These calls are grounded in TRACE’s 2025 Roadmap and Impact Framework Version One, and aim to develop circular solutions that are:
- Resilient to geopolitical and market volatility
- Scalable across value chains and borders
- Aligned with the EU’s competitiveness and circularity strategies
Applicants must align with TRACE’s North Star Vision and mission:
Our North Star is a regenerative circular society by 2050 — where resources circulate in closed loops, waste is eliminated, and natural systems are restored. This transformation supports Denmark’s targets of 70% greenhouse gas reduction by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050, and requires deep collaboration, systemic innovation, and a fundamental redesign of production and consumption systems.
TRACE’s mission is to accelerate this transition by building scalable circular systems, connecting actors across value chains, and generating actionable knowledge that enables systemic change — from pilots to policy, and from insight to infrastructure.
The calls are open to cross-sector consortia led by a Danish CVR entity — including research institutions, companies, municipalities, and NGOs. You can explore all open calls above.
Director Anette Juhl and Chairperson Mikkel Stenbæk Hansen introduce TRACE’s mission and partnership approach
From Linear Fragility to Circular Strength
Today’s linear economy is wasteful and vulnerable. Denmark — like most of Europe — discards valuable resources far too early while remaining heavily dependent on imports. This creates systemic fragility across both public and private value chains.
- Plastics: 40 % of all plastics used in the EU goes into packaging, which is typically single-use. It is estimated, that 95% of the value of the plastic packaging material is lost after its initial use.
- Source: European Commission: environment.ec.europa.eu; The jounrnal: Sciencedirect.
- Textiles: In 2022 the average EU resident bought 19 kg of clothing, footwear and household textiles and generated about 16 kg of textile waste. Because only 15 % was separately collected, 85 % of household textile waste ended up in mixed municipal waste, where it cannot be reused or recycled.Source: European Commission
- Europe overall: Just 11.8 % of the materials Europe uses come from recycled (“secondary”) sources, underscoring the need to accelerate the circular-economy transition. Source: European Enviroment Agency.
- Global picture: Worldwide material extraction has more than tripled in the past fifty years, and the share of secondary materials in the global economy has slipped from 7.2 % to 6.9 %, according to the latest Circularity Gap analysis. global.circularity-gap.world
To stay competitive in a resource-constrained future, Europe must close this circularity gap.
That’s why the EU now positions CE as a strategic pillar for industrial transformation. The upcoming Circular Economy Act (2026) and the Competitiveness Compass (2025) both highlight the need to reduce resource dependencies, scale remanufacturing and recycling, and build economic resilience.
TRACE calls are designed to contribute to this agenda — helping Denmark and Europe move from pilots to policy, and from insights to infrastructure.
That’s why TRACE is investing in proof-of-concept systems and strategic partnerships — to close the circularity gap and future-proof Denmark’s value chains. These calls are your opportunity to be part of that mission.
TRACE Project Organization
In pool 4&5 TRACE is consolidating it’s project portfolio into 3 Work Stream Focus Areas (WSFA), each targeting a value chain with high potential. Work Stream Focus Areas allow TRACE to build Scalable Proof-of-concept Systems that Leverage Denmark’s Position of Strength and drive broader change.
For more details on the project organization and workpackage:
Join TRACE’s Co-creation Workshop
August 27, 2025, at Spinderihallerne, Vejle
TRACE invites researchers, companies, NGOs, municipalities, and other stakeholders to a full-day co-creation workshop. The session will help potential applicants:
- Understand TRACE’s project architecture and impact framework
- Explore consortium opportunities
- Align project ideas with tipping points and learning goals.
Documents and Guidance
To help applicants understand TRACE’s logic and requirements, we recommend reviewing the following documents:
Disclaimer
The details of this call text—including titles, scope, and eligibility criteria—are provisional and subject to final confirmation upon signing the Investment Agreement (IA) with Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD). TRACE may modify or withdraw the call text if the final IA requires adjustments or if any new requirements arise from IFD. Any significant changes to the scope or wording of these calls will be communicated as soon as possible. It is expected that the agreement between TRACE and IFD will be signed after the summer break.