How to apply for funding

CBE JU operates under the Horizon Europe rules for participation, set out in Regulation (EU) No 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021.

We apply the principles of openness, transparency and excellence. The best proposals – evaluated by independent experts – will receive the funding within the budget limits of the call.

The CBE JU Annual Work Programme the general conditions applicable to each call, including the evaluation and award procedures and other criteria.

If a topic deviates from the Horizon Europe general conditions or includes additional conditions, this is explicitly stated under the specific conditions for the topic.

All stakeholders of the bio-based industries ecosystem – farmers, consumer brands, companies, research organisations and local authorities, to name just a few - are invited to apply for CBE JU funding. CBE JU calls for project proposals are open to any legal entity, be it private or public, for-profit or not-for-profit organisation, including:

• Large companies
• Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs)
• Research and technology organisations (RTOs)
• Universities
• Associations

These are the main steps leading to a successful application for the call:

1. Select the call topic and the type of action for your application. Follow the requirements detailed in the topic text to draft your proposal.
2. Find project partners for your proposal and build a consortium. You can do it on the CBE JU networking platform.
3. Create an EU login account on the Funding & tender opportunities portal. You can use your existing account. You will submit the proposal using this account.
4. Check if all organisations of your consortium have a 9-digit Participant Identification Code (PIC). If not, register them on the Funding & tender opportunities portal. All organisations applying for funding must have a PIC.
5. Draft your project proposal in the submission service section of your topic page. This link becomes available when the call opens. Fill in all the required information and submit the proposal before the call deadline.

Do you need help? Follow the call guidelines published on the call page and use the support available on the Funding & tender opportunities portal.

The Funding and tender opportunities portal – SEDIA is the single-entry point for all interactions with the EU research and innovation programmes. All information on the CBE JU calls is published on the portal, and it is also the unique gateway to submitting your project proposal.  

Visit the portal for:

• Call description
• Topics and submission service
• Call documents
• FAQs and support

Are you looking for consortium partners, an opportunity to pitch your project idea, offer your services or establish long-lasting collaborations that could receive CBE JU funding?

Register free of charge on the CBE JU networking platform and start networking online! Here are some of the platform’s services:

• Partner search
• Expressing interest in a topic
• Offer of services
• Presentation of project ideas
• Direct messaging
• Scheduling b2b meetings
• Registration for the CBE JU info days

CBE JU organises the fair and transparent evaluation of project proposals submitted for the call with the help of independent experts. Independent external observers monitor the evaluation process.

Proposals are evaluated on these criteria:

• Scientific excellence
• Expected socio-economic and environmental impacts
• Quality and efficiency of the implementation

In addition to the specific requirements set at topic level, proposals must address additional requirements that are standard for the respective action(s). These additional requirements are described in the CBE JU Annual Work Programme.

Once you have submitted your proposal, it is evaluated by independent experts. CBE JU Programme Office then selects for funding the proposals with the highest scores, within the call budget. The selected proposal consortia are invited to prepare the grant agreement. If the preparation process is successful, grant agreement signature and launch of the project follow.