CBE JU’s 2025 Annual Activity Report points to a year of record demand for EU funding and growing momentum behind Europe’s circular bio-based industries. The report links the programme’s work to the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy, which emphasises the role of the bioeconomy in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy.
By the end of 2025, the CBE JU portfolio comprised 220 projects, of which 132 had been completed and 88 were still ongoing. Six remaining projects funded under its predecessor, the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), were still running at the end of the year.
Previous records broken
The 2025 call for proposals broke previous records in both the number of proposals submitted and the amount of funding requested. With a budget of EUR 172 million, the call attracted 240 eligible proposals requesting more than EUR 1.4 billion in total funding.
“The latest annual results are not just about project numbers,” said Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, CBE JU’s Executive Director. “They show that Europe’s bio-based ecosystem is becoming more mature, more connected and better positioned to deliver at scale. CBE JU’s added value lies in bringing together the actors, evidence and investment confidence needed for bio-based industries to grow in Europe.”
SME’s
SMEs remained strongly represented in the programme. In the 2025 call, SMEs accounted for around one third of all applicants, while private companies represented 47% of the total applicant base. The report says this reflects the growing appeal of CBE JU calls to the private sector, particularly as more topics move towards higher technology readiness levels and industrial deployment.
The programme also continued to attract new participants. Forty-five per cent of all applicants in the 2025 call were newcomers, meaning they had not previously received funding through either BBI JU or CBE JU. This trend was especially strong among companies and SMEs, suggesting that the programme continues to expand beyond its established community.
Milestones reached
Several CBE JU-funded projects reached important industrial milestones during the year. In Latvia, VIOBOND completed the foundations for Europe’s first commercially viable bio-based resin plant. In France, CERISEA broke ground in Roussillon on a facility designed to produce up to 3,000 tonnes of 5-HMF per year for applications including resins, polymers, crop science and speciality materials. The report also highlights the start of construction at the SUSTAINEXT biorefinery in Spain and the opening of the world’s first industrial microalgae biorefinery in southern France as part of the SCALE project.
CBE JU also reported progress against its key performance indicators. Participation by primary producers has reached half of the programme target, while the involvement of brand owners is approaching its target. By the end of 2025, 106 newcomer participants from underrepresented countries had joined CBE JU projects, putting the programme on track towards its target of 150.
Mobilising investments
Investment mobilisation remains one of the clearest indicators of impact. By the end of 2025, BBI JU projects had generated EUR 3.62 in private investment for every EUR 1 of EU funding, exceeding the original target of EUR 2.85.
In 2025, CBE JU also adopted a new country-focused Widening Participation Action Plan for 2025–2027, published its first Synergy Strategy and established a Working Group on Primary Producers. Together, these measures are intended to broaden participation across Europe and strengthen the role of farmers, foresters, fishers and aquaculture producers in emerging bio-based value chains.
Taken together, the 2025 results present CBE JU as an increasingly important instrument for scaling Europe’s circular bioeconomy from laboratory to market.
See the CBE-JU website for the full report or only the highlights
Image: CERISEA
