Horizon Europe Cluster 6 - Plastics Circularity Calls
Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-11 13:18
EU program with EUR 115M invested in plastics circularity 2021-2024. Funding EUR 3-12M per project at 100% eligible costs. Supports circular food packaging, multilayer flexible plastics recycling, biodegradable materials development.
Funding Details
- Funder
- European Commission – Horizon Europe (Cluster 6)
- Funding Goal
- Fund large-scale innovation actions to improve the circularity of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging, enabling design-for-recycling and industrial-scale recycling of post-consumer packaging films back into food contact-compliant materials.
- Funding Amount
- €5,000,000 to €6,000,000 per grant (lump sum); total topic budget €11,000,000 for 2 grants (5.000.000 € – 6.000.000 €)
- Deadline
- 2026-09-17 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Applications submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Single-stage submission process. Call opens 17 April 2026, deadline 17 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Applicants must register their organisation in the Participant Register before submitting. Lump sum grant model (HORIZON-AG-LS) applies — a detailed budget table must be completed.
- Target Region
- European Union and Horizon Europe associated countries
- Contact
- IT Helpdesk: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/support/helpdesks/contact-form | Research Enquiry Service: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/contact-us/research-enquiry-service_en | National Contact Points (NCPs): https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/support/ncp
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-11 16:15
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
This Horizon Europe Innovation Action (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-01) targets the circularity challenge of multilayer flexible plastic food contact packaging — one of the hardest-to-recycle plastic streams in the EU. The call seeks projects that demonstrate technically mature, market-ready solutions (TRL 6–8) for eco-design, sorting, and recycling of these films into food-grade recycled plastic, closing the loop from post-consumer waste back to food packaging. Projects must involve the entire value chain: raw material producers, polymer and additive suppliers, converters, brand owners, retailers, waste managers, and recyclers. Both SMEs and large companies are explicitly expected to participate. Digital solutions such as digital product passports, AI-based sorting, and watermarking are encouraged alongside physical recycling technologies. The call is part of the broader Horizon Europe Cluster 6 "Circular Economy and Biobased Sectors" work programme for 2026–2027. It directly supports EU legislative priorities including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the Single-Use Plastics Directive, and the upcoming Circular Economy Act. Total budget for this specific topic is €11 million, with two grants expected at €5–6 million each. Proposals must also include lifecycle assessments and demonstrate economic, environmental, and social cost-benefit evidence for the solutions developed. Legal entities established in China are explicitly excluded from participation.
Historical Context
The initial snippet references €115M invested in plastics circularity under Horizon Europe 2021–2024. The 2026–2027 work programme continues this trajectory under Cluster 6. The CIRCBIO series under CL6-2026-01 includes at least 11 topics (CIRCBIO-01 through CIRCBIO-11) totalling over €100M in this round alone.
Why it was added
Major EU funding for plastics recycling technology and circularity, substantial grants available