The 2026 call for project proposals will open for submissions on 23 April 2026 and close on 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.
2026 call for project proposals
- Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2026
- Call launch: 23 April 2026
- Call deadline: 22 September 2026 at 17:00 CET
- Call budget: €170.7 million
CBE JU calls follow the rules and procedures of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme. Find more information about Horizon Europe’s funding opportunities.
Call topics
Innovation actions – flagship (IA-flagship)
- Boosting biorefinery competitiveness through biotech – €20M
- Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) bio-based alternatives for fertilising and/or crop protection products – €20M
- SSbD bio-based solutions for home and/or personal care – €20M
- Diversification of nutritional food ingredient sources for increased EU resilience and strategic autonomy – €20M
Innovation actions (IA)
- Biotech routes for valorisation of residual biomass – €14M
- Bio-based additives as alternatives to unlock and increase recyclability and/or biodegradability – €14M
- Bio-based chemicals and/or materials from woody residues – €14M
- High-performance, circular-by-design, bio-based thermosets – €14M
- Films and coatings for circular packaging – €14M
Research and innovation actions (RIA)
- Addressing separation and purification challenges in biorefineries – €6.5M
- SSbD bio-based polymers from alternative sources – €6.5M
- Breakthrough and sustainable bio-based textile fibres – €6.5M
Coordination and support actions (CSA)
- Supporting industry in the switch to sustainable and circular bio-based products and processes – €1.2M
Check the Annual Work Programme 2026 for the complete topic text, conditions and requirements. Please send your questions to info[at] cbe.europa.eu.
The topics for submission will be published on the EU’s Funding & tender opportunities portal.
The Horizon Online Manual provides more information about the different application steps. Please also check the How to apply section on the CBE JU website.
Types of action funded by CBE 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.
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.