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About
Background
Across Europe, large quantities of agricultural biomass, such as grass, greenhouse residues, cotton by-products, and olive tree prunings, remain underutilised. These overlooked resources represent a major opportunity to reduce waste, promote local economies, and support the shift towards a circular bioeconomy.
PRIMARY (New business for farmers and cooperatives in rural areas by local upcycling solutions using underutilised agricultural feedstocks) aims to unlock this potential. By working closely with farmers, cooperatives, SMEs, and local actors, PRIMARY will pilot innovative technologies and develop sustainable, region-specific business models for converting agricultural residues into valuable products such as food, feed, bio-based materials, bioenergy, and fertilisers.
With a focus on two regions, Finland and Greece, the project demonstrates how local circular value chains can be developed where such initiatives are currently scarce.
Project aims and objectives
- Demonstrate six innovative upcycling processes to transform agricultural residues into high-value outputs.
- Develop scalable, replicable business models for rural areas.
- Foster partnerships between farmers, cooperatives, researchers, and SMEs.
- Support cascading use of biomass to ensure optimal value extraction.
- Promote sustainability through life cycle assessments and socio-economic evaluations.
- Deliver tailored guidance for farmers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.
- Launch an open innovation call to engage additional regions and stakeholders.
- Disseminate results widely via a stakeholder platform and other outreach channels.
Expected impact and outcomes
- Increased resource efficiency by upcycling currently unused agricultural biomass.
- New local business opportunities for farmers, cooperatives, and rural SMEs.
- Sustainable value chains that contribute to the EU’s circular bioeconomy goals.
- Improved rural resilience, especially in areas lacking bio-based industry pilots.
- Enhanced policy support through evidence-based recommendations for regional and EU-level decision-making.
- Broad knowledge sharing through open calls, stakeholder engagement, and public dissemination of results.
Project duration and funding
Duration: 1 May 2025 – 30 April 2029 (48 months)
Funded under: Horizon Europe, Call: HORIZON-CL6-2024-CIRCBIO-02
Funding body: European Research Executive Agency (REA)
EU funding (grant): €4,996,935.50
Phase 1
Preparation and Planning
Months 1–6Preparation and Planning
Stakeholder engagement, feedstock mapping, pilot site setup, and technical planning.
Phase 2
Pilot Implementation and Demonstration
Months 7–30Pilot Implementation and Demonstration
Operation of six upcycling processes in two European regions; process optimisation; data collection.
Phase 3
Evaluation and Business Modelling
Months 18–42Evaluation and Business Modelling
Life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic and socio-economic evaluations, development of business models.
Phase 4
Replication and Policy Support
Months 24–48Replication and Policy Support
Open innovation call, replication planning, guidance for farmers and SMEs, and policy input.
Phase 5
Communication and Exploitation
Throughout projects lifecycleCommunication and Exploitation
Dissemination, stakeholder platform, final event, and long-term impact strategy.
Work packages
The PRIMARY project is built around six collaborative work packages (WPs). Each WP tackles a key part of the project, ranging from feedstock sourcing and processing to sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and communication.
WP1
Harvesting, logistics and stabilisation solutions for the agricultural feedstocks
Led by: LUKEThis work package focuses on developing practical solutions for harvesting, transporting, and preserving various types of underutilised agricultural biomass. Activities include field trials, modelling, and stakeholder engagement to ensure availability and quality of feedstocks. The aim is to secure a stable and scalable biomass supply chain for further processing.
WP2
Cascaded processing and conversion of the underutilised agricultural feedstocks to added value products
Led by: VTTThis WP pilots six innovative processing pathways to convert grass, greenhouse residues, cotton by-products, and olive prunings into high-value products. These include food and feed ingredients, biobased materials, bioenergy, and fertilisers. Processes are tailored to regional conditions and demonstrate cascading use of biomass to maximise value.
WP3
Business model development, sustainability assessment and regulatory review
Led by: CERTHThis package evaluates the environmental, economic, and social performance of the project’s innovations. It develops viable business models for rural actors and assesses regulatory frameworks relevant to the project’s technologies and products. The results support sustainable, scalable uptake of PRIMARY solutions across Europe.
WP4
Open innovation
Led by: RFFWP4 opens the project’s scope to new regions and stakeholders through a competitive Open Call mechanism. Selected third parties pilot and adapt PRIMARY concepts in new settings. The goal is to demonstrate replicability and build a broader innovation ecosystem for agricultural biomass valorisation.
WP5
Communication, dissemination, exploitation and stakeholder platform
Led by: CIVITTAThis WP ensures wide visibility and uptake of the project’s results. It coordinates dissemination activities, develops policy briefs and practice abstracts, and manages the Stakeholder Platform. It also supports the long-term exploitation of outcomes by farmers, SMEs, and policymakers.
WP6
Coordination and management
Led by: VTTThis package ensures effective overall coordination of the project. It oversees internal communication, progress monitoring, reporting, and risk management. It also supports data governance, quality assurance, and compliance with Horizon Europe requirements.
