Interreg Europe - Circular Economy Resource Optimization Call
Expired EU · Found: 2026-03-11 12:28
EUR 64 million call for proposals to support optimization of resource usage in a circular economy. Deadline was January 16, 2026.
Funding Details
- Funder
- European Commission — Horizon Europe (Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space)
- Funding Goal
- Optimise resource usage in a circular economy by improving recycling and upcycling technologies for industrial side-streams and end-of-use waste, reducing EU dependence on imported primary resources
- Funding Amount
- EUR 5 million to EUR 8 million per project; total call budget EUR 64 million (5.000.000 € – 8.000.000 €)
- Deadline
- 2024-09-05 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Application via EU Funding and Tenders Portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders). Standard Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) proposal format. Multi-partner consortia required. Must include comprehensive business case and long-term exploitation strategy.
- Target Region
- European Union and associated countries (Horizon Europe eligible states)
- Contact
- European Commission / HaDEA (European Health and Digital Executive Agency). EU Funding and Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders. HaDEA: hadea.ec.europa.eu
- Official Page
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl4-2024-resilience-01-41
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-15 13:29
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
This Horizon Europe call, under Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) and the 2024 Resilience Work Programme, funds Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) to optimise resource usage in a circular economy. The call specifically targets the recycling and upcycling of industrial side-streams and end-of-use waste, with the goal of reducing EU industrial dependence on imported primary raw materials by enabling higher-quality recovery and reintegration of secondary materials into production cycles. Projects are expected to address critical raw materials or processes with high carbon footprints, demonstrating a systemic approach that covers the full value chain from collection and dismantling through processing to the production of high-quality secondary materials. A core requirement is that proposals demonstrate significant technological advancement over the current state-of-the-art in recycling technology, supported by evidence of economic viability at laboratory or pilot scale. The call has a total budget of EUR 64 million with individual project awards expected in the range of EUR 5 million to EUR 8 million. This scale requires substantial research-industrial consortia, typically combining universities, research institutes, technology companies, and industrial end-users. Projects must include a comprehensive business case and exploitation strategy demonstrating long-term scalability beyond the project period. Environmental performance requirements include measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutant emissions as outcomes of the improved recycling processes. The call is positioned within the Processes4Planet and Clean Steel industrial partnerships, suggesting alignment with heavy-industry circular economy transitions rather than consumer plastic waste collection. The call deadline was September 2024, meaning this specific call round is now closed. A 2026 equivalent call (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-04) on circular economy and resource optimisation has been published with similar scope, offering a near-term application opportunity for eligible consortia.
Historical Context
This specific call (HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01-41) had a September 2024 deadline and is now closed. An equivalent 2026 call (HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-04) is open with similar scope. Horizon Europe regularly recycles industrial recycling technology topics across annual work programmes.
Why it was added
Major Interreg circular economy call with EUR 64M budget