FIB3R Call4Innovation: phase 2 gets underway

The Evaluation Committee for FIB3R Call4Innovation – the initiative promoted by Herambiente and Plug and Play to develop new industrial applications for regenerated carbon fibre produced at the FIB3R plant in Imola – has completed its assessment of the applications received and identified the projects that will proceed to the second phase of the programme: the phase dedicated to test and prototype development.

The organisations selected by the Evaluation Committee to proceed to phase 2 of the Call, which involves the development of the prototype or project, are: Addyx Srl, Be.Me Srl, Crossfire Srl, FSC TECH EU Srl, GS4PLASTIC SRL SB, Neotecmar Srl, Northern Light Srl (NLComp), REDcarbon Srl, RèVitrèa x Impulse Modena Racing, TR Compositi, University of Pisa – DICI.

The Call was launched with the aim of gathering innovative, scalable and high-tech ideas capable of making the most of carbon fibre recovered from industrial waste and transforming it into new solutions for a wide range of application sectors. The selected projects were identified by the Technical Evaluation Committee, comprising representatives from industry, academia and trade associations, based on the technical quality of the proposals, their degree of innovation, market potential and industrial scalability.

The testing phase has begun

During the prototyping phase, participants will be able to test and develop their solutions using regenerated carbon fibre and the materials provided by FIB3R. In particular, each selected project will have access to the following quantities of material: 10 kg of rCF patches, 10 kg of rCF chopped fibre and 10 m² of non-woven mat.

The Evaluation Committee will closely follow the progress of the tests, monitoring adherence to timetables, the responsible use of the allocated materials and consistency between the activities carried out and what was presented during the application phase. If necessary, the quantities of material provided may be increased to support the successful development of the projects.

Towards the final phase and the awards ceremony

Prototypes must be completed and submitted within October 23. At the end of the experimental phase, the Evaluation Committee will draw up the final ranking and award the prizes provided for by the initiative.

The awards comprise:

• a supply of FIB3R regenerated carbon fibre amounting to 1,000 kg for the first-place winner, 500 kg for the runner-up and 250 kg for the third-place winner, with a total value of approximately 50,000 euros;
• cash prizes of 10,000 euros for the winner, 5,000 euros for the runner-up and 2,500 euros for third place, with a total value of 17,500 euros;
• the opportunity to enter into a long-term commercial agreement with bespoke terms for the supply of regenerated carbon fibre.

Winners may choose between the supply of materials and the commercial agreement, or the cash prize and the commercial agreement.

See you at Ecomondo 2026

The names of the winning projects will be announced during an official ceremony to be held on November 3 as part of Ecomondo 2026, Italy’s leading event dedicated to the green and circular economy, scheduled to take place at the Rimini Expo Centre (3-6 November 2026). The event will mark the culmination of an initiative designed to accelerate the development of new industrial applications for regenerated carbon fibre and to foster the creation of concrete collaborations between innovators, businesses and the research community.

Thanks to Call4Innovation, Herambiente is continuing its efforts to promote the industrial application of FIB3R, the first European plant capable of regenerating carbon fibre on an industrial scale, thereby contributing to the creation of new circular supply chains and the development of innovative materials with a lower environmental impact.