Horizon Europe spotlight: GRIN and circular packaging

At Pando, we work with companies that want to scale sustainable solutions in Europe. The most common question we get is simple: is it really worth the effort to apply for EU funding?

The short answer: Yes. If you align the funding with your core strategy, and if you’re prepared for the workload.

The long answer is best told through real examples. One of the clearest is GRIN, a Norwegian startup building smarter return and recycling systems. Their Horizon Europe journey shows how EU funding can move a company from concept to commercial product, and into markets and partnerships that would otherwise be out of reach.

Meet GRIN

GRIN tackles one of Europe’s biggest waste challenges: how to make it easy to return and recycle packaging.

In 2024 they reached close to €1M in revenues, with about one-third coming from EU funding. Their Horizon Europe consortium, which secured ~€10M in total, has been pivotal in taking them from early sketches to market pilots.

Why Horizon Europe worked for them

GRIN’s initial motivation was to find product-market fit for smart return systems. Early experiments, like deposit bags, proved too ambitious for a young startup.

The breakthrough came when Novo Nordisk invited GRIN to an open innovation challenge. With 80% of single-use insulin pens ending up incinerated or landfilled, the pharmaceutical giant was seeking scalable, cost-efficient return systems. GRIN presented their concept – though they didn’t get to pilot it with Novo Nordisk, the idea caught the eye of Johnson & Johnson.

“They had already built a consortium for an EU application but lacked a partner working on smart return systems. Our concept was exactly what they were looking for. At that moment, we just knew: we had to jump in,”  - Daniel Millet, Chief Business Development Officer at GRIN

Although the first application was rejected, the consortium reapplied under a more circularity-focused call. And won. GRIN became the only startup among 15 partners, with Johnson & Johnson as coordinator.

What they gained

GRIN’s Horizon Europe project has been a key driver of growth:

• Product development: The funding gave them the runway to move from concept sketches to a commercial product. Without EU backing, the leap from prototype to market-ready would have taken much longer.

  
  

• Visibility: Horizon Europe requires results to be showcased. For GRIN, this turned into speaking slots at industry fairs, invitations to research conferences, and references they could never have bought with a marketing budget.
  

• Market validation: Pilots in Belgium, Spain, and Slovenia have created real-world use cases that open doors across Europe. Prospects can see working systems in action which is a stronger sales argument than any slide deck.
  

• Credibility through association: Being part of a consortium with Johnson & Johnson and EU-funded research bodies positioned GRIN as a serious player, even as a small startup. Collaboration with “Grønt Punkt Norge” equivalents (producer responsibility organisations / PRO’s) abroad reinforced that standing.

  
  

• Deal flow: Successful delivery led to two unsolicited invitations into new EU projects. EU participation compounds. Once you’re in and deliver, more opportunities follow.

Lessons for Nordic companies considering EU funding

Daniel Millet, Chief Business Development Officer at GRIN, has been closely involved in their Horizon Europe journey. Based on that experience, he shares five clear lessons for other companies considering EU funding:

• Be realistic. Reporting, audits, and coordination take serious time. GRIN hired a project manager just for EU delivery.

  
  

• Anchor your strategy in Europe. If your business is about circularity, the EU is the stage. Resource independence is a strategic priority in Brussels and that creates momentum and money for companies who can deliver solutions.

  
  

• Make yourself discoverable. GRIN’s break came when Johnson & Johnson noticed them at an open innovation challenge. If you’re not in the room, you won’t get the invite.

  
  

• Build trust early. Horizon Europe is as much about who knows your work as the application itself. Build trust with industry and research partners long before the call.

  
  

• Choose your role wisely. A full partner seat gives you influence but also exposes you to heavier reporting. Affiliate roles are easier but limit your leverage. Decide based on bandwidth.

Why this matters

GRIN’s story underlines that EU funding is not just about the cash. It’s about visibility, validation, and positioning in European markets.

For Norwegian and Nordic startups, the real breakthrough happens when funding is aligned with your growth strategy, and when you’re ready to invest resources in delivery.

At Pando, we believe many more Nordic companies could take this path. Not as a side project, but as a real growth accelerator.