Open Call Analysis: GRAPPA Innovation Open Call

GRAPPA – Open Call for innovative projects enhancing the valorisation of agri-food biomass

Funding for SMEs to develop and commercialise innovative upcycled ingredients, products and technologies from agri-food biomass and side-streams, contributing to the circular economy and the green transition of the European agri-food sector.

About GRAPPA

GRAPPA – Green Resilient Approaches to anchor European food-producing and processing SMEs into global value chains through connecting place-based biomass system innovation actors is coordinated by Flanders’ FOOD (Belgium) and brings together six innovation clusters from Belgium, France, Greece and Spain.

Its ambition is to strengthen the economic resilience and sustainability-driven competitiveness of the European agri-food sector by supporting SMEs in developing and adopting innovative upcycled food ingredients, products, services, processes and advanced technologies –including digital solutions.

At the core of GRAPPA lies the valorisation of agri-food biomass and side-streams: organic waste and by-products from plants, algae or animals that remain largely untapped yet hold enormous potential for value creation. By transforming these residues into upcycled ingredients for food, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, biosolutions or animal nutrition, SMEs can diversify their revenue, reduce waste and improve their environmental footprint.

The Innovation Open Call targets innovative SMEs that develop solutions to increase the valorisation of agri-food biomass. Funded projects must focus on the development, adoption and commercialisation of innovative upcycled ingredients for food and non-food applications, products, business processes and technologies –including digital– that maximise the valorisation of agri-food biomass and side-streams. Projects must have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 6 at the start.

The call has a total budget of €2,020,000 distributed across a minimum of 35 innovation projects and is structured with one launch date and two cut-off dates:

1st Cut-off Date: 26 May 2026 at 17:00 CET (reserved budget: €1,380,000).
2nd Cut-off Date: 20 October 2026 at 17:00 CET (reserved budget: approximately €640,000).

Projects have a maximum duration of 1 year and can only begin after the subgrant agreement is signed. Laureates must also participate in a minimum of 2 supportive activities organised by the GRAPPA consortium, in addition to the mandatory summit pitch.

Why Apply to GRAPPA?

The GRAPPA Innovation Open Call offers direct financial support in the form of lump-sum grants:

Single SME projects: Up to €60,000 per project.
Collaborative projects (2–3 SMEs): Up to €90,000 per project.

Payment is disbursed in two equal instalments: 50% within 30 days of the subgrant agreement signature (pre-financing), and the remaining 50% within 30 days of the final report approval.

Applicants must cover at least 15% of the total project budget through private financial resources (debt or equity), with proof required at the contracting stage. Additionally, beyond the grant, GRAPPA offers a comprehensive support ecosystem.

Who Can Apply?

Applications can be submitted by a single SME or a consortium of up to three (3) SMEs. In collaborative projects, the consortium must include at least one SME in food processing or producing.

To be eligible, applicants must:

Be an SME as defined under EU criteria (verifiable via the EU SME Wizard tool).
Be registered in an EU Member State or a country associated to the Single Market Programme.
Have a project starting at TRL 6 or above.

The eligible SMEs must fall under one of the following 4 types:

SMEs in the agri-food production and/or processing sector.
SMEs in other sectors (e.g. cosmetics, nutraceuticals) that valorise biomass or side-streams from the agri-food sector.
SMEs in other sectors that valorise their own biomass or side-streams for applications in the agri-food sector.
SMEs offering solutions and/or technology for the valorisation of agri-food biomass (e.g. system integrators, ICT solutions, machinery, packaging).

How to Apply to GRAPPA

Applications must be submitted online via the GRAPPA webpage. The application consists of two mandatory documents compiled into a single PDF:

Applicant’s Proposal Form: Technical and financial description of the proposed project.
Declaration of Honour: Legal information confirming the applicant’s status and capacity to execute the project.

Both documents must be duly signed and stamped by the legal representative of the applying entity (or carry a verified electronic signature). Unsigned or unstamped submissions will not proceed to evaluation. All materials must be submitted in English and must not exceed the length limits specified in the predefined template. No technical annexes will be accepted.

Important dates

Launch of Open Call: 26 March 2026.
Questions deadline (Cut-off 1): 19 May 2026 at 17:00 CET.
1st Application Deadline: 26 May 2026 at 17:00 CET.
Questions deadline (Cut-off 2): 13 October 2026 at 17:00 CET.
2nd Application Deadline: 20 October 2026 at 17:00 CET.

Evaluation and Selection Process for GRAPPA

All eligible proposals are assessed by a panel of three independent expert evaluators against four award criteria. The scoring structure is the following:

In case of a tie, the project with the highest Impact score takes priority; if still tied, a second evaluation round with different evaluators is conducted. Proposals are ranked separately for each cut-off date.

Additional Support Beyond Funding

Besides funding, GRAPPA provides a great extension of additional support:

30 Innovation Acceleration Sessions and technical training activities.
Access to 6 Regional Agri-food Biomass Upcycling Networks across Europe.
Internationalisation support targeting North American and Asian markets.
Mandatory in-person pitch at the European Food Biomass and Bioeconomy Summit (June 2027), where laureates present their results to a European audience.

Final Thoughts on GRAPPA

The GRAPPA Innovation Open Call, with a total budget of over €2 million and a target of at least 35 funded projects, the call is notably broad in scope, reaching companies at very different positions in the value chain. The call is best suited for organisations with a validated solution already at TRL 6 or above, ready to move into testing, adaptation and commercialisation.

What genuinely sets GRAPPA apart is the support ecosystem beyond the grant: training sessions, regional networks, internationalisation support and the mandatory summit pitch are built-in mechanisms that push laureates beyond the project itself and towards real market traction.