Valorisation of untapped forest biomass

The main goal of this opportunity is to make better use of unused and underutilized forest biomass by creating new value chains, business models, and technologies. It aims to produce innovative bio-based chemicals, materials, and products from forest resources that are currently overlooked. The opportunity focuses on boosting the forest sector’s role in tackling climate change, supporting biodiversity, restoring forests, and promoting rural development. Key areas include improving logistics, cost efficiency, and engaging local communities while preventing soil degradation and biodiversity loss. Projects should explore sustainable, circular bio-based systems and address challenges like low-value biomass and forest abandonment across different European regions.

• Develop innovative methods to convert underutilised forest biomass into valuable products

• Explore process optimization for sustainable forest biomass valorisation

• Integrate technologies to increase biomass resource efficiency

• Demonstrate pilot-level or industrial-scale conversion pathways

• Address environmental and socio-economic sustainability of biomass use

• Engage stakeholders across the forest value chain (e.g., foresters, industry, SMEs)

• Include techno‑economic and life‑cycle assessments

• Leverage circular‑economy principles and bio‑based industry strategies

Examples:

• A project that develops a new process to turn forest leftovers into bio-based packaging materials.
• An initiative that creates a business model for local communities to collect and use low-value forest biomass for energy or chemicals.
• A project focused on improving logistics to efficiently transport underutilized forest biomass to processing facilities.

• Personnel costs
• Subcontracting
• Travel and subsistence
• Equipment (depreciation or rental)
• Consumables and materials
• Dissemination and communication
• Access to research infrastructure
• IPR and certification
• Audit costs
• Indirect costs (25% flat rate)
• Internally invoiced services

• Budget for this Call: 172,137,258€
• Number of Grants attributed: 2
• Budget per grant: 3,500,000€

• Must be legal entities from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries
   
• Must meet the minimum consortium size (usually 3 independent entities from different eligible countries)
   
• Participants must show financial and operational capacity to carry out the project
   
• Gender Equality Plan required for public bodies, research orgs, and higher education institutions
   
• Proposals must follow formatting, length, and submission rules
   
• Costs must follow the financial rules of the Model Grant Agreement
   
• Additional rules may apply for sensitive topics (e.g. security, defense, ethics)
   
• Some calls may restrict participation to specific entity types or countries