📋 Tender Overview
Grant agreement ID: 101340212
EC signature date
21 October 2026
Start date
1 February 2027
End date
31 January 2030
Objective
The transition to a circular bioeconomy is a core priority of the EU Green Deal, but turning agri-industrial waste into high-value products is still held back by fragmented safety protocols and scaling issues. Every year, millions of tons of agricultural residues in Europe end up in low-value streams because there is an evident gap in the integration of (bio)process design and high-resolution microbial monitoring approaches needed to ensure safety. The ORBIS project addresses this gap by creating a practical framework for safe valorization of waste, combining advanced omics technologies with Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design principles. Working with partners from Ghent, Porto, and Vienna, FoTNS is moving away from traditional end-product testing toward a proactive, safety-based waste valorization model. ORBIS develops an integrated system where high-resolution omics profiling identifies pathogens, toxicity and AMR markers in complex waste matrices, across the microbial bioconversion bioprocess development and implementation, as well as in new bio-based products. By embedding these tools directly into bioprocess development, ORBIS bridges the critical gap between lab-scale research and industrial reality. As a Widening action, the project is specifically designed to boost the RDI (research, development and innovation) capacities of FoTNS, establishing it as a regional hub in the circular bioeconomy field. Through targeted knowledge exchange, joint research, capacity strenghtening trainings and regulatory alignment, ORBIS tackles the structural gaps within the European Research Area, bridging the gap between the EU and Widening countries. With bioprocess solution and SSbD monitoring framework validated at TRL 4, ORBIS provides a clear, scalable and translatable blueprint for transforming different types of waste into safe, high-value solutions, positioning our consortium at the forefront of a resilient circular bioeconomy advancement within the One Health framework.
