Deadline Date: September 22, 2026
The European Commission is inviting grant applications to support the development of innovative bio-based additives that improve the recyclability and biodegradability of materials while reducing environmental impact across their life cycle.
The focus areas of the programme include development of bio-based additives with high functional properties, stability and compatibility with polymers, improving circularity of end products, enabling recycling and biodegradation of materials, reducing environmental impacts across product life cycles, preventing release of harmful substances, supporting circular end-of-life solutions, and ensuring compatibility and performance across multiple industrial sectors.
The programme provides significant funding support with a total allocation of 170,760,699 euros and is open to a wide range of legal entities, including international organizations, provided they meet the eligibility conditions set under the Horizon Europe framework. Bio-based additives as alternatives to unlock and increase recyclability and/or biodegradability – €14 million.
The programme is designed to address challenges associated with conventional additives that often hinder the recycling and biodegradation of materials. It promotes the development of safe-and-sustainable-by-design bio-based additives that enable materials and products to achieve more effective circular end-of-life pathways.
Projects under this initiative are expected to demonstrate innovative processes for synthesizing bio-based additives at a technology readiness level of at least 6. These solutions should either enable recycling or biodegradation of materials that are currently not circular, or significantly improve the efficiency and safety of existing circular processes.
Proposals must also provide solutions that prevent the release of harmful substances such as persistent pollutants, volatile compounds, toxic metals, and microplastics during the lifecycle of products, including during recycling or degradation. The use of these additives should support safer environmental outcomes while maintaining product functionality.
In addition, projects are required to demonstrate the compatibility and processability of the developed additives within manufacturing systems. The performance of materials incorporating these additives must be validated to ensure they meet market requirements across at least two different industrial sectors in collaboration with end users.
Where biodegradability is targeted, projects must ensure that both the additives and the final products degrade safely in soil and water environments according to established standards. Where recyclability is the focus, projects must validate the effectiveness of recycling processes and assess the impact of additives on waste management systems, including sorting, separation, and recycling methods.
For more information, visit European Commission.
