European Union Funding Programs Horizon Europe (EU R&D Framework Program) – Managing body: European Commission. Funding type: Grants for collaborative R&D and innovation projects. Typical funding: multi-partner Research/Innovation Actions covering 70–100% of costs; project budgets often in the €3–10+ million range. Deadlines: Calls released under multi-year work programmes; e.g. a 2024 call on “Hubs for Circularity” had a deadline of 19 Sept 2023 aspire2050.eu , and new calls for 2025 are expected (e.g. Cluster 4 & 5 calls in Feb/Sept 2025). Eligibility: Consortia of at least 3 entities from different EU/associated countries (some instruments support single SMEs). Thematic alignment: Strong focus on Green Deal objectives – calls target circular economy, industrial symbiosis, emissions reduction and digital industrial innovation. For example, Horizon Europe’s Processes4Planet partnership launched calls for “Hubs for Circularity” to demonstrate industrial-urban symbiosis solutions (TRL 6–8) aspire2050.eu aspire2050.eu . Another key instrument is the EIC Accelerator (within Horizon Europe), offering blended finance to single startups/SMEs with breakthrough innovations. The EIC Accelerator provides up to €2.5 M grant (with optional equity up to €15 M) for high-impact projects (TRL ~5–8); cut-off deadlines occur ~3 times per year (e.g. March 12 and Oct 1, 2025) eic.ec.europa.eu . Links: Funding & Tenders portal (Horizon Europe) – contains specific call documents. LIFE Programme – “Circular Economy and Quality of Life” (EU) – Managing body: CINEA (EU Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency). Funding type: Grants for pilot, demonstration and best-practice projects. Funding amount: Typically €1–10 million per project, covering up to 60% of eligible costs (higher co-funding rates of 75–95% for certain priority areas) kpmg.com kpmg.com . Deadlines: Annual call cycles; for instance, the 2025 LIFE call has a submission deadline of 23 Sept 2025 for standard projects in Circular Economy cinea.ec.europa.eu . Eligibility: Applicants can be public or private entities (including companies, NGOs, research orgs) from EU member states (or certain associated countries); single-applicant projects are allowed, though partnerships are common. Thematic alignment: LIFE’s Environment strand includes a Circular Economy sub-programme (~€73 M allocated in 2025) kpmg.com supporting projects that advance waste reduction, resource efficiency, recycling, industrial symbiosis or climate-neutral processes. Projects should have tangible environmental benefits and a clear plan for uptake. Link: LIFE 2025 Call – EU Info (official documentation and call details) cinea.ec.europa.eu . European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Initiatives – Managing bodies: EIT KICs (e.g. EIT Climate-KIC, RawMaterials, Manufacturing). Funding type: Grants, awards, and accelerator support for innovation and startups. Amount: Typically ranges from ~€50 k up to €500 k+ depending on program. For example, EIT RawMaterials Booster/ERMA Calls offer financial support up to €500 k for startups/scale-ups in circular raw materials (and up to €2.5 M for larger projects) eitrawmaterials.eu eitrawmaterials.eu ; smaller Booster grants (~€60 k) are also available. EIT Climate-KIC runs an Accelerator program (grant funding in stages, e.g. €10–50 k) to cleantech startups, and has launched thematic calls (e.g. a 2024–25 call awarding up to €210 k per project in an 18-month climate innovation support program euro-access.eu ). Deadlines: Vary by KIC program – many have annual or biannual calls. Eligibility: Generally startups/SMEs or project consortia within EIT member regions; requirements differ per call (e.g. TRL ~4–7 for Booster grants). Themes: Highly relevant to digital circular economy solutions – EIT programs specifically seek innovations in resource recycling, process efficiency, industrial IoT, and cross-sector sustainability. Link: [EIT RawMaterials Call info】(example Booster call) eitrawmaterials.eu . EU Innovation Fund (Small-Scale Projects) – Managing body: CINEA. Funding type: Grants for first-of-a-kind commercial demonstration of low-carbon technologies. Amount: €2.5–7.5 M per project (for “small” projects with CAPEX under €7.5 M), covering up to 60% of relevant costs. Deadlines: Calls typically yearly; the 3rd small-scale call (2023) had a deadline in March 2023 cinea.ec.europa.eu , with future calls expected under the Net-Zero Industry framework. Eligibility: Companies or consortia in EU/EEA. Thematic fit: While focused on GHG reduction, this fund can support innovative circular processes if they significantly cut emissions (e.g. industrial waste reuse, process efficiency improvements). Note: extremely competitive and geared to near-commercial demos (TRL ~7–9). Link: Innovation Fund – EC Climate Action. Eurostars (EUREKA) – Managing body: EUREKA network / National agencies. Funding type: Grants for international collaborative R&D led by innovative SMEs. Funding: Each country funds its participants (e.g. up to ~€500k per SME in many countries); typical total project size €1–2 M. Deadlines: Two calls per year (next cut-offs in early and late 2025). Eligibility: Consortium of at least two independent entities from two different Eurostars countries (EU or associated); project lead must be an R&D-performing SME. Alignment: Open to all tech domains – projects in circular economy, industrial digital platforms, or clean technologies are eligible if they have high market potential. TRL at start ~4–6, reaching ~8 by project end. Link: Eurostars Call Info (call documents via national portals). National Programs – Netherlands DEI+ – Demonstration Energy and Climate Innovation – Managing body: RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate. Funding type: Grants for pilot and demonstration projects. Funding amount: ~25–80% of project costs (funding rate depends on project type and company size) catalyze-group.com . The budget is significant (e.g. €175 M total in 2025, with ~€30 M earmarked for demos) catalyze-group.com . Individual grants can reach a few million euros. Deadlines: Annual windows; the 2025 call deadline is 28 August 2025 catalyze-group.com . Eligibility: Companies (including startups/SMEs) with projects deployed in the Netherlands that pilot new technology. Thematic focus: Broad climate and energy innovation, including: circular economy, industrial energy efficiency, CO2 reduction in industry, hydrogen, CCUS, etc. Projects must demonstrate a cost-effective CO₂ reduction by 2030 via innovative tech in real-world operation catalyze-group.com catalyze-group.com . This is well-suited to early TRL 6–7 industrial symbiosis pilots (e.g. waste-heat or byproduct reuse in clusters). Link: [RVO DEI+ program page】 (conditions and topics) business.gov.nl business.gov.nl . MIT Scheme (MKB Innovatiestimulering Topsectoren) – Managing body: RVO (with regional authorities). Funding type: Grants for SME innovation. Funding: Two main instruments – Feasibility Studies (up to €20 k grant) and R&D Collaboration Projects (grants from €50 k up to ~€350 k) catalyze-group.com catalyze-group.com . Funding covers ~35–45% of costs. Deadlines: Annual calls per region/top-sector. For 2024, R&D collaborative project calls open 11 June 2024 and close 17 Sept 2024 catalyze-group.com . Eligibility: Dutch SMEs; R&D projects can be single-company or a partnership of 2+ SMEs. Themes: Open to all Topsector innovation themes, which include circular technologies and resource efficiency (the MIT program has funded hundreds of circular projects in recent years). This is suitable for early prototype/MVP development and validation work. Link: RVO – MIT scheme info. Circular Chain Projects Subsidy – Managing body: RVO. Funding type: Grant for small consortia of SMEs to implement circular solutions in a value chain. Amount: 50% of project costs, max €20 000 per SME (each project can involve 3–6 SMEs, so total up to ~€100 k) business.gov.nl business.gov.nl . Deadlines: Last call was open until 8 April 2025 business.gov.nl . Eligibility: 3–6 companies (min. 3 SMEs) forming a chain (e.g. supplier–producer–buyer) with at least 3 different roles represented business.gov.nl . Must hire a qualified circular process consultant to advise the group business.gov.nl business.gov.nl . Focus: Projects aimed at reusing or recycling products/materials and overcoming obstacles in a circular supply chain. Must show reduction in resource use and CO₂ emissions business.gov.nl . Good for piloting industrial symbiosis between local firms. Link: RVO Circular Chain Projects (English) business.gov.nl business.gov.nl . Circular Implementation and Upscaling (CIO) Subsidy – Managing body: RVO. Funding: Grant for SMEs to scale up or implement circular production processes (not just research). Amount: Up to 50% of project costs; past calls had specific budgets (application window in April 2025) business.gov.nl business.gov.nl . Eligibility: SMEs in NL undertaking a process or organisational innovation to reuse materials. The 2025 call targeted certain product groups (electronics, textiles, diapers, packaging, furniture) business.gov.nl . Note: The scheme was temporarily closed (oversubscribed) business.gov.nl – keep an eye on RVO for renewals. This aligns with late prototype/early deployment for circular production improvements. Link: RVO CIO (Dutch) business.gov.nl . (Additionally, the Netherlands frequently uses SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) challenge calls to fund feasibility and prototyping for circular economy challenges. These are competitive procurements by ministries via RVO, now evolving into an “Innovation Impact Challenge” format english.rvo.nl . Relevant SBIR calls (e.g. circular plastics, waste-to-product) are announced periodically.) National Programs – Denmark Innobooster (Innovation Fund Denmark) – Managing body: Innovation Fund Denmark (Innovationsfonden). Funding type: Grant for SMEs and startups to accelerate development of innovative products/services. Amount: DKK 200k to 5 million per project (~€27k–670k) nordicinnovators.com . Small grants (≤ DKK 1 M) and large grants (up to DKK 5 M) are available, with funding up to 33–60% of project costs (larger awards require co-financing and a pitching step) nordicinnovators.com nordicinnovators.com . Deadlines: In 2025 the program is moving to multiple submission intervals instead of first-come; about 2–3 windows in H1 and 3–4 in H2 nordicinnovators.com . The next cut-off in 2025 is 12 August 2025 fundsforcompanies.fundsforngos.org , with continuous intake and periodic evaluations. Eligibility: Danish SMEs (<250 staff, <€50M turnover) with a CVR number, <5 years old for startups nordicinnovators.com nordicinnovators.com . Must show either ≥DKK 100k in external risk capital or ≥DKK 250k revenue to prove viability nordicinnovators.com . Focus: Projects must fall under one of Denmark’s priority innovation themes – Green transition & sustainability, Life science & health, Digital & critical technologies, or Defense tech nordicinnovators.com . Green technology is explicitly a priority, making Innobooster a fit for circular economy platforms or resource-efficiency software. The grant supports activities from prototype development to market validation. Link: Innovation Fund DK – Innobooster nordicinnovators.com . Grand Solutions & Mission-Driven Green Calls (Innovation Fund DK) – Managing body: Innovation Fund Denmark. Funding type: Grants for large R&D consortium projects. Funding: Typically multi-million DKK per project (often DKK 5–30 million, ~€0.7–4 M, with up to 75% funding of costs). Deadlines: Calls are launched under strategic themes each year. In 2024, for example, IFD earmarked DKK 320 M for four Green Missions including “Circular economy with focus on plastics and textiles” innovationsfonden.dk , and DKK 340 M for broader green innovation (incl. environment & circular economy) innovationsfonden.dk – these translate into specific call topics. Pre-proposals are usually due around Q2 (e.g. April), with full proposals in Q3/Q4 catalyze-group.com catalyze-group.com . Eligibility: Consortia of 3+ Danish entities (companies, universities, etc.); strong SME participation encouraged catalyze-group.com . Focus: High-impact projects that support Denmark’s 2030 climate and circularity goals. E.g. recent calls target circular plastics recycling, industrial process decarbonization, sustainable materials, etc. TRL range is typically 4–7 (up to prototype/pilot scale). Grand Solutions is a general instrument, while mission-specific calls (e.g. “Biobased Circular” or “Circular Plastics”) address particular subthemes catalyze-group.com catalyze-group.com . Link: IFD – Grand Solutions – see yearly call announcement (e.g. Research Reserve agreement) innovationsfonden.dk innovationsfonden.dk . Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) – Managing body: Danish Energy Agency. Funding type: Grants for demonstration of new energy technologies. Funding: Grants generally cover 50–65% of project costs; project sizes vary (from DKK ~3 M up to 50 M). Deadlines: Two calls per year (typically February and September deadlines). Eligibility: Companies (often in consortia with academia) registered in Denmark. Focus: Any tech that reduces carbon emissions in energy supply or use – including industrial energy efficiency, waste heat utilization, hydrogen, and storage. A project like Turash (resource matching platform in an industrial cluster) could fit if it delivers energy savings or integrates renewables in industrial symbiosis. Link: EUDP programme site (details on current calls). (Denmark also offers other green innovation support, e.g. MUDP for environmental technology pilots, and Nordic Innovation programs for circular economy, which can be explored for additional opportunities.) National Programs – Belgium VLAIO R&D Project Grants (Flanders) – Managing body: Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). Funding type: Grants for industrial research or experimental development projects by companies. Funding: Covers 25% to 50% of project budget (base rate 25%, increased for SMEs and collaborations) vlaio.be vlaio.be . Maximum grant per project is €3 million vlaio.be , with a minimum subsidy of €25 k. Deadlines: No fixed annual deadline – rolling submissions are accepted (“permanently open” for regular projects vlaio.be ), with evaluation decisions roughly 3–4 times a year. Eligibility: Companies with R&D activities in Flanders (SMEs or large firms, possibly with research partners). Must show the project’s innovative nature and impact in Flanders vlaio.be vlaio.be . Thematic fit: Open to all domains; circular economy innovations are explicitly encouraged (VLAIO asks applicants to note any environmental and circular benefits vlaio.be vlaio.be ). These grants are well-suited to developing a digital platform from prototype to a demonstrator with industry partners. Link: [VLAIO Development Project – eligibility and amount] vlaio.be vlaio.be . BeCircular – Brussels-Capital Region – Managing body: Bruxelles Economie et Emploi & Brussels Environment. Funding type: Grants through an annual challenge call for circular economy projects. Funding amount: Up to €200 000 per project (non-refundable) goforcircular.be goforcircular.be . The call is tiered into categories: Starter, Diversification, and Scale-up, to suit businesses at different stages. Deadlines: Yearly call; the BeCircular 2024 call closed in mid-2024, and BeCircular 2025 is expected to launch in spring with results by year-end. Eligibility: Businesses, non-profits or self-employed in Brussels region with concrete circular business projects. Startups <3 years old were explicitly welcomed under “Starter” category goforcircular.be . Focus: Broad circular economy impact – 2024 themes included reducing waste via product design, industrial symbiosis (cross-industry reuse of materials), sustainable food, the 3Rs (reduce-reuse-recycle), and circular logistics goforcircular.be . Projects must be implemented in the Brussels region and show measurable resource savings. Winners not only receive funding but also coaching and networking within the region’s circular ecosystem goforcircular.be . Link: [BeCircular Brussels overview] goforcircular.be . VLAIO “Living Labs Circular Economy” Call – Managing body: VLAIO (Flemish Government). Funding type: Grant for multi-actor pilot projects emerging from existing “living labs”. Funding: Total call budget €2 M; grants up to €200 k per project (or up to €500 k if multiple lab consortia join forces) uhasselt.be . Funding rate up to 80% of project costs uhasselt.be (higher than typical R&D projects, reflecting the public-good nature). Deadlines: Pre-registration by 30 June 2025, with full proposal due 15 Sept 2025 uhasselt.be . Eligibility: Consortia of at least 2 complementary partners (companies, sector federations, research orgs, local authorities, etc.) that build on prior circular economy living lab projects (from 2022–23) uhasselt.be uhasselt.be . The partnership must include those who ran the initial living labs, potentially plus new partners needed to exploit an opportunity. Focus: These projects aim to scale up or expand an earlier circular pilot to benefit a wider set of companies. They should address an “additional action” not covered in the original lab, with potential for broad applicability across a sector uhasselt.be uhasselt.be . Knowledge diffusion is required (results must be widely shared). This is very relevant if Turash’s platform can be demonstrated as a cross-company solution in an industrial cluster (e.g. a port area), especially if it ties into any existing Flemish circular initiatives. Link: [VLAIO Living Labs CE 2025 – call text] uhasselt.be uhasselt.be . Circular Wallonia – CircularInvest – Managing body: Walloon Region (Circular Wallonia program, co-funded by EU recovery funds). Funding type: Blended financing mechanism for mature circular economy projects. Funding amount: €1 million to €20 million total funding per project (exact mix of grant/loan/equity support tailored per case) ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . Deadlines: Calls are launched periodically (Open Call 2024 was active, further calls in 2025 likely). Eligibility: Project promoters (businesses, local authorities, consortia, etc.) from EU Member States or Horizon Europe-associated countries ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . Must have a well-defined business model and at least a MVP or scalable prototype demonstrating economic viability ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . Projects need a regional/local impact in a sub-national territory ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be – i.e. implementation in a specific region (not necessarily only Wallonia, interestingly). Focus: All aspects of circular economy – proposals must align with EU Circular Economy Action Plan sectors and categories ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . Industrial symbiosis, resource reuse, recycling, and new circular business models are explicitly sought (CircularInvest’s criteria mention categories like Industrial Symbiosis and Resource Recovery) ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . This program provides not just funding but also expert coaching and network events for the selected projects ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . It’s well-suited for scaling a platform like Turash in a regional context. Link: [CircularInvest call info] ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be ecosysteme-economiecirculaire.wallonie.be . National Programs – Germany ZIM – Central Innovation Programme for SMEs – Managing body: German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs & Climate (BMWK). Funding type: Grants for R&D projects by SMEs (and collaborative projects with research or other firms). Funding amount: Covers 25–60% of project costs depending on company size, location (eastern regions get bonus) and collaboration. Maximum grant per project is generally €690 000 for a single-company project (at 60% rate) eura-ag.com – collaborative projects can combine multiple grants. Deadlines: On a rolling basis – ZIM is an open-call program (new guideline launched in 2025). Applications are reviewed continuously with ~3-month evaluation time eura-ag.com . Eligibility: German SMEs (<500 FTE) and mid-caps (<1000 FTE, with conditions) with a permanent establishment in Germany eura-ag.com eura-ag.com . Partnering foreign SMEs can participate (German partner gets +10% funding bonus for international cooperation) zim.de . Focus: Bottom-up, no thematic restrictions – all technological innovations are welcome eura-ag.com . The project must be clearly innovative (high technical risk) and aim at new products, processes or services with market potential eura-ag.com . Relevance: An SME developing an industrial symbiosis platform could use ZIM to fund R&D (software development, data analytics, pilot testing with a partner company). ZIM even supports feasibility studies and market-launch services as part of the program eura-ag.com eura-ag.com . Link: Official ZIM English info – see FAQ eura-ag.com . DBU Environmental Project Funding – Managing body: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Environmental Foundation). Funding type: Grants (and technical assistance) for innovative environmental projects by SMEs, research institutes, and other organizations. Funding: DBU typically supports small and medium projects – for businesses, grants often range up to €125k–€200k (covering about 50% of project costs), though higher amounts are possible for exceptional R&D. Deadlines: Continuous application process (no fixed deadline; proposals are evaluated continuously). Eligibility: Primarily SMEs in Germany and applied research teams; DBU likes practical pilot projects and implementation-oriented R&D. Thematic: DBU has identified Circular Economy as a strategic funding focus dbu.de dbu.de . Through its “#DBUcirconomy” initiative, it seeks projects that close material loops, promote resource-efficient design, recycling, and new circular business models dbu.de dbu.de . Projects are expected to be “innovative, exemplary, and solution-oriented” and deliver environmental benefits (e.g. emissions reduction, waste avoidance) k-online.com . DBU explicitly encourages SME–research partnerships and will fund interdisciplinary projects (technology + societal aspects of circular economy). Link: DBU Funding – Circular Economy dbu.de dbu.de . Environmental Innovation Program (Umweltinnovationsprogramm) – Managing body: Federal Ministry for Environment (BMUV) with KfW support. Funding type: Grants for first-of-its-kind large demonstration projects in real industrial settings. Funding: Typically 30% of eligible investment costs (non-repayable); projects often have total budgets in the multi-millions. Deadlines: Continuous intake (projects are complex – prior consultation with the program office is advised before submitting). Eligibility: Companies (including large companies and municipal operators) in Germany implementing an innovative process or plant that exceeds legal environmental standards. Focus: Any domain with environmental benefit, notably waste reduction, circular material use, pollution control, energy efficiency. The hallmark is that the project must be a “pilot character” for Germany – i.e. a technology or combination not yet deployed domestically nsysgroup.com nsysgroup.com . For example, an industrial park implementing a novel symbiotic resource exchange or a circular production line could receive support if it’s the first of its kind. Link: BMUV Environmental Innovation Program – program site (German). KMU-innovativ: Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy – Managing body: Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF). Funding type: Grants for high-risk R&D projects by SMEs in collaboration with research institutes. Funding: BMBF covers ~50–70% of project costs (rate depends on company size, plus 40% bonus on top of basic rate for universities). Typical grant sizes range €300k–€750k per partner. Deadlines: This call has specific cut-offs; currently, the next deadline is 24 Sept 2025 fona.de . Eligibility: German SMEs partnering with at least one German research institution (consortia of 2–5 partners). Focus: Cutting-edge research towards resource efficiency, sustainable materials cycles, and climate protection. Topics include new recycling technologies, circular product design, substitution of critical raw materials, etc. ptj.de . TRL at start can be low (~3–4); the goal is to reach proof-of-concept or lab prototype. While more research-oriented, this program could support developing advanced algorithms or optimization models for an industrial symbiosis platform in cooperation with a university. Link: BMBF FONA – KMU-innovativ (Resources) ptj.de fona.de . Selected International Programs Startup SG Tech (Singapore) – Managing body: Enterprise Singapore. Funding type: Grant for Singapore-based tech startups to develop proprietary technology from POC to MVP. Funding amount: Two grant tiers – Proof of Concept (POC) up to S$250,000 (~€170k), and Proof of Value (POV) up to S$500,000 (~€340k) ondemandint.com . These are non-dilutive grants; the company must co-fund 10% (POC) or 20% (POV) of the project costs. Deadlines: Open application with roughly quarterly evaluation panels. (Registration of Interest can be submitted anytime; eligible applicants are then invited to submit a full proposal and pitch to a final evaluation panel) ondemandint.com ondemandint.com . Eligibility: <5-year-old Singapore-registered startups, at least 30% locally owned, with <200 employees and