🌍 New EU Calls for Textiles: Funding Opportunities in 2026–2027

🌍 New EU Calls for Textiles: Funding Opportunities in 2026–2027

The upcoming programming period of Horizon Europe brings new opportunities for the textile and clothing sector, with a strong focus on circularity, recycling, and sustainable business models. Several calls are particularly relevant for stakeholders in the Mediterranean textile ecosystem.

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Textile Circularity through Advanced Processing & Manufacturing / HORIZON-CL4-2027-01-MATERIALS-PRODUCTION-08

• When: Opening 22 September 2026 – Deadline 2 February 2027
• What: Supports the Textiles for the Future Partnership, funding innovative processing technologies that enable the use of recycled, regenerated and bio-based fibres, as well as sustainable chemicals across all stages of textile manufacturing (spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing). Projects must demonstrate durability, performance, and scalability towards 2035 EU textile sustainability goals.
• Who: Consortia including textile manufacturers, recyclers, technology developers, brands, designers, end-of-life managers, plus mandatory SME involvement through financial support instruments.
• How much: €4–6 million per project (total indicative budget: €16 million).
• Type: Innovation Action (TRL 5–7)

Optimising Resource Use in a Circular Economy / HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MATERIALS-PRODUCTION-04

• When: Opening 6 January 2026 – Deadline 21 April 2026
• What: Large RIA focused on material recycling, upcycling, industrial symbiosis and resource-efficient processes — relevant to textile value chains aiming to reduce emissions, energy use, raw materials and waste. Encourages cross-industry collaboration for circularity at scale.
• Who: Multi-actor industrial consortia across manufacturing sectors, including textile producers, recyclers, chemical suppliers, technology developers and research institutions.
• How much: €5–8 million per project (total indicative budget: €64.2 million).
• Type: Research & Innovation Action (TRL 4–6)

Advancing Recycling Technologies for Post-Consumer Textiles / HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-02

• When: 2026 (single stage)
• What: Development and upscaling of innovative fibre-to-fibre recycling solutions for mixed textiles, including sorting, disassembly, and safe removal of hazardous substances.
• Who: Manufacturers, recyclers, biotech developers, local authorities, waste managers, and consumer organisations.
• How much: ~€6 million per project (indicative budget: €12 million).

Demonstrating and deploying innovative collection, sorting-for-reuse and repair systems for textiles at city/region level (Circular Cities and Regions Initiative topic) / HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-04

• When: 2026 (two-stage)
• What: Demonstration of textile reuse, repair, and circular business models in living labs, involving citizen engagement, retailer take-back schemes, and AI-based sorting.
• Who: At least 3 demonstration and 6 replication cities/regions, in collaboration with SMEs, NGOs, and research institutions.
• How much: ~€5 million per project (indicative budget: €10 million).

Capacity building for extending product lifecycles through repair and refurbishment / HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-04

• When: 2027 (single stage)
• What: Creation of modular training programmes for professionals, consumers, and educators on repair and refurbishment of textiles and footwear (alongside electronics and furniture).
• Who: Education providers, repair businesses, consumer associations, social enterprises, and local authorities.
• How much: ~€5 million per project (indicative budget: €10 million).

Innovative circular solutions for end-of-life footwear through collection, sorting and recycling / HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-05

• When: 2027 (single stage call)
• What: Development and demonstration of innovative circular solutions for footwear waste. This includes new models for collection, digital sorting, dismantling, and recycling of materials (rubber, textiles, composites, leather alternatives). Projects are expected to show scalability across EU value chains.
• Who: Consortia involving footwear manufacturers, recyclers, technology developers, research organisations, SMEs, and local/regional authorities.
• How much: ~€5 million per project (indicative budget: €10 million).

These opportunities support the objectives of the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles and contribute directly to reducing textile waste and extending product lifecycles. They are also closely linked with the mission of VERDEinMED, which aims to prevent and reduce textile waste in the Mediterranean area.

Sources

• 1. Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 — Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space.
     Available at: https://sciencebusiness.net/sites/default/files/inline-files/HORIZON-CL4-2026-2027_09_39_2025_v4.pdf
  2. Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 — Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (Circular Economy & Bioeconomy). Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/comitology-register/core/api/integration/ers/475277/107407/2/attachment

Contributor: Sofia Plakantonaki / VERDEinMED