Call for Proposals: Development of Safe and Sustainable by Design Alternatives (IA)

Scope

• The Commission initiative for Safe and Sustainable by Design sets a framework for assessing safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials and which should be considered as a reference in the proposal.
• Proposals should develop one or more new chemical substances or materials to replace existing substances of concern with surfactant, flame retardant or plasticising functionalities for a chosen application. Proposals should address at least one industrial application. The new substances or materials shall be aligned with the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework, and demonstrate improved sustainability and a contribution to lower the impact on climate. The selected industrial application(s) should be in areas where substitution with safer and more sustainable solutions is not yet in place, or in progress.
• Proposals should address all of the following:
  • Proof of concept of the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework. The developed substances or materials will have to comply with the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework. Findings from the selected projects will be considered for the further refinement of the defined framework, if applicable;
  • The selection of the chemical/materials to be developed should be justified with a technology and socio-economic analysis;
  • Proposals should involve all relevant actors along the value chain;
  • Identify the substitution barriers for the selected applications and propose a driving mechanism for a maximal substitution in the targeted value chains;
  • Identify and address challenges for the adaption of existing production lines;
  • Explore collaboration with existing Open Innovation Test Beds (OITBs), where relevant;
  • Interoperability for data sharing should be addressed across the entire value chain;
  • Communication actions to all stakeholders and specifically citizens about the benefits of the developed Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals and materials.

Funding Information

The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:

• public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
• cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).

Expected Outcome

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• European industry will have access to safer and more sustainable innovative alternatives of chemicals and materials with reduced substitution barriers (e.g., performance, cost and supply demand);
• Industry will be able to test and demonstrate the applicability of the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework to develop innovative chemicals or materials to substitute substances of concern;
• The EU climate ambitions will be supported by contributing to a decrease of greenhouse gas emissions through a more sustainable production and use of Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals and materials;
• The EU strategies/policies and regulation, such as the proposal for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the EU Ecolabel, REACH or CLP will be supported with safe and sustainable alternatives of chemicals and materials;
• The proof of concept of developing new Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals or materials will bring evidence for new skills needed to apply the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework;
• Market uptake of the Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals and materials will be encouraged by citizens better understanding their benefits.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entities eligible to participate
  • Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
  • A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
  • Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before submitting their application, in order to get a participant identification code (PIC) and be validated by the Central Validation Service before signing the grant agreement. For the validation, they will be asked to upload the necessary documents showing their legal status and origin during the grant preparation stage. A validated PIC is not a prerequisite for submitting an application.
• Entities eligible for funding
  • To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding.
  • To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
    • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
    • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe
    • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
• Specific cases:
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call conditions provide otherwise. Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call conditions.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding.

For more information, visit European Commission.