by combining technological or operational innovation with cooperative business and governance models that give primary producers a meaningful role in implementation, decision-making and value creation.

The programme will fund four collaborative pilot projects, supporting the development of economically viable, sustainable and resilient bio-based value chains.

Funding and Support

• Total call budget: €280,000.
• Funding per project: Up to €70,000.
• Maximum funding per participating legal entity: €60,000.
• Funding rate: 100% of eligible costs.
• Funding type: Lump sum grant.
• Project duration: Seven months, starting in March 2027.
• Number of projects funded: Four.

Selected consortia will also receive a dedicated support programme that includes personalised mentoring, technical guidance from the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Technical Board, climate impact assessment support and other relevant technical and business support services.

Budget conditions: Personnel costs must account for at least 40% of each partner's individual budget. Subcontracting costs may not exceed 30% of the total project budget, while other direct costs may not exceed 40%. Indirect costs and overheads are not eligible.

Purpose and Objectives

The call aims to:

• Support the piloting and scaling up of high-added-value bio-based products using secondary or underutilised biomass.
• Strengthen the role of farmers, foresters and other primary producers within circular bio-based value chains.
• Develop innovative cooperative business and governance models that support fairer value-sharing.
• Improve biomass valorisation, circularity and resource efficiency.
• Strengthen market potential, commercial viability and resilience across agricultural, agri-food and forestry value chains.
• Generate measurable results and demonstrate solutions that can be replicated and scaled up.

Priority Areas and Scope

Proposals must address the following interconnected dimensions:

1. Bio-based innovation and piloting

Develop, validate, demonstrate or scale up high-added-value bio-based products, identifying their intended applications and the technological or operational challenges to be addressed. Examples include bio-based packaging, materials, chemical intermediates, food or feed ingredients, speciality chemicals, biofertilisers and organic soil amendments.

2. Circular biomass valorisation

Identify the secondary or underutilised biomass to be used, its origin and its role in the proposed value chain. Projects should demonstrate improved resource efficiency, circularity and environmental benefits.

3. Cooperative business and governance models

Demonstrate meaningful cooperation among value-chain actors. Primary producers must play an active role in project implementation, decision-making and value creation, rather than acting solely as biomass suppliers.

4. Market potential and value-chain resilience

Identify the intended market applications of the proposed products and demonstrate their potential for commercial viability, market uptake and future scaling.

5. Expected results and future development

Define clear, realistic and verifiable results achievable within the seven-month implementation period, including technical progress and improvements to the cooperative business model.

Scope exclusions: Projects focusing on marine biomass, aquaculture residues or other blue-economy side streams fall outside the call's stated thematic scope. Projects focused solely or primarily on bioenergy or biofuel production are also excluded.

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

Proposed solutions must fall within the TRL 6–8 range at the time of application.

Applicants must justify their current technology readiness level and explain the expected progress during the seven-month implementation period.

• TRL 6: Technology demonstrated in a relevant environment.
• TRL 7: System prototype demonstrated in an operational environment.
• TRL 8: System complete and qualified.

Projects are not required to progress from TRL 6 to TRL 8. Applicants should demonstrate that their proposed development activities and expected progress are realistic and measurable.

Eligibility Criteria

Consortium composition

Applications must be submitted by a national or transnational consortium of two to four legal entities. Each consortium must designate one Lead Applicant responsible for submitting the application and representing the consortium during the application and evaluation stages.

All participating legal entities must be established in an eligible country: an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. Each must also have valid legal status and an official VAT number or, where applicable, a national tax identification or equivalent business registration number.

Mandatory primary producer

Every consortium must include at least one eligible primary producer or related actor, such as:

• Individual farms.
• Companies producing and marketing agricultural, agri-food or forestry products.
• Companies vertically integrated with contracted farms or forests.
• Seed, nursery plant and forestry seedling specialists.
• Farmers' cooperatives involved in primary-product processing.
• Forestry cooperatives and second-degree farmer or forester cooperatives.
• Producer organisations commercialising agricultural, agri-food and forestry products.
• Regional farmers' and foresters' organisations.

The primary producer must have a meaningful role in the project's implementation, decision-making and value creation.

Additional restrictions

• Each legal entity may participate in only one proposal under this call.
• Beneficiaries, affiliated entities and partner organisations of the BIOECONOMY GIANTS consortium are excluded from participating.
• Activities already financed through another EU budget source cannot receive duplicate funding.

Geographic eligibility is particularly important: South Africa is not a Horizon Europe Associated Country under the eligibility rules specified for this call. South African-established organisations are therefore not eligible to participate as funded consortium entities under this opportunity.

Implementation Requirements

Selected consortia must:

• Participate in Climate KIC climate impact assessment workshops and mentoring, and submit the assessment for third-party validation.
• Organise at least one regional BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Day during the project.
• Test the COOMPY Tool for circular and cooperative business modelling.
• Participate in monthly online mentoring and technical support sessions.
• Conduct communication and dissemination activities and acknowledge BIOECONOMY GIANTS and EU funding.
• Submit an interim report at Month 4 and a final report at Month 7.

Important Dates

• Opening date: 1 November 2026.
• Closing date: 31 December 2026 at 17:00 CET (18:00 South African time).
• Evaluation period: January 2027.
• Results and contracting: February 2027.
• Project implementation: March–September 2027.
• Final approval and payment: October 2027.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online through the BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call II application page.

The application comprises three components:

1. Part A: Administrative information entered online.
2. Impact pre-assessment: A climate impact questionnaire completed through the online form.
3. Part B: Technical project proposal prepared using the official template and uploaded as a single PDF.

Applications must be submitted in English. Part B must comply with the official template and a ten-page limit, excluding the specified exempted material. Signed Declarations of Honour for every consortium partner must be included in the final PDF.

Only one application may be submitted per consortium, and once submitted, an application cannot be modified.

Industry / Sector

Agriculture, forestry, circular bioeconomy, bio-based products, biomass valorisation, sustainable manufacturing and research and development.

Click HERE to visit the official website.