The CBE JU 2025 call for project proposals is open for submission until 18 September 2025 at 17:00 CET..
2025 call for project proposals
- Call identifier: HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025
- Call launch: 3 April 2025
- Call deadline: 18 September 2025 17:00 CET
- Call budget: €172 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)
- Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation - €20 million
- Bio-based drop-ins/smart drop-in platform chemicals, via cost-effective, sustainable and resource-efficient conversion of biomass - €20 million
- Circular-by-design fibre-based packaging with improved properties - €20 million
- Retrofitting of (bio)refineries industrial plants towards higher-value bio-based products - €20 million
Innovation actions (IA)
- Sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications: cultivation and optimised production systems - €14 million
- Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) bio-based solutions to replace hazardous conventional chemicals for textiles production - €14 million
- Scaling-up nutritional proteins from alternative sources - €14 million
- Cost-effective and robust continuous biotech bio-based processes - €14 million
- SSbD bio-based polymers/copolymers unlocking new market applications - €14 million
Research and innovation actions (RIA)
- Valorisation of untapped forest biomass - €7 million
- Bio-based and biodegradable delivery systems for fertilising products to reduce microplastics pollution & promote soil health - €7 million
- Alternative biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber - €7 million
Coordination and support actions (CSA)
- Develop and deploy new curricula and knowledge exchange practices relevant to bio-based systems - €1 million
Check the Annual Work Programme 2025 for the complete topic text, conditions and requirements. FAQ for applicants will be published by the end of March and updated continuously based on the questions from applicants. 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.
FAQ for applicants
Read the updated FAQ for applicants for the 2025 call for proposals.
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.
Apply as an expert
Are you an expert in the circular bio-based industries fields but are not planning to submit a proposal? Consider applying as an evaluator to help CBE JU select the best proposals in future calls:
- Create or update your expert profile via the European Commission’s Funding & tenders portal
- E-mail experts [at] cbe.europa.eu by the end of May 2025, mentioning your expert profile number (format EX20XX1234567).