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Boosting Biorefinery Competitiveness through Biotech

Description

This flagship Innovation Action aims to accelerate the industrial deployment of biotechnology-enabled biorefineries in Europe by supporting first-of-a-kind commercial-scale biomanufacturing facilities. The topic focuses on scaling innovative biotechnology processes into robust industrial production systems that convert sustainably sourced biomass into high-value bio-based products. It contributes to strengthening European competitiveness, reducing fossil resource dependency, increasing strategic autonomy, and supporting the EU's biotechnology, bioeconomy and circular economy strategies.

Funding Amount

  • Expected EU contribution per project: €20 million (indicative)
  • Total topic budget: €20 million
  • Funding rate:
    • 60% of eligible costs for for-profit entities (companies).
    • 100% of eligible costs for non-profit legal entities.

Submission Deadlines

  • Call opening: 23 April 2026
  • Submission deadline: 22 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time (CET)
  • Single-stage submission.

Submission Conditions

  • Single-stage submission.
  • Innovation Action (IA Flagship).
  • Proposal must demonstrate the main innovation activities reaching TRL 8 by the end of the project.
  • Mandatory Business Plan annex with quantified business model and replication strategy.
  • Multi-actor approach required, involving relevant value chain stakeholders.
  • Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) assessment required.
  • Environmental impact assessment required.
  • Proposal must satisfy the IKOP threshold of at least 20% of the project's total eligible costs (CBE JU-specific award criterion).
  • Proposal Part B limited to 70 pages.
  • Standard Horizon Europe and CBE JU eligibility and evaluation rules apply.

Eligible Businesses

Eligible participants include Horizon Europe eligible legal entities, such as:

  • Large enterprises
  • SMEs
  • Start-ups and scale-ups
  • Universities
  • Research organisations
  • Research and technology organisations (RTOs)
  • Non-profit organisations
  • Industrial biotechnology companies
  • Biorefinery operators
  • Feedstock suppliers
  • Chemical and materials manufacturers
  • Technology providers
  • End users
  • Public authorities and policymakers (as consortium partners where relevant). Multi-actor industrial consortia are strongly encouraged.

Eligible Countries

Eligible applicants are those eligible under Horizon Europe, including:

  • EU Member States
  • Horizon Europe Associated Countries
  • Other countries eligible under Horizon Europe participation rules (where applicable).

Standard Horizon Europe eligibility rules apply.

Target TRL

  • End TRL: TRL 8
  • Supporting optimisation activities may start from TRL 6.
  • End-product validation should reach at least TRL 6.

Expected Outcome

Projects are expected to deliver:

  • Full industrial-scale biorefinery and value chains for sustainable production of bio-based products using biotechnology.
  • Bio-based products meeting technical and market performance requirements.
  • Improved sustainability, circularity and resource efficiency compared with existing benchmarks.
  • Increased EU strategic autonomy, industrial competitiveness and resilience.
  • Contributions to implementation of:
    • EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative
    • EU Life Sciences Strategy
    • Updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy
    • EU Biotechnology Act
    • Clean Industrial Deal
    • European Chemical Industry Action Plan
    • Upcoming Circular Economy Act.

Scope

Projects should:

  • Demonstrate a TRL 8 sustainable and robust industrial biomanufacturing route where biotechnology is the key enabling technology.
  • Produce bio-based products such as:
    • Chemicals
    • Chemical intermediates
    • Polymers
    • Ingredients
    • Enzymes
  • Integrate supporting upstream and/or downstream processing technologies where necessary.
  • Demonstrate conversion of produced biorefinery outputs into at least one commercially relevant end product:
    • End-product validation at TRL 6 or higher
    • Additional end products with strong market potential are encouraged.
  • Optimise cells, enzymes and/or microorganisms where the starting TRL is at least 6.
  • Apply a multi-actor approach, involving relevant value chain stakeholders including feedstock providers, policymakers and end users.
  • Address compliance with relevant EU regulatory frameworks and assess regulatory gaps.
  • Perform risk assessments related to biotechnology impacts on human health and the environment.
  • Apply the European Commission's Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework to both production processes and resulting products.
  • Include a quantified business model and business plan demonstrating commercial replication potential. Food and feed ingredients as the primary application are explicitly out of scope.

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