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Call key data
Broadening the spectrum of robust enzymes and microbial hosts in industrial biotechnology
Call number
HORIZON-CL6-2023-CircBio-01-5
deadlines
Opening
22.12.2022
Deadline
28.03.2023 17:00
Funding rate
70% (NPO: 100%)
Call budget
€ 10,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 5,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The overall scope focuses on widening the range of known robust enzymatic catalysts and industrial microbial hosts, as well as on the potential of scaling up their deployment and thus exploring their potential to offer significant gains in bio-based processes and their flexibility against variable process parameters, namely: resource efficiency, energy efficiency and other process metrics. These efforts will then eventually aim for development of novel, or significantly optimised, sustainable (bio-based) processes and products (e.g. chemicals, materials).
Call objectives
Proposals should address:
- Identification and bioprospecting of novel natural enzymes and/or microbial hosts, including though the use of existing sequencing data, from all types of environments (especially terrestrial but also marine). The identified solutions must especially address extreme habitats (relevant to bio-based processes conditions/ challenges-see next point).
- Optimisation of enzymes’ and/or microbial hosts’ properties for industrial use, addressing (bio-based) process conditions barriers. Such barriers comprise of physical parameters (e.g., temperature, pH) and chemical parameters/stressors (e.g., solvents, variable biomass feedstock composition, contaminants etc.). Optimisation efforts may include understanding, modification and control of microbial hosts and enzymes, (e.g. via Synthetic Biology methodologies).
- Testing and demonstrating of novel concepts for industrial enzyme-catalysed or microbial host-based processes (e.g., engineering of enzyme cascades/multi-enzyme reactions, co-factor regeneration, broader range of functional activity etc.) to valorise biomass and produce high-value bio-based products.
- Demonstrating optimised process design, development and control aspects, with considerations for implementation of automation, integration of unit operations, robust and precise process analytical technologies (PAT), and the horizontal incorporation of enabling digital technologies, where necessary for improving process efficiency but also achieving environmental performance improvements.
- Assessment of the tested, optimized enzyme-catalysed or microbial host-based processes with respect to biotechnological, economic, environmental performance (lifecycle assessment) as well as safety parameters and standards.
- Linking to the ongoing work on sustainability improvements via industrial biotechnology, if underpinned by the thematic focus on enzymes.
- Beneficiaries should pay attention to the delivery of FAIR data, results and methodologies.
Where relevant, proposals should overall seek links and synergies as well as capitalise on the results of past and ongoing EU research projects of Horizon 2020, LIFE, Horizon Europe (including the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) /Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)).
Proposals should also include a dedicated task, appropriate resources and a plan on how they will collaborate with other projects funded under this topic and other relevant topics.
In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.
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Expected effects and impacts
A successful proposal will contribute to Destination ‘Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors’ impacts, in line with the European Green Deal, the EU bioeconomy strategy & its action plan as well as the EU industrial strategy. A proposal is expected to address in particular: i) developing innovative and sustainable value-chains in the bio-based sectors and ii) enhancing European industrial sustainability, competitiveness and resource independence. Expected impacts will be achieved via research and innovation on industrial biotechnology and other enabling technologies, as a prerequisite and driver of future solutions for the bioeconomy transition.
Expected results
- Enhanced EU bio-based sector competitiveness, sustainability and resource independence, including SMEs. More specifically, successful projects will contribute to a paradigm shift from enzymes and industrial microbial-hosts dependent processes to evolved microbial hosts and enzymes, for improved (bio-based) process/production robustness and flexibility.
- Enabling environmental performance improvements of bio-based processes (encompassing climate-neutrality, circularity and zero pollution) through resource efficient valorisation of sustainable biomass feedstock, while addressing pollution issues in production processes.
- Long-term benefits to the bio-based sector, consumers and end-users, by more environmentally-friendly as well as more technically and economically feasible applications in diverse value chains, also underpinned by progress in industrial biotechnology.
Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, International organization, Natural Person, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
other eligibility criteria
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project.
For the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), the following definitions apply:
- TRL 1 — Basic principles observed
- TRL 2 — Technology concept formulated
- TRL 3 — Experimental proof of concept
- TRL 4 — Technology validated in a lab
- TRL 5 — Technology validated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
- TRL 6 — Technology demonstrated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
- TRL 7 — System prototype demonstration in an operational environment
- TRL 8 — System complete and qualified
- TRL 9 — Actual system proven in an operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies, or in space)
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.
Call documents
HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 6, Destination 3HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 6, Destination 3(463kB)
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