The CBE JU programme office has received 248 project proposals by the 18 September deadline for the 2025 call. Applicants have requested over €1.42 billion in CBE JU funding, against the indicative call budget of €172 million. Evaluation of the project proposals will take place in October-November 2025, and applicants will receive the call results in the second half of January 2026.

The 2025 CBE JU call invited applicants to submit project proposals across 13 different topics to advance competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.

The submitted proposals are distributed per topic as follows:

Innovation actions – flagship (IA-flagship)

• Urban-industrial symbiosis for bio-waste valorisation topic budget €20 million, 4 proposals submitted requesting €61 million funding
• Bio-based drop-ins/smart drop-in platform chemicals, via cost-effective, sustainable and resource-efficient conversion of biomass topic budget €20 million, 2 proposals submitted requesting €38 million funding
• Circular-by-design fibre-based packaging with improved properties topic budget €20 million, 10 proposals submitted requesting €143 million funding
• Retrofitting of (bio)refineries industrial plants towards higher-value bio-based products topic budget €20 million, 2 proposals submitted requesting €34 million funding

Innovation actions (IA)

• Sustainable macroalgae systems for innovative, added-value applications: cultivation and optimised production systems topic budget €14 million, 12 proposals submitted requesting €77 million funding
• Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) bio-based solutions to replace hazardous conventional chemicals for textiles production topic budget €14 million, 15 proposals submitted requesting €91 million funding
• Scaling-up nutritional proteins from alternative sources topic budget €14 million, 38 proposals submitted requesting €232 million funding
• Cost-effective and robust continuous biotech bio-based processes topic budget €14 million, 16 proposals submitted requesting €94 million funding
• SSbD bio-based polymers/copolymers unlocking new market applications topic budget €14 million, 18 proposals submitted requesting €111 million funding

Research and innovation actions (RIA)

• Valorisation of untapped forest biomass topic budget €7 million, 45 proposals submitted requesting €303 million funding
• Bio-based and biodegradable delivery systems for fertilising products to reduce microplastics pollution & promote soil health topic budget €7 million, 54 proposals submitted requesting €179 million funding
• Alternative biomanufacturing routes for natural and synthetic rubber topic budget €7 million, 14 proposals submitted requesting €48 million funding

Coordination and support actions (CSA)

• Develop and deploy new curricula and knowledge exchange practices relevant to bio-based systems topic budget €1 million, 18 proposals submitted requesting €18 million 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-November  2025, and the applicants will receive information about the outcomes of the evaluations in the second half of January 2026. 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 in May 2026. 

More information: CBE JU 2025 call page 

» Author: Marion Kupfer

» Publication Date: 02/10/2025

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