Europe strengthens its commitment to the bioeconomy with the 2025 CBE JU call

The new call for proposals under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), which funds R&D&I projects in the circular bioeconomy, is now open until 18 September and has a total budget of €172 million. As announced by CBE JU this month, this edition also introduces a Seal of Excellence for outstanding proposals.

The funding targets initiatives that promote the use of renewable biomass as a substitute for fossil-based resources, within a circular economic model. The budget will be allocated across various action types: research and innovation projects (RIA), with €3.5 million allocated to each of them; innovation projects (IA, €7 million per project); and flagship projects (IA-flagship), considered of relevance, with €20 million each. The call also includes a support line for coordination and dissemination of results (CSA), with a budget of €1 million.

“CBE is reaffirming its commitment to supporting companies in scaling up technologies that could position them as leading biorefineries in Europe,” says Damián Muruzábal, Head of the Food and Bioeconomy Knowledge Area at Zabala Innovation. “This new call aims to continue advancing towards making the bioeconomy a fundamental pillar of Europe’s resource competitiveness and independence. Moreover, it seeks to turn it into a key lever for achieving a climate-neutral continent, addressing sustainability and circularity from production to consumption.”, he adds.

A notable feature of this edition is the introduction of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) label—a mark of excellence awarded to proposals that pass the quality thresholds in the evaluation process, even if they do not receive direct funding. This recognition aims to facilitate access to complementary funding, both public and private, and to highlight projects with strong transformative potential.

A call for innovation

The 13 topics included in the call have been updated in response to feedback received by CBE JU from the research and industrial ecosystem in previous rounds. The 2025 call covers areas such as the valorisation of urban and industrial biowaste, biomass conversion into advanced chemicals, the development of circular packaging, the production of alternative proteins, and the cultivation of macroalgae for new industrial uses. It will also support safe and sustainable design solutions to replace hazardous chemicals in sectors such as textiles.

According to Muruzábal, “The approach is clearly focused on solving real-world challenges by combining scientific knowledge with practical application in key sectors. This edition strongly supports knowledge transfer and business scale-up, aiming to bring the impact of investment closer to the European economy and society, and to open the door to emerging technologies at lower technological readiness level.”

The flagship actions, due to their scale and expected impact, are the focal point of the call. These initiatives must demonstrate the commercial viability of new bioeconomy solutions, from pilot plants to full industrial deployment. They are expected to act as demonstrators, inspiring replication across the EU. Notable topics include urban-industrial symbiosis for the treatment of biowaste, the production of packaging materials from fibres with advanced properties, and the transformation of industrial facilities to produce higher value-added products.

In the research section, funding will be provided for proposals exploring new models for the valorisation of underutilised forest biomass, biodegradable techniques for delivering fertilisers while avoiding microplastics, or biofabrication routes for rubber. Coordination actions, meanwhile, aim to strengthen technical training and knowledge exchange to consolidate an effective and inclusive bio-based economy.

“The competitiveness of the sector depends on training specialised technical profiles and sharing best practices between regions,” Muruzábal emphasises. “In this regard, the CBE JU call lays the groundwork for a technological transition that leaves no one behind and delivers tangible impact for European businesses and citizens,” he adds.

A strategic initiative

CBE JU is a public-private partnership that channels investment into research and innovation to boost the European bioeconomy. It is co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme and the Bio-based Industries Consortium. The initiative aims to promote a more sustainable production and consumption model by replacing fossil-based raw materials with responsibly sourced renewable resources.

This initiative aligns with the European Commission’s strategy to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent and is in line with the Clean Industrial Deal, launched at the end of February. Its mandate runs from 2021 to 2031, with an overall budget of €2 billion. Funded projects must deliver both economic and environmental benefits, strengthen the competitiveness of European industry, and contribute to territorial cohesion.

CBE JU also seeks to improve resource efficiency, drive technological innovation in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, chemicals, and food, and create new job and development opportunities in rural and coastal areas. The engagement of all actors across the ecosystem—from research centres to SMEs and large companies—is a guiding principle of the call.

Proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria set out in the Horizon Europe programme, assessing scientific excellence, expected impact, and the quality of project implementation. The results of the call are expected to be announced in early 2026.