MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025

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Code: 36612 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MSCA-2025-DN-01-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) (2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 28/05/2025 | End submission calls: 25/11/2025

MSCA Doctoral Networks will implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and research infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. MSCA Doctoral Networks are indeed open to the participation of organisations from third countries, in view of fostering strategic international partnerships for the training and exchange of researchers.

ERA Fellowships

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Code: 36610 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-TALENTS-01-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence (2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 09/04/2025 | End submission calls: 10/09/2025

Fellowships should be provided to excellent researchers, undertaking cross-border mobility. Applications must be made jointly by the researcher together with a legal entity in the academic or non-academic sector located in a Widening Country.

ERA Fellowships should take place in a Widening Country. Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to the EU from any country in the world or moving within the EU to a Widening Country.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025

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Code: 36607 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF-01-01 | Programme name: 2939 | Sub-program: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) (2021-2027) | Start submission calls: 09/04/2025 | End submission calls: 10/09/2025

Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. Applications will be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Postdoctoral Fellowships either can take place in Europe (i.e. in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country) or in a Third Country not associated to Horizon Europe:

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships

European mini-slate development

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Code: 36604 | Identifier Code: CREA-MEDIA-2025-DEVMINISLATE | Programme name: 3948 | Sub-program: MEDIA | Start submission calls: 08/04/2025 | End submission calls: 17/09/2025

The objective of the European mini-slate development support is to foster the competitiveness of European independent production companies and to increase their economic weight on the market. The aim is also to increase the capacity of audiovisual producers to develop projects with the potential to circulate throughout Europe and beyond, and to facilitate European and international coproduction.
The support will also provide an entry point for emerging talent, giving them the opportunity to direct a short film supported by the strong foundation provided by experienced companies.

Circular-by-design fibre-based packaging with improved properties

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Code: 36602 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IAFlag-03 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

The packaging industry is facing several challenges in terms of material supply, sustainability, legislation and market dynamics. New production technologies are emerging, yielding fibre-based packaging materials with improved or novel properties enabling their wider use which could lead to a replacement of current incumbents with more circular and sustainable fibre-based alternatives. In order for this to happen, a substantial scale-up of production processes is needed to enable fibre-based packaging with competitive performance and cost.

Valorisation of untapped forest biomass

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Code: 36600 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

Forest managers often face challenges in implementing more sustainable practices. Additional value can be gained from forestry (both monocultured and mixed forests), agroforestry and horticulture as well as from their residual streams, and from the biomass removed for fire, flood, drought, and disease prevention. Valorisation of such biomass streams can contribute to address the risk of forest abandonment while preserving biodiversity. This is particularly important where the resulting forest or forest-like biomass is low in volume, value, or both. The available biomass mainly consists of small wood, damaged wood (e.g., wood affected by parasites), and various types of wood from mixed forests. Additionally, it includes non-wood biomass, such as shrubs, bark, cork, branches, and resin. These kinds of biomass generally have low or even negative economic value, meaning they often need to be disposed of at a cost. Typically, this biomass is burned locally for energy or simply incinerated, releasing CO₂ into the atmosphere and providing little or no economic benefit to forest managers. This topic should explore valorisation pathways for the targeted feedstock beyond bioenergy and biofuel production.

Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation

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Code: 36597 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IAFlag-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

Separately collected urban bio-waste is currently mostly valorised through state-of-the-art anaerobic/aerobic digestion, resulting mainly in biomethane and/or compost. While prioritising the prevention of waste, other valorisation routes could further support phasing out landfilling and incineration. There is a presently untapped potential at industrial scale to valorise urban bio-waste into higher value bio-based products. Some innovative routes have been demonstrated or are under demonstration, tackling the technological challenges related to the complexity of this feedstock, in terms of composition and its variability across seasons. Urban-industrial symbiosis may be instrumental to overcome such challenges both upstream and/or downstream the bio-waste valorisation pathways.
The main feedstock in scope for this topic is separately collected urban bio-waste, as defined under the Waste Framework Directive.

Develop and deploy new curricula and knowledge exchange practices relevant to bio-based systems

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Code: 36595 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-CSA-01 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

Collaboration between university/higher education and industry is a necessary condition for innovation and essential for greater competitiveness of the circular bioeconomy sector(s). Besides technical/technological development, training and re/up/skilling of (future and present) bioeconomy professionals is essential. Key skills could include digital skills, biotech/biomanufacturing, environmental sustainability assessment and circularity, toxicology/risk assessment, ecodesign and safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) concept for bio-based products, business development, process development etc. Soft skills and cross-sectorial skills remain an important aspect, as well as overall open-mindedness to new knowledge, points of views and cultural differences.

The scope of this topic covers higher education, vocational training, as well as post-graduate and executive courses, as relevant for training students and reskilling and upskilling adult professionals, as needed for the emerging circular bio-based economy.

Bio-based drop-ins/smart drop-in platform chemicals, via cost-effective, sustainable and resource-efficient conversion of biomass

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Code: 36593 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IAFlag-02 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

Overall, bio-based platform chemicals, according to their chemical structure, can be classified as dedicated and drop-ins. Drop-in and smart drop-in chemicals are compatible with downstream value chains and thus have a theoretically lower market entry barrier compared to novel molecules. However, they have to face direct competition with their fossil-based counterparts, thus needing economies of scale and related large CAPEX investments to be competitive.

Bio-based and biodegradable delivery systems for fertilising products to reduce microplastics pollution & promote soil health

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Code: 36591 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-02 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

The presence of microplastics in soil has been reported to alter soil organic matter content, pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon storage. It is estimated that 8000 tonnes of polymers are used annually in the EU in polymer coated fertilisers (PCF). PCF can be used as additives to improve physical properties of fertilisers or to produce slow/controlled release fertilisers (SRF/CRF). CRFs help synchronise nutrients release according to crop needs, increasing efficiency and reducing losses to the environment. Non-biodegradable plastics accumulate in the ecosystem, can be assimilated by animals and can be ultimately consumed as food by humans. Each year around 42000 tonnes of microplastics end up in the environment. Polymer coated fertilisers have been identified by FAO as high priority in terms of risk of microplastic release. Bio-based biodegradable polymers may be an alternative to conventional non-biodegradable plastics. However, more research is needed to develop such biodegradable delivery systems and validate them while assessing improvements associated to microplastics release prevention.

Alternative biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber

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Code: 36588 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-RIA-03 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

Rubber-based products have a wide array of applications such as automotive, construction, industrial, healthcare products and consumer goods. The market is roughly equally divided between natural rubber and fossil-based synthetic rubber.

Considering the future market developments and related sustainability issues, and the issue of EU strategic autonomy for critical raw materials, European rubber manufacturers are urgently looking for resource diversification, taking care about the sourcing impacts on deforestation and forest degradation, to comply with the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products. The focus is on broadening the range of sustainable natural rubber sources and alternatives to fossil based synthetic rubber for the European bio-based industry.

Retrofitting of (bio)refineries industrial plants towards higher-value bio-based products

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Code: 36586 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-IAFlag-04 | Programme name: 23015 | Start submission calls: 03/04/2025 | End submission calls: 18/09/2025

Europe is home to many industrial facilities, that are currently redundant, under-exploited, or are becoming obsolete. Their infrastructures nonetheless represent a valuable asset that can contribute to European bioeconomy when converted to biorefineries – an approach exemplified in a number of large-scale projects across Europe. Benefits of exploiting existing plants include easier permits, reduction of CAPEX and other economic and technological benefits (e.g., shorter lead times, faster implementation, fewer production time losses and lower risks compared to fully greenfield plant construction). However, significant challenges are also related to such projects in terms of conversion of industrial equipment, establishing bio-based value chains and reskilling of the workforce. Both existing biorefineries and fossil-based industrial plants on brownfield are in scope of this topic as a target of the retrofitting action. Greenfield implementation is out of scope.