IPCEI biotechnology project call for interest 2026

The aim of the national call for interest is to identify companies and research organizations in Estonia engaged in research or production activities whose large-scale and radically innovative projects could participate in the planned European Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). The focus is on bio-based chemicals, bio-based materials, and bio-based food and feed ingredients. Projects must help bring novel biotechnological processes from research and development to first industrial deployment, strengthen Europe's strategic value chains, and create benefits that extend beyond the supported enterprise and Estonia. Participation in the call for interest is not yet a final grant application nor does it automatically entitle to funding.

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Agency	EIS
Region	EU
Country	EE
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
End date	31 Aug 2026
Max funding	There is no general official lower or upper limit for direct partners under the IPCEI project support. According to EIS guidelines, direct partner status is usually used for projects where the requested support exceeds 50 million euros., For projects funded as associated partners under the block exemption regulation, support generally ranges between 1–50 million euros based on EIS indications., Indirect partners do not receive funding under either the IPCEI or block exemption regulation., The maximum aid approved by the European Commission for a direct partner cannot exceed the project's proven funding gap or the amount of eligible costs.
Coverage	For a direct partner, in case of a duly justified funding gap, aid may cover up to 100% of eligible costs, but the beneficiary must still co-finance the project and bear any costs not covered or ineligible for aid. For associated partner projects, the support rate may reach up to 80% in the case of applied research. The actual support rate depends on the type of activity, company size, cooperation, dissemination of results, and conditions of the block exemption regulation. The amount of support is determined by the project, the state aid base, eligible costs, and funding needs, and depends on the availability of Estonian national funding.

Grant application conditions

Nature of the call for interest	This is a call for interest conducted for pre-selecting projects, not a final support round. Successful participation in the call for interest allows one to continue in the process of international partner matching, integrated IPCEI development, and state aid approval. Final funding depends on further project evaluation, European Commission state aid approval, Estonia’s funding decision, and budget availability.
Applicant’s activity in Estonia	The applicant can be a company or a research and development organization, especially an SME as defined by the European Commission. The applicant must be engaged in research or production activities in the field of biotechnology in Estonia. The applicant must be willing to participate in an integrated European project and cooperate with other member state participants.
Biotechnology field	The project must belong to at least one of the three focus areas of the call for interest: bio-based chemicals, bio-based materials, or bio-based food and feed ingredients. The project must involve a biotechnological production process, product, or value chain solution. Raw materials used in the project may include, for example, biomass, agricultural or industrial by-streams, waste streams, recycled feedstock, biogenic carbon dioxide, or another renewable carbon source.
Bio-based chemicals	Suitable projects may develop and scale up the production of platform chemicals, intermediates, organic acids, alcohols, monomers, polymer precursors, specialty and fine chemicals, pigments, dyes, or other chemical intermediates. The project may involve fermentation, gas fermentation, enzymatic or biocatalytic conversion, advanced processing of biomass, carbon dioxide-based processes, purification, or process intensification. The applicant must describe the inputs, biotechnological conversion, downstream processing, and integration of outputs into industrial applications.
Bio-based materials	Suitable projects may develop bio-based materials for applications including packaging, textiles, construction, automotive, cosmetics, or other fields. Possible solutions include bioplastics, biocomposites, fibre materials, lignin-based materials, high-performance materials, novel forest-based products, and other high value-added materials. The project must address properties, scalability, sustainability, recyclability, end-of-life aspects, and integration into subsequent value chain stages.
Bio-based food and feed ingredients	Suitable projects may develop alternative proteins, fermentation-derived ingredients, cell culture-based ingredients, microbial or algae-based lipids and oils, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, biocatalysts, probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, bioactive compounds, and technological or sensory additives. The project must focus on the ingredient or functional component to be later integrated into the food or feed industry value chain. The applicant must show how the project reduces dependence on imported proteins or other critical inputs, upgrades by-streams, or creates new food- or feed-quality bioproduction capacity in Europe.
Level of innovation	The project must have a high level of innovation and exceed the global technology level of the relevant sector or application area. The project must create a fundamentally new or significantly improved biotechnological process, product, or value chain solution. The applicant must compare the solution to existing technologies and alternatives and present measurable technical, economic, or environmental advantages.
First industrial deployment	The project must aim to bridge the gap between research and development and industrial deployment. First industrial deployment may include scaling up a pilot plant, demonstration plant, first industrial unit, pilot production, or validation of the production process at industrial scale. First industrial deployment actions must follow R&D and still involve significant necessary research and innovation components for the success of the project. The project must not be limited only to early-stage research or laboratory concept development.
Need for public support	The applicant must explain why the project would not be carried out without public support or why it would be carried out on a smaller scale, with a narrower scope, later, or with higher risk. The need for support may be justified by high technological risk, large capital or operational expenditures, long payback period, uncertain demand, lack of industrial references, fragmented value chain, or insufficient private sector funding. Mere regular capital need of the company or wish to reduce own investment is not a sufficient justification.
Funding gap	The direct partner must prepare a funding gap analysis using the European Commission form. The funding gap is determined based on discounted positive and negative cash flows over the entire economic life of the project. The analysis must include a realistic counterfactual scenario showing how the company would act without state aid. Maximum aid may not exceed the justified funding gap or eligible costs. The Commission may require partial repayment of aid to avoid overcompensation if the project turns out more profitable than forecast.
Company co-financing	The beneficiary must make a significant own or private sector contribution to the financing of the project. The size of own contribution is assessed based on project risk, funding gap, company size, and capital raising capability. For SMEs, the required own contribution may be proportionally smaller than for larger companies. The applicant must prove sufficient financial capacity to implement the project and cover costs not funded by the support.
Cross-border cooperation	The overall IPCEI must generally involve at least four EU member states. Direct partners must establish substantial cooperation links with other direct partners of the same IPCEI from other member states. Cooperation may include joint development, technology integration, joint testing, shared testing infrastructure, input or output linkage, and industrial validation. A mere typical client, supplier, or subcontractor relationship may not constitute sufficient cross-border cooperation.
Integrated European value chain	The project must complement other participants’ projects and fit within the bio-technology IPCEI’s common European value chain. The applicant must describe their role in the value chain, used inputs, technology, outputs, subsequent users, and links to other projects. The connectivity between projects must have a greater impact than the sum of separate projects. The three biotechnology IPCEI candidates may be merged later if justified by links between projects and value chains.
Positive spillover effects	The project must create benefits beyond the beneficiary, its group, direct clients, market, sector, and Estonia. The applicant must commit to concrete and measurable obligations for dissemination of knowledge, skills, and project results. Spillover effects can include scientific publications, conferences, open trainings, collaboration with universities, SME involvement, development of industry standards, and access to test or demonstration infrastructure. In case of results protected by intellectual property, license offerings on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms may be required. Open and non-discriminatory access may be required to infrastructure or capabilities created with state aid.
Contribution to EU objectives	The project must help create new bioproduction capacity in Europe and reduce strategic dependence on manufacturing sites, raw materials, or supply chains outside the EU. The project must support European technological sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, resilience, climate neutrality, circular economy, or more efficient use of bioresources. Where applicable, the cascading use principle for biomass and bioresources applies, giving preference to higher value-added material and chemical applications over energy use.
Participant category	A direct partner may apply for state aid under the IPCEI instrument, undergo the European Commission’s pre-notification and notification processes, and must prepare a project portfolio and funding gap analysis. An associated partner participates in the IPCEI ecosystem and may receive funding under the block exemption regulation, but their project does not undergo IPCEI state aid notification procedure. An indirect partner participates in cooperation, value chain, or result implementation, but does not receive funding via IPCEI or the block exemption regulation through this call for interest.
Compliance with state aid requirements	There must be no pending recovery orders of state aid issued by a prior European Commission decision against the applicant. As a rule, support is not granted to an undertaking in difficulty as defined by state aid rules. The project must comply with EU environmental, climate, competition, and state aid requirements and avoid significant harm to EU environmental objectives.
Documentation	https://eis.ee/teenused/ipcei-biotehnoloogia-projektide-huvikorje/

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Ordinary business operations or generic extension of existing production.

Standard capacity increase without a significant research and innovation component.

Routine replacement of existing equipment or regular modernization of a production unit.

Minor or incremental improvement of an existing product, material, or process.

Ordinary commercial deployment of mature and already industrially utilized technologies.

Mass production, ordinary commercial production, marketing, sales, and the general commercialization of already developed solutions.

A project limited only to early-stage research and lacking a credible path to first industrial deployment.

A project lacking a large-scale scaling problem or significant technological and financial risk.

A project whose benefit is limited only to the applicant, their corporate group, direct customers, or the Estonian market.

Projects lacking sufficient positive spillover effects, dissemination of knowledge, or access to capabilities created by the project.

A standalone project with no substantial connection to other IPCEI participants and the European value chain.

A project lacking realistic cross-border cooperation with direct partners from other member states.

Manufacturing of finished pharmaceuticals in the field of bio-based chemicals.

Production of branded consumer food products in the field of bio-based food and feed ingredients.

Primary agricultural production, cultivation, and standard animal husbandry.

Standalone production of biomass or other feedstock not linked to innovative biotechnological processing.

Projects causing significant harm to EU environmental or climate objectives.

Projects that would be implemented on the same scale, scope, and timeline without support and lack a demonstrated funding gap.

Aid exceeding the proven project funding gap or the amount of eligible costs.

Activities of indirect partners are not financially supported through this call for interest.

An undertaking subject to an unenforced state aid recovery order.

Generally, undertakings in difficulty as defined by state aid rules.

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements

EIS application form corresponding to the participant category.

Initial funding gap calculation conforming to the European Commission form for direct partners.

General company and group information, ownership structure, and description of the company’s or organization’s activities.

Confirmation that the applicant has research or production activities in Estonia.

Description of the selected biotechnology IPCEI candidate and project value chain stage.

Project objectives, work packages, schedule, budget, milestones, and measurable results.

Description of the technology, process, product, or ingredient to be developed or scaled up.

Description of utilized raw materials, inputs, technologies, outputs, and end-users.

Current technology readiness level and planned first industrial deployment stage.

Comparison with the global technology level and justification for the project's radical innovation.

Description of the project's technological, market, regulatory, and financial risks.

Explanation of the market failure, systemic problem, or strategic dependency the project addresses.

Justification why the project would not be realized on the same scale, scope, or timeline without public support.

Preliminary financing plan, requested support amount, and sources of the company’s own co-financing.

For direct partners, financial forecasts for the project's economic lifetime and a realistic counterfactual scenario without aid.

Planned cross-border cooperation relationships and necessary European partners for the project.

Description of the project’s complementarity with other possible IPCEI projects.

Concrete plan for positive spillover effects and knowledge dissemination.

Principles for intellectual property, licensing, and use of project results.

Project’s contribution to climate neutrality, circular economy, strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and European bioeconomy.

Information on any other received or planned public funding to avoid double financing of the same costs.

If selected, a complete European Commission project portfolio, updated funding gap analysis, and additional documents needed for integrated IPCEI preparation.