The HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-07 call, under Horizon Europe Cluster 6, invites innovation action proposals focused on the deployment and upscaling of circular systemic solutions in cities and regions. Supporting the European Green Deal and the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), the call aims to stimulate social, technological and non-technological innovation through collaborative, place-based approaches.

Proposals must demonstrate circular systemic solutions addressing at least two sectors or value chains (e.g. construction, transport, bioeconomy, spatial planning) and be tailored to local socio-economic and environmental conditions. The solutions should engage diverse circular economy stakeholders – from public authorities and academia to industry, social economy entities, and civil society – and ensure inclusivity across urban, peri-urban and rural contexts.

Expected impacts include:

• increased circularity and reduced GHG emissions at local and regional levels;
• replication and scalability of circular practices for broader economic, social, and environmental benefits;
• stronger collaboration and knowledge exchange among regions and cities to accelerate circular transitions.

Proposals must define financing strategies and consider follow-up through advisory services, including Project Development Assistance (PDA) and the EIB Circular City Centre (C3). They should also commit to:

• collaborating with CCRI projects and associated partners;
• participating in joint activities, thematic clusters, and dissemination via the CCRI platform;
• sharing lessons learned, enablers, and business cases to support replication.

A multi-actor approach is strongly encouraged, and proposals should embed social sciences and humanities perspectives to evaluate societal impacts, including gender and socio-economic variables.

The call is open until 17 September 2025 at 17:00 Brussels time and follows a single-stage submission model. Projects will be funded as innovation actions through Horizon Europe lump sum grants.