Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument

RIVCircular Open Call — Interregional Circular Economy Innovation Proposals

Offers RIVCircular Call Interregional Circular Economy Innovation Proposals for practical innovation and measurable results.

Eligibility · EU member states

RIVCircular is a cascade grant call managed by the RIVCircular project consortium under EISMEA's I3 Interregional Innovation Investments instrument, part of Horizon Europe. Rather than applying directly to EISMEA, applicants submit proposals to the RIVCircular consortium, which re-grants funds to innovation projects across eight participating regions: Madrid and Extremadura (Spain), Innlandet (Norway), Kyiv-Oblast (Ukraine), Košice (Slovakia), Haut-de-France (France), Vienna (Austria), and Greece. The call opened on 20 April 2026 and closes on 17 September 2026 at 14:00 CEST. Total available budget is €12,950,000.

Projects must operate at Technology Readiness Level 6–8 and address one of five circular economy focus areas: (1) construction and demolition waste circularity, (2) circular energy integration using local waste streams, (3) EV battery recycling and reuse, (4) circular economy in textiles, or (5) digital solutions for the circular economy. Awards range from €1–2 million per project for Topics 1–4 and €200,000–€700,000 for Topic 5, with a maximum of €600,000 per single beneficiary. Eligible applicants include for-profit companies, non-profits, universities, and research organisations, but not individuals. Consortia must include at least three entities from three different participating territories. Topic 5 additionally requires at least one SME in the consortium. Region-specific restrictions apply: Vienna accepts enterprises only; Greece accepts public and research organisations only; Extremadura accepts enterprises and research organisations.

Applicants submit through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The interregional consortium structure means proposals must demonstrate cross-regional collaboration and address commercially viable circular economy challenges at near-market readiness. Teams seeking the full €1–2M range should focus on the four materials and energy topics; digital-focused applicants targeting Topic 5 should be aware of the lower budget ceiling and SME consortium requirement. Norway and Ukraine are included as non-EU associated regions, making this one of the few EU cascade calls with geographic reach beyond standard Horizon Europe borders.