The proposal should address the following aspects:
 

• (Co-)design and adapt existing processes to integrate new solutions (energy and mass flow coupling, infrastructure, and logistics) and to exploit new synergies between sectors;
• Use digital modelling tools and sensing systems as a basis for dynamic resource management, including information on quantities and characterisation of material, component and product streams in view of full, integrated life cycle assessment;
• Deploy one industrial symbiosis, near-commercial-scale demonstrator using renewables as energy sources, including renewable hydrogen as an energy carrier, to achieve at least 30 % carbon dioxide reduction when deployed at full scale at the Hub for Circularity and close environment level. This should balance the overall energy consumption with efficiency gains for the Hub for Circularity of at least 10 %, including utilisation through cascading heat recovery, smart grid, and digitalised power plants. (Optional: In addition, apply or enlarge the use of carbon capture utilisation and storage to the existing local industries; the sustainability gains in energy use should be detailed.)
• Plan in detail the replication and adaption of the concept, including the simulation and the business case and exploitation strategy of the first-of-a-kind hubs, in two to three alternative locations in close cooperation with the relevant local actors.
   

For the full list, please refer to the text of the call.
 

In terms of outcomes, projects are expected to contribute to the following:
 

• achieve a step change in circular utilisation of resources within the process industries, reducing the use of virgin resources (materials, energy, and water) by at least 20 % as compared to the current state of the art;
• citizens living in proximity of heavily industrialised clusters will benefit from a healthier environment through industrial symbiosis, by lowering emissions through circular and renewable energy sources;
• use industrial symbiosis and cross-sectorial cooperation to pave the way for achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package to provide recommendations for optimised regional framework conditions by highlighting barriers and suitable innovation-oriented policies.

These targets are meant to be achieved collectively by the region/area where the demonstration is located, not only by consortium members.

Project outcomes will enable the achievement of the objectives of Processes4Planet partnership by demonstrating Hubs for Circularity concepts, fostering circularity within and beyond process industries, and driving the partnership’s innovation portfolio towards first-of-a-kind demonstrators, so as to de-risk investment for subsequent roll-out.

This call is open to any legal entity based in EU Member States and Associated Countries; often, cooperation between at least three parties from three different countries is required (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).

For more information, please see the work programme, call text and call documents.

An industrial symbiosis, near-commercial-scale demonstrator hub should integrate infrastructures (e.g. industrial waste, by-product and water management infrastructure, fluid flow networks, digital infrastructure), and energy networks and grids (e.g. smart operations scheduling, district heat integration, digital power plant including distributed generation, seasonal storage, biomass, and heat pump integration). Industries involved should boost their resource efficiency, heat recovery, integration of renewable energies and use of hydrogen as an energy carrier, and/or support the implementation of carbon capture utilisation locally or prepare for carbon capture storage logistics.

The total indicative budget for the topic is €40 million. The indicative number of grants is two.

1. The European Commission publishes the call for proposals on the Funding and Tenders Portal.
2. The call is open for a typical period of around five months, during which applicants can submit their proposal.
3. Horizon Europe calls can be single or two-stage application processes. In this case, the call is a single-stage process. This requires a structured proposal of max. 45 pages to be filled in, including objectives and innovation approach (excellence), tangible impacts that can be achieved through the project (impact) and the project planning and tasks (quality). These documents are to be uploaded to the portal in pdf format alongside administrative information on the beneficiaries, affiliated entities or others, to be filled in on the portal. All participants need to possess a Participant Identification Code (PIC number, a 9-digit number registered on ECAS). For more information, please see the work programme and the call documents.
4. Proposals submitted within the deadline will be evaluated by experts against evaluation criteria.
5. Winning proposals will be invited to sign a grant agreement with the Commission.

Deadline date: 20 April 2023, 17.00 Brussels time