Bio-Products Scaling and Bioeconomy Grant by BIOECONOMY GIANTS

The BIOECONOMY GIANTS project (full title "Fostering collaboration among primary producers and beyond to promote sustainable growth", Grant Agreement No. 101213069) is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU, topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-CSA-01). The main objective of the initiative is to strengthen the role of primary producers (farmers, forest managers, agricultural cooperatives) in circular bio-based value chains, ensuring their active participation in decision-making and achieving an equitable distribution of the economic benefits generated.

Under the Second Open Call (BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call for Scaling Up & Piloting — OC2), direct financial and expert support is provided to 4 collaborative pilot projects. The call focuses on scaling up and piloting innovative high-added-value bio-based products within the Technology Readiness Level range of TRL 6–8. Financial support is targeted at solutions that enable the processing and valorisation of secondary or underutilised biomass originating from the agricultural, agri-food, and forestry sectors.

The program applies a bottom-up approach that requires the development and testing of new cooperative business and governance models. Primary producers must be involved in the project as full partners sharing responsibility for management and business development, rather than acting solely as biomass suppliers. The total call budget is EUR 280,000, coordinated by a consortium led by the Agency for the Promotion of European Research (APRE) in partnership with expert organisations CIRCE, AINIA, EFI, Climate-KIC, and others.

• Consortium Requirement: proposals must be submitted exclusively by national or transnational consortia of 2 to 4 partners (single applicants are ineligible).
• Mandatory Primary Producer: each consortium must include at least one primary producer (individual farms, agri-food/forestry companies, seed/nursery plant specialists, farmer/forester cooperatives, second-degree cooperatives, recognized producers' organisations, or regional agricultural associations).
• Eligible Entity Types: open to any legal entity (SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research and technology organisations - RTOs, clusters, public bodies).
• Geographical Eligibility: all applicants must be legally established in EU Member States (including outermost regions and OCTs) or Horizon Europe Associated Countries (including Ukraine).
• Tax Registration: all entities must hold a valid VAT number or official National Tax Identification / Business Registration Number.
• Multiple Submissions Limit: a single legal entity may participate in only one proposal under this open call.
• Exclusion Grounds: exclusion of BIOECONOMY GIANTS consortium partners and their affiliated entities (cluster membership does not constitute affiliation), as well as strict prohibition of double funding.

• Financial support is provided as a lump sum grant covering 100% of eligible costs (with no co-financing required from applicants).
• The maximum grant amount is EUR 70,000 per project (consortium) and up to EUR 60,000 per single legal entity.
• Structure of eligible direct costs:
  • Category A (Personnel Costs): direct staff costs for contracted employees working on the project. Each individual partner must allocate at least 40% of its own budget to personnel costs.
  • Category B (Subcontracting / External Expertise): tasks assigned to third parties; capped at a maximum of 30% of the total project budget.
  • Category C (Other Direct Costs): capped at a maximum of 40% of the total project budget and includes:
    • C.1 — Travel, accommodation, and subsistence allowances directly needed for execution.
    • C.2 — Equipment depreciation costs corresponding to the 7-month project duration or equipment renting/leasing fees.
    • C.3 — Other goods, works, and services (consumables, raw materials, dissemination materials, publications, intellectual property protection, Open Day organisation costs).
• Indirect costs (Overheads) are ineligible under this call (0%).
• Ineligible costs: costs incurred prior to agreement signature or after the 7-month project period; estimated or unverified costs; costs non-compliant with tax or labor laws; double funding of the same activities from other EU budget sources.

• Technological & Operational Innovations: piloting, validation, demonstration, and scaling-up of high-added-value bio-based products (TRL 6–8) in areas such as bio-based packaging, bio-materials, specialty chemicals, food or feed ingredients, biofertilizers, and organic soil improvers.
• Biomass Valorisation: processing and valorisation of secondary or underutilised biomass originating from the agricultural, agri-food, or forestry sectors to enhance resource efficiency and circularity.
• Cooperative Governance Models: development, testing, and implementation of innovative cooperative business and governance structures that place primary producers in central decision-making and value-creation roles.
• Analytical Assessments: conducting market uptake studies, Techno-Economic Assessments (TEA), and commercial viability analyses.
• Mandatory Project Actions: Climate KIC impact assessment sessions, organizing a regional Open Day event, testing the COOMPY Tool, and communication and dissemination activities.
• Call Exclusion: projects focusing solely or primarily on bioenergy or biofuel production (e.g., heat, electricity, or biogas as the sole output) are explicitly excluded.

• November 01, 2026: Official opening of proposal submissions on the online portal.
• December 31, 2026 (17:00 CET): Call deadline for online proposal submissions.
• January 2027: Admissibility and eligibility check followed by technical evaluation by 2 independent experts.
• February 2027: Announcement of results, formal notifications to applicants, and Sub-Grant Agreement preparation with the 4 winning consortia (signed by February 28, 2027).
• March 2027 (Month 1 / M1): Official project kick-off and disbursement of 45% pre-financing.
• July 2027 (Month 5 / M5): Release of 35% interim payment following approval of the Month 4 Interim Report (M4 Interim Report).
• September 2027 (Month 7 / M7): End of 7-month pilot project implementation.
• October 2027: Final evaluation and release of the remaining 20% balance payment following approval of the Month 7 Final Report (M7 Final Report).

1. Portal Registration: The designated Contact Person from the Lead Applicant organization accesses the official submission portal at bioeconomygiants.com/open-call-2/.
2. Complete Part A: Fill in all administrative, legal, and tax identification details (VAT/Tax ID) for all consortium partners directly inside the online form.
3. Impact Pre-Assessment: Complete the online climate impact pre-assessment questionnaire directly on the portal.
4. Prepare Part B: Download the official Part B Word template and complete the narrative description (up to 10 pages maximum) detailing concept, TRL level, biomass sourcing, infrastructure, work plan, and partner profiles.
5. Budget & Declarations: Complete the ANNEX 1 budget tables within Part B (adhering to category thresholds) and have each partner sign the ANNEX 3 Declaration of Honour.
6. PDF Conversion: Convert the complete Part B document (including core narrative, budget tables, and signed Declarations of Honour) into a single text-searchable PDF file.
7. Final Submission: Upload the PDF file onto the portal, review all entries, and submit the proposal before December 31, 2026 at 17:00 CET

• Evaluation is conducted by 2 independent experts across 5 award criteria (scored 0 to 5 points each):
  • Concept Description (threshold 3/5): clarity and relevance of the idea, active involvement and central role of primary producers in decision-making and value creation, quality of the cooperative business model, and alignment with call objectives.
  • Implementation and Technical Feasibility (threshold 3/5): technical quality of the solution, justification of maturity level TRL 6–8, availability of biomass and infrastructure, and credibility of the 7-month work plan.
  • Consortium Capacity and Budget Efficiency (threshold 3/5): partner skills and experience, role complementarity within the consortium, operational capacity, and efficiency and coherence of budget allocation.
  • Ambition, Scalability & Replicability (threshold 3/5): market uptake potential, economic and social benefits for primary producers (income growth, job creation), long-term sustainability, and replicability in other regions or sectors.
  • Climate Impact (threshold 3/5): assessment of greenhouse gas emission reduction potential compared to a baseline scenario (evaluated via the online impact pre-assessment questionnaire).
• Scoring Thresholds: minimum overall weighted score of 15 out of 25. A knock-out rule applies: if the average score for any individual criterion is below 3/5, the proposal is automatically rejected.
• Tie-break Sequential Rules:
  • Priority given to consortia with more than one primary producer in a managerial or supervisory role.
  • Higher score under Criterion 4 (Ambition, Scalability & Replicability).
  • Higher score under Criterion 2 (Implementation and Technical Feasibility).
  • Better gender balance in supervisory and managerial positions.

• Part A — Administrative Information: online administrative form filled in directly on the submission portal.
• Impact Pre-Assessment Questionnaire: technical climate questionnaire completed online on the portal.
• Part B — Project Proposal (single text-searchable PDF file up to 10 pages maximum according to the official template, containing):
  • Core technical narrative (concept, governance model, TRL 6–8 justification, biomass supply, infrastructure, work plan, consortium capacity).
  • ANNEX 1 — Resources and budget estimation: budget tables providing cost estimations for each partner and the total project budget.
  • ANNEX 3 — Declaration of Honour: signed Declarations of Honour regarding non-exclusion and absence of conflict of interest for every participating partner.

• Climate Validation: mandatory participation in Climate KIC workshops and mentoring sessions, submitting climate self-assessment for third-party validation to receive a Mitigation Validation Report.
• Regional Open Day: organisation of at least one public regional BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Day event (2–4 hours duration) to showcase project achievements and engage regional stakeholders.
• COOMPY Tool: mandatory testing of the newly developed COOMPY Tool for circular and cooperative business modelling.
• Monitoring & Mentoring: participation in monthly online mentoring sessions with technical and strategic experts (extended every 2 months to include APRE and FOOD+I to review financial and technical performance).
• Interim and Final Reporting: submission of the Interim Report at Month 4 (M4) and the Final Report at Month 7 (M7).
• Branding and Legal Compliance: mandatory inclusion of EU funding acknowledgments ("Funded by the European Union... CBE JU") with the official EU emblem on all public materials, strict compliance with GDPR data protection laws, and ethical standards regarding conflicts of interest.

• Legal Basis & Funding: Funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101213069 within Horizon Europe through the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU, topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-CSA-01).
• Sub-Grant Agreement Signature: Winning consortia sign a bilateral Sub-Grant Agreement with the Agency for the Promotion of European Research (APRE), acting as the Granting Authority on behalf of the BIOECONOMY GIANTS consortium.
• Electronic Signatures: Executed in simple written form and may be signed electronically under EU eIDAS Regulations (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014) with full legal force without notarisation.
• Data Protection: Personal data processing complies strictly with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, Regulation (EU) 2016/679).
• Prohibition of Double Funding: Grant funds cannot cover costs or activities already financed by other EU budget sources or national grants. Selected beneficiaries undertake not to apply for other EU grants for the same action.
• Conflict of Interest & Exclusion: BIOECONOMY GIANTS consortium partners and affiliated entities are barred from applying. Membership in a cluster that is a project partner does not constitute affiliation.
• Integrity Declarations: Each partner submits a signed Declaration of Honour certifying non-exclusion (no bankruptcy, tax debts, fraud, corruption, or EU sanctions).
• Intellectual Property & Confidentiality: Beneficiaries retain full ownership of background and foreground IP, with commitments to contribute to public success stories while protecting confidential data.