SOPV 2026: Up to €25,000 for production testing with circular plastics

Would you like to incorporate more post-consumer recycled material or bio-based polymers into your products, but need to first test what is technically feasible? Starting October 6, 2026, plastic processors and compounders will be able to apply for the 2026 Plastic Processor Transition Grant. The grant is funded through the Circular Plastics NL budget.

The program reimburses 75% of the eligible costs for one or more production tests, up to a maximum of €25,000 per application. A total of €2.2 million is available for this application round. This will enable support for at least 88 companies.

Who is the grant intended for?

The SOPV is intended for:

• processors that convert polymers or compounds into plastic components or finished products;
• compounders who add additives or fillers to polymers to produce compounds with the desired properties.

The company must operate in the European part of the Netherlands and have a production facility there. The products must be marketed in the Netherlands or intended for export. The production tests are conducted at the applicant’s Dutch facility.

Which production tests are eligible?

The grant is intended for technical production tests in which a company incorporates more circular plastics into its own products or compounds. The goal should be to replace fossil-based plastics with post-consumer recyclate or bio-based polymers.

The proportion of circular plastic in the test must represent a significant increase compared to the proportion the company currently uses in the product in question. If recycled material is used, it must come from used plastic products.

An application may pertain to one or more production tests. No previous subsidy may have been received through the SOPV or the Circular Biopolyesters Testing Grant program for the same production test involving the same polymer type or the same product application.

What will change in 2026?

The regulation has been expanded in a number of areas:

• Production tests for compounding or processing elastomers and thermosets may now be eligible;
• Production testing for the manufacture of compounds for composite materials is permitted;
• The incorporation of compounds into composite materials may also be eligible for a grant;
• An applicant may receive a grant no more than once during this application round.

How much funding is available?

The grant covers 75% of the eligible costs. The company pays the remaining 25% itself. A maximum of €25,000 in grant funds can be received per application.

What expenses are eligible?

Eligible costs include:

• own hours at a fixed rate of €60 per hour;
• estimated costs for the use of existing equipment, when these can be identified separately in the records;
• materials and supplies used;
• third-party costs based on a quote.

Expenses related to marketing, sales activities, and training are not eligible for subsidies.

What do you need to submit the application?

Applications are submitted online at RVO. This requires eHerkenning Level 2+ with the appropriate authorization.

Be sure to prepare at least the following items:

• a brief description of the project and the production tests;
• a detailed budget;
• a schedule;
• information about the location of the production tests;
• a de minimis declaration;
• quotes for work performed by third parties.

RVO will only review complete applications.

Application Period and Review

The application period opens on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. and closes on Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.

RVO processes applications in the order in which they are received. If there are more applications than the available budget can cover, a lottery will be held among the complete applications received on the day the budget is exhausted. This lottery will then determine the order in which the applications are processed.

View the full guidelines, terms and conditions, and application process on the website of RVO

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of the Program Line Managers at Circular Plastics NL.

No rights may be derived from this text. The official information and terms and conditions on the RVO website take precedence. For more information, always consult the current RVO page.