Horizon Europe Cluster 6 - Circular Economy and Bioeconomy (2026)
Enriched – · Found: 2026-03-13 16:24
Horizon Europe call for research and innovation proposals in circular economy and bioeconomy. Topics include improving plastic food packaging, textile recycling technologies, critical raw material recovery, and standardization. Up to 101 million euros available. Open to NGOs and non-profit organizations via Funding and Tenders Portal.
Funding Details
- Funder
- European Research Executive Agency (REA) / European Commission
- Funding Goal
- Fund research and innovation proposals for sustainable and circular management of natural resources, including improving plastic food packaging, textile recycling technologies, critical raw material recovery, bio-based innovation, and circular cities and regions initiatives under Horizon Europe Cluster 6.
- Funding Amount
- Up to EUR 101 million for single-stage call (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO); EUR 28 million for two-stage call (Circular Cities and Regions Initiative). Individual project budgets vary by topic.
- Deadline
- 2026-09-17 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Apply via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal). Single-stage call: submit full proposal by 17 September 2026. Two-stage call: outline application due 16 April 2026 (first stage), full proposal due 23 September 2026 (second stage). Call identifier: HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO.
- Target Region
- EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries (global)
- Last Checked
- 2026-05-07 02:18
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
Horizon Europe Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment) is the European Commission's core funding mechanism for research and innovation in circular economy and bioeconomy sectors. The 2026 call cycle comprises two main call identifiers managed by the Research Executive Agency (REA). The single-stage call (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO) covers 11 topics with a total indicative budget of EUR 101 million. Thematic priority areas explicitly named include improving plastic food packaging circularity, textile recycling technologies, critical raw material recovery, bio-based innovation, and standardisation. The two-stage call (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-01-twostage) targets 2 topics focused on the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative with EUR 28 million budget. Proposals submitted at first stage are evaluated on excellence and impact only, with full evaluation at second stage. Eligible activities include research, development, demonstration, and pilot projects in circular and bioeconomy solutions. Consortia must typically include at least 3 legal entities from 3 different eligible countries. Eligible applicants span universities, research institutions, NGOs, companies, SMEs, and public bodies in EU Member States and Horizon Europe associated countries. The geographic scope is pan-European with international cooperation possible. No sectoral restrictions on eligible applicants. Projects are expected to deliver measurable innovation outputs and demonstrate a clear pathway to impact within the circular economy or bioeconomy. Deadline for the single-stage call is 17 September 2026. For the two-stage call, stage 1 deadline was 16 April 2026 and stage 2 deadline is 23 September 2026. Grant agreements expected by May 2027.
Historical Context
Work Programme 2026-2027 launched 10 December 2025. Info Days held 22-23 January 2026. Brokerage event 21 January 2026. Call launched 17 April 2026. This is an annual call series under the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 work programme, which totals EUR 14 billion.