There are calls for proposals that help to “improve a little” a process. And there are others -such as the Call for SMEs FTJ 2026 for aid to the circular economy in Asturias- that ask for something more ambitious: to demonstrate, with numbers and evidence, that your company is going to move towards a more circular model (less materials, less waste, more recovery, better product design). The good news is that, if the project is well thought out, funding is available: the call is non-refundable and competitive, with an initial budget of 2,000,000 EUR and the possibility of extension.
The call is promoted by the Department of Mobility, Environment and Emergency Management of the Principality of Asturias, with the aim of accelerating the circular economy through projects promoted by SMEs, eligible for co-financing under the Spanish Just Transition Fund Program 2021-2027.
It does not reward “being more sustainable”: it rewards being above the minimum and proving it.
The heart of the call is simple: projects are financed in Asturias that substantially contribute to the transition to the circular economy and that place the company above the minimum levels required by EU norms or minimum technical standards of the market.
Practical translation: the story matters less than the “before vs. after” comparison, with verifiable indicators. And this is where many SMEs discover that, even if the project is a good idea, it must be demonstrated with data and technical consistency to be bankable.
Who can apply and how much does it cover?
The call is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises. It is also possible to apply as a group (with joint project logic and aligned subprojects).
- Practical definition of SME (EU): less than 250 employees and turnover of less than EUR 50 million (or balance sheet of less than EUR 43 million).
- Aid intensity: 65% for small companies and 55% for medium-sized companies.
- Budget: EUR 2,000,000 and possibility of additional amount if available.
It means that, if your project fits and is well put together, the effort pays off: Europe and the Principality are paying for more than half of the technical leap.
The most surprising requirement: 30% of renewable electricity in the installation.
It is not enough for the project to be circular: the facility where it is implemented must cover at least 30% of its electricity consumption with renewable energy. It is allowed to comply with PPA contracts or with self-consumption.
In addition, this point is not only a “filter”: it can also contribute points above 30% if you can prove higher percentages.
Useful idea: if you already have (or can close) a PPA, or if self-consumption is viable, this requirement ceases to be an obstacle and becomes a lever.
The project may not start before requesting the aid
The call for proposals applies the incentive effect: expenses incurred after the application is submitted are considered eligible. It also contemplates certain preparatory work (permits, preliminary studies, etc.) within the conditions set forth in the text.
This is not bureaucracy: it is a rule of the game. It affects real decisions (orders, contracts, internal milestones). In terms of strategy, the ideal is to arrive at the request with a defined technical solution, indicators in place and supporting documentation prepared to support the “before vs. after”.
What kind of projects fit (and how to land them in a real case)
The call for proposals includes very operational project typologies. As an example:
- Resource efficiency: net reduction in material or water consumption per unit of product (includes water efficiency and EXCLUDES energy efficiency).
- Substitution of raw materials: change from primary to secondary raw materials (reused, recovered or recycled) and quantify percentage.
- Prevention and reduction of waste generated in the production process.
- Ecodesign: to facilitate the recovery, reuse or valorization of product materials, including recycling.
- Reuse, decontamination and recycling of own or third party waste; and separate collection and sorting for preparation for reuse or recycling.
The interesting thing is that the text itself pushes you to justify the project with verifiable technical indicators (e.g., material or water savings, percentage of virgin raw material substitution, improvements in product recoverability, etc.).
Technical note: When the project involves changes in materials, water consumption or waste, it helps a lot to quantify the impact with comparable before/after metrics. Tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or water footprinting often provide consistency to the technical argumentation.
Competitive competition: the winner is the one who demonstrates the best, not the one who promises the best.
Selection is by score and applications are ranked in order until the budget is exhausted. The text contemplates a minimum score threshold for the project to be eligible for financing.
The criteria (simplifying) combine environmental and circular impact, employment, quality of implementation, feasibility and coherence of the project. In addition, there are priority subsectors (CNAE) that add points.
Useful reading for your business: if your project “is circular” but is not well measured, it competes worse. If it is measured and demonstrates a real leap (and, moreover, fits with sectoral and energy priorities), it competes better.
Eligible costs: the logic of additional investment and the “contrasting hypothesis”.
In this call for proposals, eligible expenses must be clearly linked to the project, be necessary for its execution, fit into the categories foreseen, be effectively paid before the end of the justification period and not exceed the market value.
The key is that the eligible costs are the additional investment costs, calculated by comparing the project investment with a counterfactual scenario (a less environmentally friendly alternative).
Such a hypothesis may be based, for example, on:
- A comparable investment that does not achieve the same level of resource efficiency.
- A waste treatment option that is lower in the waste hierarchy or less efficient
- A conventional investment with primary raw material when the secondary product is technically and economically substitutable.
In certain cases, if there is no less environmentally friendly equivalent investment or if it can be demonstrated that without aid no investment would be made, the eligible costs may be the total of the investment .
Technical note: As the call requires justifying improvements through verifiable technical indicators, it is worthwhile to prepare rigorously what changes in materials/water/waste and how it will be measured (baseline and improvement scenario), because this feeds both the impact justification and the comparison with the counterfactual scenario.
Dates and deadlines: what your internal calendar dictates
Application deadline: the text sets two months from the day following the publication of the extract in the official gazette. As an operational reference, the closing date communicated for this call is 12/03/2026.
Execution period: 15 months from the final concession resolution, with the possibility of extension in justified cases.
Where we enter from TAXUS MEDIO AMBIENTE
In this type of calls for proposals, the advantage does not usually lie in “having an idea”, but in demonstrating it: measuring savings, justifying comparatives, grounding eco-design, organizing evidence and building a solid technical report.
In projects such as these, TAXUS MEDIO AMBIENTE can support especially in:
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the process or product.
- Water footprint calculation and water efficiency approach.
- Application of eco-design principles for the choice of materials or raw materials.
- Waste minimization studies and alternatives (recovery, reduction at source, recycling, reuse, etc.).
If your SME has shrinkage, waste, relevant water or material consumption, or a clear opportunity to replace raw materials with secondary materials, this call can be a lever to finance the most difficult part of the circular transition: investment and technical testing.
The question is simple: can we demonstrate (with data) that our process or product is going to be more circular within the lead time?
