Open Call 3.1: Enhancing CIRCULOOS Pilot Cases

Description

Objective: Strengthen CIRCULOOS pilot value chains by integrating new circular economy solutions into existing projects. How It Works: Participants will collaborate with pilot stakeholders to: ●Introduce new R-strategies – Expanding recovery and reuse options within pilot industries. ●Enhance existing processes – Improving sorting, remanufacturing, or recycling efficiency. ●Validate & refine CIRCULOOS digital tools – Using real-world data to optimize lifecycle tracking and sustainability assessment. CIRCULOOS is establishing three pilot cases as testbeds for circular manufacturing solutions, focusing on innovative concepts for leather scrap reuse, circular using reclaimed wood (introducing the "wood as a service" concept), and plastic recovery by increasing the percentage of recycled materials (for more information, please see section 3) These pilots demonstrate novel value chains for material reuse, waste reduction, and sustainable manufacturing. In this context, OC3.1 invites individual entities—such as technology providers, material innovators, recyclers, upcyclers, waste collectors, complementary manufacturing factories, designers, etc.—to join the CIRCULOOS pilot cases. These participants will bring specialized expertise and solutions to enhance existing processes, extend them, offer more sourcing options for reclaimed materials, or design and produce new products that increase circularity. Unlike OC2, which supports the formation of new supply chains, OC3.1 focuses on strengthening pre-existing pilots. It emphasizes regional collaboration to validate, optimize, and scale circular strategies for industrial adoption. 1.1.1.Key Activities Required for OC3.1 Experiments: Participants will collaborate with pilot stakeholders and technical teams to test, refine, and integrate the tools developed within the project. These tools address critical areas such as: ●Data Sharing and Value Chain Formation: Facilitating seamless data exchange and value chain development for specific indicators improvement. ●Orchestration/Optimization and Execution Tools: Improving supply chain management and factory workflow based on specific indicators through advanced tools. ●Automated Data Capturing for Reclaimed Materials and Products: Streamlining data collection processes. ●Robotic Supported Sorting: Implementing efficient sorting processes with robotics and robotic embedded vision systems. ●Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Tracking: Monitoring environmental impacts throughout product life cycles. The experiments under OC3.1 will focus on: ●Extending Circular Sourcing and Adding New R-Strategies: Expanding sourcing options and incorporating new circular strategies for novel products. ●Enhancing existing Pilots Capabilities: Integrating advanced sorting, remanufacturing, and recycling processes to extend life- cycle of existing products or create new products from parts or reclaimed materials. ●Validating and Improving CIRCULOOS Digital Tools: Refining CIRCULOOS tools for tracking material flows, sharing and composing production processes, assessing sustainability indices, and optimizing circular value chain management. ●Developing New Methods for Scaling Circular Strategies: Ensuring practical implementation in industrial environments with real market potential as successful circular products for inspiring further innovation. ●Capturing Real-World Data and Feedback: Refining circularity indicators to measure sustainability performance impact. Selected participants will play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of circular manufacturing processes, contributing to the long-term transformation of European industry towards more circular, sustainable, and resource-efficient future.

Beneficiary & submission

Who can apply: SIngle Entities as below: ●Manufacturing European mid-caps and MSMEs (as defined in EU law – EU recommendation 2003/3619) with a commercial activity in the manufacturing industry as a producer, or a technology/ service supplier for applications in the manufacturing industry ●Recycling & Processing Companies that add new recovery solutions ●Any necessary technical role for integration or technical development to offer automation, sorting, or data management solutions, etc. should be assumed by the entity above with or without external support via sub-contracting, which has to be clearly justified Applications from single entities are only permitted under OC3.1, which contribute to the extension of the existing CIRCULOOS pilot cases (presented above, see section 3.C). Entities interested in applying to CIRCULOOS Open Call 3.1 must register on the F6S platform, which will serve as the main interface for managing the submission and evaluation process. The official application portal will be available at: Steps for Submission Applicants must follow these steps when preparing their proposal: ●Create an F6S account (or log in if they already have one). ●Navigate to the CIRCULOOS open call page and review all provided information: ○Open Call 3.1: https://circuloos.eu/open-calls/ ●Complete the online application form on the F6S platform and provide all mandatory information. ●Attach all required documentation, ensuring: ○ For OC3.1 applicants: Submit Annex III (Application Form for OC3.1) in PDF format with the following naming: [Applicant_Name]_OC3.1_Application.pdf ●Review contractual obligations in advance: Applicants are strongly advised to review Annex IV (Sub-Grant Agreement) and the relevant Declarations of Honour before submission, as they will be mandatory for selected applicants. ●Ensure timely submission: It is highly recommended that applicants submit their proposal well before the deadline to avoid last-minute issues. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances. ●Resubmission requests: If an error is discovered before the deadline, applicants may contact the CIRCULOOS team via [support email] to request a correction. However, resubmissions may not be possible if requested within 48 hours of the deadline. ●Deadline extensions: Extensions will only be granted in the case of significant technical issues affecting the F6S platform. If an extension is applied, all applicants will be notified accordingly. Failure to submit a complete proposal before the deadline will result in automatic disqualification from the Open Call. F6S Platform The F6S platform allows applicants to edit and save drafts before final submission. However, once submitted, applications cannot be modified. Applicants are strongly advised to review their entries carefully before clicking submit. ●Detailed information about the Open Call application process and all relevant documentation can be found at the CIRCULOOS Open Call page on the CIRCULOOS website. ●Applicants are required to apply online by filling in the CIRCULOOS online application form on the F6S Platform and to answer all mandatory questions with no exception. This is the only way of applying to the CIRCULOOS Open Call. ●Only submissions before the deadline will be accepted. After the official CIRCULOOS Open Call closure (June 11, 2025, at 17:00 CET.), no additions or changes to the submitted application form will be considered. ●Requests or inquiries about the submission process or the Open Call itself, received after the closure of the Open Call will neither be considered nor answered. ●It is strongly recommended not to wait until the last minute to fill in and submit your application form. ●Be specific and concise when answering the questions – they have character limitations. ●Applicants that do not accept the CIRCULOOS Open Call terms and conditions listed in the online application form will be declared non-eligible. ●The CIRCULOOS application form is self-contained. Additional materials and/or hyperlinks to additional information, which have not been specifically requested in the online application form, will not be considered by the evaluators. ●Please do not consider the limit of the characters under each section as a target! It is in your interest to keep your text as concise as possible since evaluators rarely view unnecessarily long applications in a positive light. ●If the applicant discovers an error in the application form, and if the Open Call deadline has not passed, the applicant may request support to open again, and/ or re-submit the proposal at: support@f6s.com ●The platform also enables applicants to receive notifications and updates regarding their application status. ●For any other inquiries related to the Open Call, the applicants can send email at: circuloos.eu@gmail.com All applications must be submitted before the deadline on June 11, 2025, at 17:00 CET. Late submissions, incomplete applications, or non-compliant proposals will be automatically disqualified.

Further information

https://circuloos.eu/open-calls/ support@f6s.com circuloos.eu@gmail.com