SSbD bio-based coating materials for applications under demanding and/or extreme conditions

SSbD bio-based coating materials for applications under demanding and/or extreme conditions

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024-RIA-04

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)

Call: Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2024)

Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 24 April 2024

Deadline dates: 18 September 2024 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

In line with the objectives of the Circular Economy^[1] and Zero Pollution Action Plan^[2], the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the Chemicals Transition Pathway and its co-implementation, the successful proposals will facilitate the deployment of sustainable bio-based coatings. Successful proposals will also contribute to the implementation of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy^[3], the updated EU Industrial Strategy^[4] and the Biodiversity Strategy^[5].Moreover, successful proposals, depending on application, will potentially deliver significant contribution to the objectives of the R&I Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ in particular to Objective 3: ‘Make the blue economy carbon-neutral and circular’ and indirectly to Objective 2: ‘Prevent and eliminate pollution of our oceans, seas and waters’.

Project results should contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Diversified portfolio of bio-based coatings with high technical performances.
• Increased range of applications of bio-based coatings into final products used under demanding and/or extreme conditions.
• Improved sustainability and circularity compared to existing (fossil-based) counterparts.
• Improved health and safety profile compared to existing (fossil-based) counterparts.

Coating materials are used in a wide range of industries (such as transport, construction, processing industry, textiles, energy, electronics, telecommunications, water and waste management). They protect the product, communicate information to the user, increase its lifetime, and confer performance and functionality (e.g. anticorrosion, antimicrobial, antifouling). At present, coatings are mostly fossil- based or of mineral origin. Some paints and synthetic coatings are under scrutiny or have been banned altogether for their health & safety and environmental impacts. Safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives are needed. The main technical challenges in developing bio-based coatings are obtaining stable and homogenous formulations meeting market requirements in term of performance while showing potential cost-effectiveness in the perspective of further scale-up.

Proposals under this topic should:

• Develop innovative and efficient processes to obtain SSbD bio-based alternative(s) to (a set of) conventional coating(s) for applications under demanding and/or extreme conditions where e.g. high durability; resistance to fire, extremes temperatures, chemical agents, weather, fouling and mould, corrosion; hydrophobicity are needed. One or more relevant end-use sectors could be targeted, without limitation.
• Assess the functional properties of the developed coatings against application-driven parameters, including new systems to apply the coatings where relevant. Involve end users in the testing and validation activities. Moreover, address the end-of-life of the targeted final product(s), ensuring that the bio-based coating is not hindering the circularity of the final product(s).
• Include a task to integrate a prospective assessment based on the safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission, for assessing the safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials.^[6] Under this context, projects are expected to contribute with and develop recommendations that can advance further the application of the SSbD framework.^[7]
• Perform a preliminary techno-economic feasibility analysis of the subsequent scale-up phase, including market considerations (demand; target price; competing products; estimated lead time).

Proposals should also describe their contribution to the Specific CBE JU requirements, presented in section 2.2.3.1 of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2024^[8].

Proposals should seek for links and complementarities and avoid overlaps with past, ongoing and upcoming EU funded projects, including those funded under H2020, HEU and the BBI JU and CBE JU ^[9]. Collaboration among projects from the same topic are encouraged.

[1]Brussels, 11.3.2020 COM(2020) 98 final.

[2]Brussels, 12.05.2021, COM(2021) 400 final.

[3]European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Review of the 2012 European Bioeconomy Strategy, Publications Office, 2018, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/086770.

[4]Brussels, 5.5.2021 COM(2021) 350 final.

[5]Brussels, 20.5.2020, COM(2020) 380 final.

[6]See document defining the framework and criteria: Safe and sustainable by design.

[7]More specifically, provide thresholds that can support the criteria definition and improvements for the assessment SSbD methodologies, including any specificities related with bio-based coatings. Recommendations should also include identification of data gaps, especially safety, environmental, but also socio-economic factors, as well as priorities for data collection.

[8]https://www.cbe.europa.eu/reference-documents

[9]PERFECOAT (H2020-BBI-JTI-2020), LIGNICOAT (H2020-BBI-JTI-2020), ECOFUNCO (H2020-BBI-JTI-2018), REFUCOAT (H2020-BBI-JTI-2016), Glaukos (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019), BIOnTop (H2020-BBI-JTI-2018), BioBarr (H2020-BBI-JTI-2016), BIORING (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022), SuperBark (HORIZON-JU-CBE-2022).

General conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex Aand Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in Annex Bof the Work Programme General Annexes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes

5.Evaluation and award:

• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex Dof the Work Programme General Annexes

• Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual

• Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes

Specific conditions

7. Specific conditions:described in section 2.2.3 Calls for proposals in the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2024

Start submission

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

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