Bio-based innovation in society: supporting the sustainable way of living

This destination will support the EU Commission priorities ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’ and ‘A new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness’.

The destination supports the EU Green Deal^[1] and contributes to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable prosperity by supporting the development of a more resilient circular economy in line with the EU Competitiveness Compass^[2], the announced EU Clean Industrial Deal^[3] and the EU Circular Economy Act.

It aims to increase market demand for secondary materials and establish a single market for waste, whilst enhancing Europe’s efforts to develop a single market for sustainable products. It will also support the implementation of the framework conditions set by the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

Furthermore, the destination aims to facilitate the emergence and uptake of innovative, circular and bio-based materials, products, processes and value chains that play a key role for the defossilisation (reduction of feedstocks of fossil origin), climate neutrality and strategic autonomy of our economy, in line with the new EU bioeconomy strategy as well as with the New European Bauhaus.

In addition, this destination supports several key EU policies including the industrial strategy, the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan^[4] and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation^[5] and its working plan.

It also contributes to the EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, the SME strategy, the communication on safe and sustainable by design framework, the sustainable blue economy, the European Ocean Pact^[6], the European Water Resilience Strategy^[7], the European Life Sciences Strategy, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and the Nature Restoration Regulation.

Further support extends to the CAP, the EU forest strategy for 2030, the proposal for a Regulation on a forest monitoring framework, the EU proposal for a directive on soil monitoring and resilience, and the Vision for Agriculture and Food.

The destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions^[8].

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.

Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to “achieving healthy soils and forests, as well as clean air, fresh and marine water, whilst ensuring water resilience and the transition to a clean, competitive and circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy”, and more specifically to one or more of the following expected impacts:

• Improved climate change adaptation and mitigation through the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy and bioeconomy, underpinned by biotechnologies and sustainable industrial solutions, such as carbon capture and utilisation and recovery of materials, water and energy.
• Industrial competitiveness, sustainability and strategic autonomy are improved through the development of safe, sustainable, circular and/or bio-based value chains. This is done by promoting the efficient and circular use of secondary materials and water, fostering the multi-functionality of forests, and ensuring the sustainable supply of critical resources from land and sea.
• Living conditions for individuals and communities are improved through innovative, affordable and sustainable safe and sustainable by design products and services based on circular and/or bio-based solutions while demonstrating a reduction of environmental and climate pressures.
• Advanced societal transformation based on a systemic approach, as well as people’s involvement and integration of social sciences and humanities for fair, safe, sustainable and circular value chains, sustainable consumption patterns, environmental justice, gender equality and social inclusion.

[1] The European Green Deal - European Commission

[2] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/competitiveness-compass_en

[3] Clean Industrial Deal - European Commission

[4] European Chemicals Industry Action Plan – European Commission

[5] Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation – European Commission

[6] The European Ocean Pact - European Commission

[7] Water resilience strategy - European Commission

[8] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• advanced socio-economic transformation based on scientific/technological opportunities delivered by the bio-based sectors and bioeconomy. This will result in innovative bio-based products and services, supporting the more sustainable way of living (e.g. new socio-economic models), higher circularity, affordability, resource efficiency, climate neutrality etc);
• improved public understanding and engagement in bio-based innovation underpinned by scientific advances in life sciences and biotechnology;
• better living conditions for individuals and communities, benefiting from less polluted ecosystems, via healthier, and environmentally sustainable products and services with a reduced carbon footprint and based on circular and bio-based solutions.

Scope:

The projects under this topic are relevant to the EU policies related to the European Commission communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, the Strategy for European Life Sciences, the EU Biotech Act, Clean Industrial Deal and the policies related to the fair green transition (objective of not leaving anyone behind). It also contributes to the Start-ups and Scale-ups strategy. Synergies with activities under the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking and New European Bauhaus are encouraged.

Proposals should address the following activities:

• develop the innovative user-friendly bio-based products and/or services, underpinned by biotechnology and biomanufacturing approaches, to support the more sustainable applications with a clear societal benefit, such as less resource-intensive consumer goods, to reduce environmental and climate pressures. Foresee the necessary links with the digital technologies and tools (e.g., bioinformatics, AI, etc.);
• assess the potential of new socio-economic models for circular and bio-based systems, integrating aspects of environmental justice, gender equality, diversity and social inclusion, as well as relevant international global best practice, via e.g. societal dialogue/innovation, social impact assessment, involvement and inputs from the social sciences and humanities (SSH);
• include research and innovation activities to understand and increase the level of current public perception and acceptance, including the benefits / risks, addressing the consumer perspective, market acceptance and understanding of the bio-based innovation, as well as delivering higher understanding of consumption patterns and social demands;
• foresee the cooperation and feedback loops with industry and authorities, in respect to any new market solutions proposed.

The multi-actor approach is encouraged. Proposals should involve SMEs – both as project beneficiaries or external actors - and offer opportunities to newcomers to Horizon Europe Cluster 6, as well as engage with the civil society stakeholders such as NGOs and consumer organisations to advance scale-up and facilitate future market deployment.

Cooperation with projects funded under parallel topics such as HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07: Advancing the European bio-based innovation enabled by biotechnology and biomanufacturing concepts is encouraged to maximise synergies, while avoiding overlaps. Cooperation between all projects funded under this topic should also be foreseen, as a specific tasks, with an allocation of resources, for synergies.

Proposals should integrate the gender dimension and consider other social categories besides gender (disability, age, socio-economic status, ethnic and/or cultural origin, sexual orientation, etc.), and their intersections.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and involvement of SSH experts in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. International cooperation is encouraged.

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