Second CBE JU call closes with 162 project proposals submitted

The second CBE JU call invited applicants to submit project proposals across 18 different topics, to advance competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.

The submitted proposals are distributed per topic as follows:

Innovation actions – flagships (IA-flagship)

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IAFlag-01 Optimised and integrated wood-based value chains - topic budget €17 million: 1 proposal submitted requesting €17 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IAFlag-02 Expansion and/or retro-fitting of biorefineries towards higher-value bio-based chemicals and intermediates - topic budget €17 million: 6 proposals submitted requesting €100 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IAFlag-03 Bio-based packaging materials with improved properties: barrier, food contact, forming, printability, safety, recyclability/circularity-by-design - topic budget €17 million: 3 proposals submitted requesting €47 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IAFlag-04 Valorisation of aquatic biomass waste and residues - topic budget €10 million: 5 proposals submitted requesting €38 million in funding.

Innovation actions (IA)

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-01 Small-scale biorefining in rural areas - topic budget €15 million: 9 proposals submitted requesting €64 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-02 Production of safe, sustainable, and efficient bio-based fertilisers to improve soil health and quality - topic budget €15 million: 14 proposals submitted requesting €75 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-03 Improve fermentation processes (including downstream purification) to final bio-based products - topic budget €15 million: 4 proposals submitted requesting €27 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-04 Recycling bio-based plastics increasing sorting and recycled content (upcycling) - topic budget €15 million: 10 proposals submitted requesting €72 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-05 Development of scalable, safe bio-based surfactants with an improved sustainability profile - €15 million: 2 proposals submitted requesting €15 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-06 Selective, sustainable production routes towards bio-based alternatives to fossil-based chemical building blocks - topic budget €15 million: 4 proposals submitted requesting €28 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-07 High performance, circular-by design, bio-based composites - topic budget €15 million: 10 proposals submitted requesting €72 million in funding.

Research and innovation actions (RIA)

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-R-01 Phyto-management; curing soil with industrial crops, utilising contaminated and saline land for industrial crop production - topic budget €10 million: 13 proposals submitted requesting €58 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-R-02 Optimised forest-based value chains for high-value applications and improved forest management - topic budget €10 million: 5 proposals submitted requesting €23 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-R-03 Robust and optimised industrial biotech and chemical/industrial biotech processes - topic budget €10 million: 29 proposals submitted requesting €144 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-R-04 Development of novel, high-performance bio-based polymers and co-polymers - topic budget €10 million: 35 proposals submitted requesting €166 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-R-05 Pre-normative research to develop standards for biodegradability of bio-based products in controlled and open environments - topic budget €5 million: 3 proposals submitted requesting €15 million in funding.

Coordination and support actions (CSA)

• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-S-01 EU-wide network of pilot plants and testing facilities, improving SMEs and start-ups' access to scale-up - topic budget €1.5 million: 3 proposals submitted requesting €4.5 million in funding.
• HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-S-02 Supporting the capacity of regions in environmental sustainability assessment for the bio-based sectors - topic budget €3 million: 6 proposals submitted requesting €18 million in funding.

The CBE JU Programme Office will now check the admissibility and eligibility of all the proposals submitted. The evaluation of the proposals will be carried out with the help of external experts in October and December 2023, and the applicants will receive information about the outcomes of the evaluations by mid-February 2024 at the latest. Once the grant agreement preparation with the proposals retained for funding is completed, CBE JU will sign the grant agreements, which is expected to occur by the end of May 2024.

The considerable number of applications to this call confirms the high interest of the bio-based sector and the relevance of the public-private partnership model in advancing Europe’s bio-based economy.

CBE JU acting Executive Director Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore