As of today, 1 April 2025, the new subsidy scheme EKOO-Biobased Circular (EKOO-BBC) has been opened. This scheme, part of the Biobased Circular Growth Fund Programme, makes €2,5 million available for consortia that want to investigate the industrial and economic feasibility of innovative production and recycling processes and applications of biopolyesters.
The subsidy focuses on partnerships of companies and research organisations that pursue innovative developments in the field of biopolyesters, which have not yet been taken up by larger consortia. A requirement is that at least one company is involved in the project.
Four themes for innovation
Projects must contribute to one of the following four themes:
- Circular design of products and semi-finished products:
- Redesigning existing products and semi-finished products or designing new products that are easily recyclable and safe to use.
- Validation of the use of the innovation on a multi-kg scale in an industrial production process.
- New generation of building blocks and biopolymers:
- Development of new biobased building blocks or biopolymers for the production of biopolyesters.
- Validation of the development or process steps for industrial scale production.
- Improvement of functionality, recyclability or biodegradability is a plus.
- Sustainable bio-based raw materials:
- Development of novel biobased routes for the conversion of carbohydrate-rich bio-based feedstock streams into novel building blocks or biopolyesters.
- Recycling of biobased materials:
- Innovations in recycling processes of biopolyesters, including mechanical, chemical and organic recycling, including composting and natural degradation.
The focus is specifically on polyesters derived from carbohydrates from vegetable, animal or microbial sources, such as (Bio)PET, PEF, PLA, PHA, polyester coatings and resins for applications in packaging, construction, interior or textiles. Other plastics, regardless of whether they are biobased, are excluded from the scheme.
Application procedure
The total budget of €2,5 million will be distributed via a tender procedure, with the highest scoring applications receiving funding until the budget is exhausted. Applications can be submitted from 1 April to 13 May 2025.
For SME entrepreneurs who want to test and evaluate circular biopolyesters, an alternative, low-threshold subsidy scheme is available: the Subsidy Scheme for Testing Circular Biopolyesters (STCB), which runs until October 7, 2025.
More information about both subsidy schemes can be found on the website of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Source: RVO / Agro-Chemistry
