Unlocking Opportunity Initiative

Bio-based additives as alternatives to unlock and increase recyclability and/or biodegradability is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Successful proposals will contribute to the implementation of the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the Chemical Industry Action Plan. They will provide solutions in line with the objectives of the EU legislation on waste but also the Horizon Europe Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" in particular to Objective 2: "Prevent and eliminate pollution of our oceans, Seas and waters” as well as the Horizon Europe Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, in particular objectives “Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration”. Projects results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes: Wider availability of bio-based additives targeting high functional properties, stability and compatibility with polymers/matrices. Contribution to improved circularity of end products in relevant market sectors. Potential replicability into other industrial sectors to widen market opportunity. Reduction or avoidance of environmental impacts related to life cycle of additives and additive-containing materials and/or products. Scope: While additives are often necessary to confer specific properties to materials and/or products, their presence can hinder their circular EoL (including – depending on the application – recycling and/or biodegradation). Risks upon recycling and biodegradation encompass the release into the environment of harmful substances, e.g., release of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxic metals, microplastics. Proposals under this topic should: Demonstrate (at least at TRL 6) innovative processes for the synthesis of bio-based SSbD additives that: Enable a circular EoL for materials and/or products that are currently not recyclable and/or not biodegradable, or Improve circularity of materials and/or products, e.g., by requiring resources/energy efficient and safe conditions for recycling or facilitating biodegradation. In the context of this topic, circular EoL includes recycling and/or biodegradation. Justify the choice of the proposed solution(s) in addressing existing bottlenecks in the circular EoL of targeted materials and/or products including where embedded additives play a fundamental role in hindering circularity. Provide alternative solutions that prevent the release of harmful chemicals during the product life cycle (including from products produced from recyclates) of materials and/or products, while enabling the relevant EoL options. Application of the demonstrated bio-based additives could be relevant for bio-based, partly bio-based or non-bio-based end products. Demonstrate (at least at TRL 6) the compatibility and processability of SSbD bio-based additives within the formulation/manufacturing of materials and/or products. Validate the technical performances of materials/products incorporating the novel bio-based additive(s) and proving to fulfil market requirements for selected application sector(s). Target at least two distinct market sectors in cooperation with end-users. If targeting biodegradability of end-products, assess that the additives, as well as the end-product, biodegrade safely in different environments (soil and water) according to existing EU/International standards, methods and protocols. If targeting recyclability as the EoL, test and validate it, including assessing the effect of the additives on the waste management system (encompassing sorting, separation and recycling). Any recycling route is in scope: mechanical, chemical, organic, enzymatic (including their possible combination). In addition to the specific requirements applicable for the type of action, as described in section 2.2.3.1 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2026 [1] , proposals under this topic should: As part of the multi-actor approach (MAA) approach, involve waste management, product manufacturers, brand owners and consumers Programme areas: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy, Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Keywords: Applied and industrial chemistry, Bioprocessing technologies (industrial processes relying on biological agents to drive the process) biocatalysis, fermentation, Industrial biotechnology, Polymers and plastics, bio-based additives, bio-based materials, bio-based products, bio-degradation, biotechnology, circularity, recycling, safe and sustainable by design, STEP-Biotech

AI integration in CCSI work practice: catalysing innovation and competitiveness is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Insights, recommendations, strategies, guidelines, methods and tools supporting full AI integration in CCSI practices become available to CCSI, policymakers, and stakeholders. Scenarios for co-created solutions tailored to CCSI needs, utilizing quality data and federated data sources, along with digital infrastructures, and inclusive cooperation processes, become available. Generally made available AI-powered and ethically designed solutions, tools and services in several CCSI areas benefit creators, cultural professionals, and society, including persons with disabilities and other specific needs, fostering innovative creative expressions and improving creative business models while preserving and enhancing cultural diversity, and inclusion. By mastering ethical and inclusive AI, CCSI are empowered drivers of culture, innovation, competitiveness and societal wellbeing. Scope: AI technologies are transformative, providing unprecedented opportunities for human creativity, experimentations and co-creations. AI profoundly impacts cultural and creative sectors and industries, changing practices, facilitating new ways of working and making innovative services and products possible. Artists, industry players, and cultural organisations increasingly use AI, for assistance in content creation, production, and management, to predict trends, personalise market content, engage audiences, enhance cultural heritage preservation and accessibility, and many more purposes. Cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI) [1] need to fully harness AI's potential to maintain relevance, expand their impact and value, increase competitiveness, and keep their vibrant, inclusive nature. Embracing and co-creating ethical AI solutions tailored to CCSI needs will, among other benefits, enable the automation of low-creativity tasks, allowing to increase focus on high-value activities that enhance creativity and productivity, thus unlocking unprecedented possibilities. Production times and costs can be reduced, market reach expanded, preservation, interpretation and inclusive access to cultural heritage enhanced, and new job categories could emerge. Although several initiatives are on the ground, a comprehensive understanding of enabling frameworks and factors and of what is still lacking in terms of data, standards, infrastructures, computing power, tools, knowledge and capacity for the CCSI to fully embrace the opportunities opened by AI is essential for effectively integrating AI technologies into CCSI practices and workflows. Proposals should assess the current level of AI readiness in the CCSI, investigate the specific barriers to AI adoption in the sectors, and highlight areas where AI can offer the most benefits. In continuous engagement with the sectors, based on the analysis of current practices and through concrete use cases, proposals should produce strategic guidance to extensively and seamlessly integrate AI into CCSI operations, enhancing efficiencies, averting risks, and facilitating cross-sector collaboration. Based on this analysis, they should develop a set of tailored tools designed to address the specific gaps and leverage the opportunities uncovered during the assessment. These tools should be strategically aligned with the sector's needs, ensuring they provide targeted solutions to enhance AI adoption and maximize its potential benefits. They should be scalable, affordable for smaller, less-resourced CCSI actors and accompanied by related documentation and training materials and documentation. Proposals should address one of the following two options, and are allowed to address both: Develop scalable pilots for innovative AI-enabled products and services across diverse segments of sectoral value chains, in cooperation with CCSI. These pilots are expected to address identified gaps in CCSI operations and prioritise solutions that catalyse innov Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Culture, creativity and inclusive society, Cultural Heritage Keywords: Artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, multi agent systems, Business models, Capacity building, Creativity management, Cultural heritage, cultural memory, Data and image processing, Digitalisation/ICT and cultural heritage, Entrepreneurship, Experimentally-driven research and innovation, High performance computing, Intangible cultural heritage, Knowledge transfer, Machine learning, statistical data processing and applications using signal processing (e.g. speech, image, video), Open innovation, Public administration, Social innovation, Tangible cultural heritage, Trustworthy ICT, Visual arts, performing arts, design, AI adoption, AI integration, CCSI, accessibility, audience engagement, automation, business models, capacity building, co-creation, content creation, creative industries, creative innovation, creators’ rights, cross-sector collaboration, cultural and creative sectors, cultural diversity, cultural inclusion., data-driven creativity, digital infrastructures, digital transformation, emerging jobs, ethical AI, federated data, heritage preservation, inclusive AI, innovation ecosystem, knowledge transfer, market reach, multilingual access, personalization, sustainable creative economy, sustainable models, underserved audiences, upskilling

Balancing food security, bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives to unlock sustainable value chains is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: decision-makers have improved understanding of the impacts of bioeconomy and nature markets on the sustainability of the agricultural sector, food security, climate and biodiversity, as well as on land-use conflicts; society benefits from economic activities that align bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity objectives while safeguarding food security; farmers gain opportunities to diversify their production, their income and improve the environmental performance of agricultural production without compromising food supply; policymakers are better equipped to develop more effective, evidence-based agricultural and environmental policies. Scope: As the bioeconomy and nature markets gain importance, enabling diversification of value streams for farmers, policymakers must ensure that the growing use of agricultural biomass and agricultural land for non-food purposes (e.g., for the development of novel bio-based chemicals, compounds, materials, products and services, energy production, environmental services provision, carbon and biodiversity credits) does not compromise food security. For the purpose of this topic, nature markets encompass market mechanisms (e.g., nature credits as proposed in the Nature Credits Roadmap [1] , carbon credits, market-based payments for environmental services) mobilising private finance to create income streams for primary producers in return for undertaking actions supporting well-functioning ecosystem services (e.g., water quality and availability, biodiversity, climate). Strategies are needed to balance market incentives, safeguard food supply and the environment, and support farmers in diversifying incomes through sustainable business models and value chains. Successful proposals should support the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food, the Common Agricultural Policy, the new EU bioeconomy strategy, the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation and the climate and biodiversity objectives of the European Green Deal. Proposals should: explore natural capital accounting methods integrating economics and nature into agricultural accounts, and their potential to support economic valuation, pricing and integration in decision-making of environmental services provided by farmers; analyse existing and develop new innovative business models and value chains from which farmers can derive fair value and new income beyond food and feed production. This work should include, among others, an assessment of their potential to integrate sustainable practices, enhance farm profitability and performance, and support the transition to a circular bio-based economy and the green transition, as well as an assessment of the market operators involved; when conducting the research/assessment, consider the potential of biomass residues and secondary biomass streams, including waste, as well as low value, unused or underutilised biomass, and land areas; conduct interdisciplinary research from farm to macro levels, encompassing economic, social, biodiversity and climate impacts, and provide analytical tools in particular assessing implications for: farmers' income, decision-making and farm management including of its natural capital ; biomass supply and demand and threshold effects of market prices on production choices; land-use conflicts and food security risks (covering the availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability dimensions), considering leakage effects and other potential conflicts of use (e.g. water); provide recommendations for the design of policies and sustainable business models and value chains. The recommendations should anticipate trade-offs and align bioeconomy, climate and biodiversity goals while safeguarding food security and ensuring that farmers can diversify and receive fair incomes. They should also respond to evolving consumer demand. Proposals should ensure complementarities with o Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Bio-based Innovation Systems in the EU Bioeconomy Keywords: Accounting, Agricultural economics, Bioeconomy, Business models, Natural resources and environmental economics, Nature, circular bio-based economy, farm income diversification, food security, natural capital