Grants for SMEs developing Circular Economy and Sustainable Solutions for the Agrifood Sector
Deadline Date: February 19, 2025
The project Circular Economy and Sustainable solutions for Agrifood in the Mediterranean (CESAM) has launched a call for proposals to support SMEs developing circular economy and sustainable solutions for the Agrifood sector in the Euroregion Pyrenees Mediterranean.
The goal is to fund and support projects that bring innovative, near-market solutions (TRL 6-9) to scale in the agrifood industry.
CESAM is a EU funded project under the ERDF Interregional Innovation Investment Instrument Programme (I3) that supports interregional innovation projects which bring innovative ideas to a mature investment level, ready for commercialisation and scale- up.
The CESAM initiative provides funding for SMEs under two main schemes:
- Open Innovation Projects: Support for SME-led innovation.
- Identified Challenges: Specific challenges presented by CESAM partner SMEs, seeking collaborative solutions.
Topics
- For Open Innovation Projects
- Industrial water treatment and recycling.
- Packaging eco-conception (e.g., plastic-free, circular solutions).
- Process optimization and waste reduction.
- Valorization of co-products or by-products.
- For Identified Challenges: Specific topics align with CESAM partner SME needs. Examples include sustainable packaging, water efficiency, and wastewater treatment.
Funding Information
- Open Innovation Projects:
- Individual Open Innovation Projects (Only 1 SME): Max. €30,000.
- Regional Open Innovation Projects (At least 2 SMEs from 1 region): max. 50.000€
- Interregional Open Innovation Projects (At least 2 SMEs from diferent regions): max. 70.000€
- Identified Challenges:
- Funding varies by challenge and SME involvement.
- For example, Challenge C10 (Terracor) offers €40,000 funding for innovations in water efficiency.
- Most challenges specify the maximum funding per SME and number of participants (e.g., 1 or 2 SMEs per challenge).
Eligibility Criteria
- Participation is open to SMEs located in Catalonia, Occitania, and the Balearic Islands.
For more information, visit European Commission.
