Who funds recycling research?

We count 326 funded recycling projects, active between 2020 and 2037, from 7 funders. The most came from EU · MSCA (67 projects), EU · Digital, Industry and Space (52 projects) and EU · Climate, Energy and Mobility (42 projects). The median award is $2.7M, across the 317 of 326 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

326

Funders

7

Median award

$2.7M

Open calls now

6

Top funders of recycling research

Projects whose title or summary mentions recycling. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open recycling funding calls

6 open calls mention recycling today.

• Advancing solutions for critical mineral production and recycling
  UK Research and Innovation (cross-council)Up to £305,000Deadline: January 7, 2027 ·
• Improvement of Adaptability, Flexibility and Efficiency of Existing Recycling Processes (BATT4EU Partnership)
  European Commission · Horizon EuropeUp to €9,400,000Deadline: March 31, 2027 ·
• Developing novel recycling technologies for complex plastic materials applying biotech solutions
  European Commission · Horizon EuropeUp to €5,000,000Deadline: September 22, 2027 ·
• Innovative circular solutions for end-of-life footwear through collection, sorting and recycling
  European Commission · Horizon Europe€4,000,000 – €5,000,000Deadline: September 22, 2027 ·
• Increasing the circularity of bio-based sector: upcycling and recycling for higher value and environmental benefits
  European Commission · Horizon EuropeUp to €6,000,000Deadline: September 22, 2027 ·
• Solid Waste Management Grant Program
  Rural Utilities ServiceUp to $1,000,000Deadline: December 31, 2026 ·

Funded recycling projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• The Birth of the Autophagosome
  Wellcome · £2,749,701 · ends 2033
• Endosomal retrieval sub-domain organisation, dynamics and function in human health and disease
  Wellcome · £3,740,000 · ends 2032
• CAREER: Sustainable Textile Industry Through Circular Handling (STITCH)
  NSF · ENG · $595,015 · ends 2031
• Career: Photopolymerization of cyclic disulfides
  NSF · MPS · $720,000 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Marine Fungi and Carbon Processing in the Ocean
  NSF · GEO · $952,731 · ends 2031
• Collaborative Research: An Integrative Approach To Examine Freshwater Mussel Physiological Responses to Multiple Stressors
  NSF · BIO · $658,292 · ends 2030
• Collaborative Research: Deciphering the evolutionary plasticity of recycling complexes in plants
  NSF · BIO · $573,764 · ends 2030
• Programmable interfaces: towards reliable and recyclable composite materials via debonding on demand
  EU · ERC · €1,499,973 · ends 2030
• Healthy soil is the foundation of productive farms, clean water, and resilient rural economies, but today's soil health scorecards…
  USDA · $737,740 · ends 2030
• Air-laid nonwovens based on natural fibers like cotton are potential replacements for synthetic polymer-based plastic applications
  USDA · $294,000 · ends 2029

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “recycling”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.