Objective
Mycelia Tech develops a next-generation, mycelium-based leather alternative that is sustainable, affordable and scalable for the European furniture, fashion and automobile industries. Today, bio-based materials remain costly, inconsistent and difficult to scale beyond small pilot volumes, limiting industry adoption. Mycelia Tech addresses this gap by combining optimised fungal strains, low-cost agro-industrial by-products and an AI-assisted quality-control process to produce durable, high-performance sheets at a competitive cost.
The project aims to advance the technology from TRL 4 to TRL 6, validate industrial performance, and prepare the company for commercial scale-up and investment. Over 36 months, the project will: (1) optimise strains and substrate formulations; (2) build and validate a pilot production line capable of 50–300 m²/month; (3) conduct full mechanical, chemical and environmental testing; (4) perform market validation with manufacturers; (5) file a European patent and complete an investment-ready business plan; and (6) develop a scale-up roadmap aligned with EU sustainability priorities.
The work will be delivered through six work packages covering R&D, pilot-line development, material testing, customer pilots, IP and business validation, and project management. Expected outcomes include a reproducible, market-ready material meeting industrial KPIs; verified environmental advantages; early customer commitments; and a clear exploitation and scale-up pathway.
The project directly contributes to the work programme by strengthening Ukraine’s deep-tech ecosystem, accelerating a climate-positive materials innovation, and enabling new economic opportunities. It supports EU strategic autonomy by reducing dependency on carbon-intensive animal and synthetic leather supply chains and by positioning a Ukrainian SME for integration into European value chains.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.3.1.3 - Additional EIC activities
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2025-UKRAINIANTECH-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
76000 IVANO-FRANKIVSK
Ukraine
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.