The European Commission has awarded €7 million to UNCOVER, a new Horizon Europe project aimed at bringing CO2 conversion technologies closer to industrial-scale deployment and market uptake.
Launched in September 2026, UNCOVER aims to accelerate the market readiness of CO2 utilisation technologies by demonstrating six CO2 conversion technologies (CCTs) and one secondary conversion technology across three industrial contexts: waste management, wood manufacturing and cement production.
Over the next four years, the project will validate ten CO2-derived products for potential applications in chemicals, fuels, plastics, wood products, construction and cement, while assessing their environmental performance, economic viability and market potential.
UNCOVER’s ambition extends beyond its four-year duration. By 2032, the project aims to support the deployment of three large-scale CCTs, with three to five CO2-based products beginning to replace fossil-based and resource-intensive feedstocks. Looking further ahead, the project estimates that 31 UNCOVER CCTs could be deployed by 2040, capturing around 0.1 Mt of CO2 and generating an estimated 150 new jobs and €180 million in profit for CCT developers.
By 2050, the wider deployment of UNCOVER technologies could contribute to capturing up to 250 Mt of CO2 across Europe, including 1.6 Mt captured through UNCOVER technologies.
The project brings together 19 partners from eight countries, including industrial companies, SMEs, universities and research and technology organisations. It is coordinated by the Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ITA), with the University of Valladolid responsible for technical coordination.
Pablo González, UNCOVER Project Coordinator at ITA, said: “UNCOVER is about proving that CO2 can be used as feedstock to produce biodegradable plastics, wood-panel resins, low-carbon fuels and cement-based materials, competing on cost, performance and sustainability with fossil-based alternatives. By demonstrating seven CCU routes at industrial scale across three real industrial emission sources, we are building the evidence base European industry needs to scale up CO2 utilisation and accelerate industrial decarbonisation.”