The CPNL 2026 Open Call from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, implemented by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), was published in the Government Gazette on April 3, 2026. The Open Call is intended for partnerships working on innovation and upscaling in the recycling and circularity of plastics, including textiles and rubber. A total of €40 million is available for this call. Applications may be submitted from April 21, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. through October 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. via www.rvo.nl/subsidies-financiering/cpnl.

Two types of projects, 8 topics

The program distinguishes between two types of projects.

Research projects focus on the research and development of processes, methodologies, and techniques. This includes, for example, improving the design of materials and products, enhancing the characterization, sorting, and washing of waste streams, and optimizing the conversion of plastic waste into new raw materials.

1. Development of a new design methodology for packaging to make it easier to recycle after use.

2. Recovery of plastic from waste streams that are currently incinerated. This does not include packaging materials.

Showcases are designed to identify and eliminate bottlenecks in the value chain of a material flow within a specific (product) chain.

3. Technology that enables the transition from manual to automated, high-quality sorting of textile waste.

4. Pre-processing of mixed plastic waste to make it suitable for chemical or mechanical recycling.

5. New or improved techniques for the mechanical recycling of plastic waste.

6. Dissolution: a technique that selectively dissolves plastics.

7. Depolymerization; a process that breaks down polymers into their constituent building blocks (monomers) for plastics.

8. Devulcanization or decrosslinking; techniques used to recycle rubber or thermosetting resins.