Deadline Date: September 17, 2026
The European Commission is inviting applications to support improved knowledge, monitoring, and management of biomass supply and demand to enable more sustainable bioeconomy systems across Europe.
The focus areas include understanding environmental, social, and economic potential of biomass supply, sustainability implications such as biodiversity and pollution, resource efficiency in biomass use, development of digital monitoring tools including AI and remote sensing, sustainable biomass management, ecosystem protection and restoration, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, optimisation of biomass supply chains, biomass flow modelling, biomass reporting systems, and improved matching of biomass supply and demand while ensuring food security and sustainability.
This initiative addresses the need to better understand biomass production and use as a limited resource within the bioeconomy, where biomass serves as a key feedstock for environmental, social, and economic solutions. It responds to challenges such as declining forest carbon sinks, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and increasing demand for biomass. It also highlights opportunities to improve sustainable biomass production, reduce pollutants, enhance circularity, and develop new business models and consumption practices that better utilise available resources.
Projects under this topic are expected to develop innovative, administration-light biomass monitoring and assessment tools at European, national, regional, and continental levels. These tools should optimise biomass flows, identify underutilised sustainable biomass resources, and be developed in close cooperation with stakeholders.
Proposals are also expected to provide updated estimates of biomass supply and demand for the present and projections up to 2050 at both national and EU levels, including associated countries. These assessments should consider biomass quality, potential uses, sustainability risks such as pathogen spread, and unmet demand due to limited availability of sustainable biomass. The 2050 outlook must include scenario-based projections for future EU bioresources.
In addition, projects must test and demonstrate biomass reporting systems in selected regions across at least 10 European countries with varying biomass supply potential. This testing should be conducted in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to ensure practical applicability.
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate in selected consortia, contributing to the development of EU-level biomass flow assessment tools under the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy.
The total funding available for this topic is €6,000,000, with approximately €3,000,000 allocated per project.
Eligibility is open to any legal entity regardless of place of establishment, including entities from non-associated third countries and international organisations, provided they comply with Horizon Europe Regulation requirements and other call conditions. A legal entity is defined as any natural or legal person recognised under applicable law with legal personality, or an entity without legal personality capable of exercising rights and obligations.
For more information, visit European Commission.
