ROTTERDAM, 17 March 2026 – Rotterdam will reopen its circular innovation subsidy scheme for SMEs on 1 April 2026, giving local businesses another chance to secure support for pilot projects and feasibility studies. The city has set aside €700,000 for this second round, with individual grants of up to €100,000 for Rotterdam-based companies working on circular innovation with room to scale.
The scheme is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses developing ways to use raw materials more intelligently, reuse materials for longer, or replace primary raw materials altogether. In practice, that means Rotterdam is looking for projects that can help cut waste while also strengthening the city’s future economy. The application window runs from 1 April to 29 May 2026.
Second round opens in April
This is the second time Rotterdam has opened the subsidy scheme. According to the municipality, the available budget of €700,000 is expected to support around 7 to 10 entrepreneurs, depending on the size of the applications. The subsidy is open to a broad range of SMEs, from younger start-ups with a new concept to established firms trying to make their operations more circular.
Projects must do more than sound sustainable on paper. To qualify, they need to contribute to reducing the use of primary raw materials and offer clear value for Rotterdam’s economy, whether now or in the future. More information is available at https://www.ondernemen010.nl/circulaire-innovatie.
Rotterdam wants circular ideas to scale
Alderman Robert Simons, whose portfolio includes port and economy, said: “After the success of the first round last year, we are reopening this scheme. We saw how many innovative ideas Rotterdam entrepreneurs have for using raw materials more intelligently. With this scheme, we help them turn their sustainable innovations into reality more quickly, while also strengthening the economy and employment in our city.”
That local economic angle is central to the scheme. Rotterdam is not just backing sustainability in the abstract. It is clearly targeting businesses that could grow beyond the pilot phase and help build new forms of industry, employment and knowledge in the city.
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What happened in the first round
The previous funding round awarded €480,000 across six projects, with selected proposals focusing on material reuse and biobased applications. Among the examples highlighted by the municipality is Blue Circle Olefins, which is developing a factory in the Port of Rotterdam to convert green methanol into olefins, chemical building blocks used in more sustainable plastics and fuels.
Another example is Re:First, which processes glass fibre reinforced composites, including material from decommissioned wind turbine blades, into circular building materials for bridges and embankments. The idea there is to create a new value chain for a waste stream that is otherwise difficult to process.
Why this matters in Rotterdam
For Rotterdam, this is part of a wider push to make the local economy cleaner, more innovative and less dependent on virgin materials. The city has been presenting circular business development as both an environmental and economic priority, and this subsidy gives smaller companies a more practical route into that transition.
For local entrepreneurs, the timing matters too. If you are building something that still needs testing or a solid feasibility phase before it can grow, this is one of the clearer public funding opportunities currently on the table in Rotterdam.
