Demonstrators for Clusters of Social Circular Enterprises (IA)

Deadline: 16-Sep-2025

The European Commission is accepting applications for Demonstrators for clusters of social circular enterprises.

Social Circular Enterprises (SCEs) need to adapt to new market realities in the circular economy, driven by the search for new market opportunities (e.g. secondary raw materials market, business models addressing change in consumption awareness, and technological developments improving productivity). To achieve this adaptation, investment in R&D capacity and technology for SCEs is essential. Besides further developing its offer towards consumers, SCEs are increasingly focusing their activities towards B2B markets, such as for secondary raw materials.

Research and innovation can accelerate this potential and is most needed in the area to remain competitive. Moreover, research and innovation in this sector can lever potentials beyond productivity and competitiveness, as SCEs pursue a triple impact: economic, green (contribute to a circular and resource efficient economy) and social (employment of vulnerable groups).

Scope

The following outcomes are expected for SCEs and wider circular networks:
- Improve the uptake and scale of technology solutions in individual SCE and promote shared technology development and engineering through SCE clusters.
- Improve competitiveness through enhanced productivity, as well as new market opportunities, for SCEs related to specific waste streams with potential for competitive advantages, such as, textiles, WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) and construction materials;
- Prove technical, economic, and environmental excellence of SCE in (local) circular value chains (e.g. I-US) leading to increased collaboration with (mainstream / for profit) industrial partners;
- Contribute to the reduction of non-recyclable waste generated in the region/area of the cluster by contributing to the re-using and transforming waste, by-products, and side-streams into new/secondary resources of raw materials;
- Increase employment of persons with a distance to the labour market in SCE and improve their labour productivity, for example by using assistive technology in the work process and use of data (e.g. AI trained assessment and instructions).

Funding Information

Budget (EUR): 10 000 000
Contributions: around 5000000

Expected Outcomes

The following outcomes are expected for SCEs and wider circular networks:
- Improve the uptake and scale of technology solutions in individual SCE and promote shared technology development and engineering through SCE clusters.
- Improve competitiveness through enhanced productivity, as well as new market opportunities, for SCEs related to specific waste streams with potential for competitive advantages, such as, textiles, WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) and construction materials;
- Prove technical, economic, and environmental excellence of SCE in (local) circular value chains (e.g. I-US) leading to increased collaboration with (mainstream / for profit) industrial partners;
- Contribute to the reduction of non-recyclable waste generated in the region/area of the cluster by contributing to the re-using and transforming waste, by-products, and side-streams into new/secondary resources of raw materials;
- Increase employment of persons with a distance to the labour market in SCE and improve their labour productivity, for example by using assistive technology in the work process and use of data (e.g. AI trained assessment and instructions).

Eligibility Criteria

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from no 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.
Entities eligible for funding:
- 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:
    - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  - the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
    - Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  - Countries associated to Horizon Europe;
    - Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.