BIOECONOMY GIANTS Open Call for Scaling-up & Piloting (OC2)

The project running this call: BIOECONOMY GIANTS

FosterinG collaboratIon among primAry producers and beyoNd to promoTe Sustainable growth

The GIANTS project aims to enhance collaboration between primary producers, rural actors, and bio-based industries to accelerate Europe's transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. Through the implementation of a robust multi-actor approach (MAA), the project fosters innovative cooperation models and circular bio-based business practices to maximize the use of agricultural, forestry, and agri-food by-products.GIANTS addresses the pressing need to fully integrate primary producers—such as farmers and foresters—into the bioeconomy, shifting their role from being mere biomass suppliers to becoming pivotal stakeholders within the bio-based value chain. The project will engage over 80 primary producers, bringing them closer to innovative cooperative and circular bio-based business models (CCBBMs). To achieve this, GIANTS will offer the community (i) tailored capacity-building programs designed…

Official project record ↗

Who runs it: the consortium

18 organisations in the project. The coordinator usually manages the open call and its evaluation.

• Asociacion Cluster Food+i · Spain · SMECoordinator
• Cluster Italia Foresta Legno · ItalyPartner
• Stichting Climate-Kic International Foundation · NetherlandsPartner
• Bioeast Hub Cr, Z. U. · Czech RepublicPartner
• Spring Sustainable Processes and Resources for Innovation and National Growth · ItalyPartner
• Flanders' Food · BelgiumPartner
• Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie eV · Germany · SMEPartner
• Enco SRL · Italy · SMEPartner
• Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant vzw · Belgium · SMEPartner
• Centro Nacional de Tecnologia y Seguridad Alimentaria · SpainPartner
• Agenzia Per la Promozione Della Ricerca Europea · ItalyPartner
• Fundacion Circe Centro de Investigacion de Recursos y Consumos Energeticos · SpainPartner
• European Forest Institute · FinlandPartner
• Q-Plan International Advisors Pc · Greece · SMEPartner
• Universita Degli Studi Della Basilicata · ItalyPartner
• Universita Degli Studi Della Tuscia · ItalyPartner
• Ainia · SpainPartner
• Wageningen University · NetherlandsPartner

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Cascade funding: what to know before you apply

What is cascade funding?

Cascade funding (also called financial support to third parties) is money the European Commission gives to an EU-funded project, which the project then passes on to startups, SMEs, researchers or other organisations through its own open calls. You apply to the project, not to the Commission, and the project's own call rules apply.

Who can apply?

Each call sets its own eligibility in its call document: usually organisations established in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe associated country, often startups and SMEs. Check the call's eligibility section and the official guide before you apply.

Do I need a consortium?

Most cascade calls accept single applicants, which makes them one of the easiest ways into EU funding. Some calls ask for small teams; the call document says which.

How large are the grants?

Typically tens of thousands of euros per applicant and rarely more than €200,000, because the EU rules for financial support to third parties keep amounts per recipient modest. The exact maximum is in each call.

Can I combine it with other EU funding?

Yes, as long as the same costs are not funded twice. Many startups use a cascade grant to build evidence before applying to larger programmes such as the EIC Accelerator.

Cascade funding in the glossary · All open cascade calls