CBE JU is a €2 billion partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects under Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme. The mission of CBE JU is to advance a competitive bioeconomy for a sustainable Europe. To achieve this goal, the public-private partnership is funding projects developing innovative and sustainable bio-based solutions, with a focus on these strategic priorities: feedstock, processing, products, as well as cross-cutting aspects of communication and environmental sustainability. These priorities are set in the CBE JU’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for the 2022-2030 period. CBE JU is the legal and universal successor of BBI JU.
CBE JU funds three types of actions:
- Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) establish new knowledge or explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. These may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration, and validation on a small-scale prototype, in a laboratory or simulated environment.
- Innovation Actions (IAs) scale up activities from prototype to product validation and market replication. Flagships, an important and specific type of IAs, in particular deploy a first-of-its-kind innovation on the European market.
- Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), among other, structure stakeholder communities, support technological visions and outreach, as well as disseminate and exploit research results.
Call for proposals 2026
- Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2026
- Foreseen call launch: 23 April 2025
- Foreseen call deadline: 22 September 2025 17:00 CET
- Call budget: €170.7 million
Call topics
Innovation actions – flagship (IA-flagship)
- Boosting biorefinery competitiveness through biotech - €20 million
- SSbD bio-based alternatives for fertilising and/or crop protection products - €20 million
- SSbD bio-based solutions for home and/or personal care - €20 million
- Diversification of nutritional food ingredient sources for increased EU resilience and strategic autonomy - €20 million
Innovation actions (IA)
- Biotech routes for valorisation of residual biomass - €14 million
- Bio-based additives as alternatives to unlock and increase recyclability and/or biodegradability - €14 million
- Bio-based chemicals and/or materials from woody residues - €14 million
- High-performance, circular-by-design, bio-based thermosets - €14 million
- Films and coatings for circular packaging - €14 million
Research and innovation actions (RIA)
- Addressing separation and purification challenges in biorefineries - €6.5 million
- SSbD bio-based polymers from alternative sources - €6.5 million
- Develop breakthrough and sustainable bio-based (man-made and/or modified natural) textile fibres - €6.5 million
Coordination and support actions (CSA)
- Supporting industry in the switch to sustainable and circular bio-based products and processes - €1.2 million
The CBE JU 2026 call for project proposals will open for submission on 23 April 2026. Meanwhile, you can already prepare your proposal based on the call topic text published in the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2026.
