EIT Climate-KIC eCircular - Circular Economy Innovation

Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-11 13:18

Equity-free grants and business development for circular economy solutions. eCircular initiative for plastic waste prevention. Prizes up to $18,000 for startups and SMEs with novel circular economy solutions.

Source: https://www.climate-kic.org/programmes/circular-economy

Funding Details

Funder

EIT Climate-KIC

Funding Goal

Accelerate the transition to a circular economy through innovation, entrepreneurship support, and plastic waste prevention. The broader Climate-KIC circular economy portfolio includes the concluded eCircular flagship (digital innovation for plastic waste prevention) and ongoing calls supporting entrepreneurship support organisations to design circular economy programmes.

Funding Amount

Up to €50,000 per city for the current ESO call (India/Kenya). Previous Circular Economy Prize offered awards for startups/SMEs (amounts not specified publicly for current rounds). (up to 50.000 €)

Deadline

2026-04-06 (Fixed)

How to Apply

The current active call follows a multi-stage process: (1) Submit Expression of Interest via online form by April 6, 2026. (2) ESO selection takes place April 7-15, 2026. (3) Selected ESOs participate in masterclasses from April 21 to July 10, 2026, covering circular economy principles, tools, and connections. (4) After completing masterclasses, eligible ESOs submit grant proposals (July 13-26, 2026). (5) Approved programmes are implemented September 2026 through February 2027. Consortium proposals from 2+ ESOs are preferred. Contact: eva.ros@climate-kic.org

Target Region

India (Bengaluru), Kenya (Nairobi)

Contact

eva.ros@climate-kic.org (for the current ESO circular economy call)

Official Page

https://www.climate-kic.org/get-involved/open-calls/

Last Checked

2026-03-11 22:23

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be an Entrepreneurship Support Organisation (incubator, accelerator, or similar) actively supporting ventures
• Organisation must operate in Bengaluru (India) or Nairobi (Kenya) for the current active call
• Demonstrated track record of running active entrepreneurship programmes required
• Strong motivation toward climate innovation, circular economy, and social impact must be evidenced

Required Documents

• Submit Expression of Interest via online form by April 6, 2026 (23:59 CET)
• Grant proposal submission required after masterclass completion (July 13-26, 2026)

Constraints

• Consortium proposals (2+ ESOs) are preferred over single-organisation applications
• Must complete masterclasses (April-July 2026) before becoming eligible for grant funding

Summary

EIT Climate-KIC is Europe's leading climate innovation agency, an independent non-profit foundation registered in the Netherlands. Its circular economy work centers on catalysing a switch to circular material systems with a vision of carbon-neutral materials by 2050. The flagship eCircular programme, launched in 2018, focused specifically on plastic waste prevention through digital innovation — including blockchain for market transparency, data analytics for simulation, and cyber-physical systems for reuse and remanufacturing. The eCircular consortium included the University of Bologna (lead), Wuppertal Institute, Lund University, Montanuniversität Leoben, and Ecomatters. The eCircular flagship programme has since concluded, but Climate-KIC continues to fund circular economy innovation through new calls. The currently active opportunity is a call for Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs) in India (Bengaluru) and Kenya (Nairobi) to design and run their own circular economy programmes, with grants of up to €50,000 per city. Selected ESOs participate in masterclasses from April to July 2026, then submit grant proposals to implement programmes from September 2026 to February 2027. Consortium proposals from two or more ESOs are preferred. Previously, the EIT Circular Economy Community (a collaboration of five EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities including Climate-KIC) also ran a Circular Economy Prize for startups and SMEs across four topics: circular business models, assessment methodologies, waste valorization, and digital product passports. That prize closed in 2022. Climate-KIC also runs various ClimAccelerator programmes in related areas such as built environment and circular cities.

Historical Context

The eCircular flagship programme ran from 2018 as Climate-KIC's main circular economy initiative, led by the University of Bologna with partners including Wuppertal Institute, Lund University, and Ecomatters. It focused on digital innovation for plastic waste prevention. The programme has since concluded. In 2022, the EIT Circular Economy Community (a collaboration of five EIT KICs) ran a Circular Economy Prize for startups/SMEs. Climate-KIC continues to issue periodic circular economy calls, including ClimAccelerator programmes for circular cities and built environment (both concluded). The current ESO call for India/Kenya represents the latest iteration of circular economy funding.

Why it was added

EIT innovation community with equity-free grants for circular economy and plastic waste solutions

Sources

• https://www.climate-kic.org/programmes/circular-economy
• https://www.climate-kic.org/programmes/circular-economy/ecircular/
• https://www.climate-kic.org/programmes/
• https://www.climate-kic.org/get-involved/open-calls/
• https://ecircular.climate-kic.org/
• https://www.climate-kic.org/open-call/design-and-run-your-own-circular-economy-programme-applications-open-for-entrepreneurship-support-organisations-esos-in-india-and-kenya/
• https://www.climate-kic.org/open-call/the-eit-circular-economy-community-launches-the-circular-economy-prize/

Similar Programs

← Back to list