Of the total budget, €80 million is reserved for four flagship Innovation Actions at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8. These focus on boosting biorefinery competitiveness through biotechnology, developing safe and sustainable biobased alternatives for fertilisers and crop protection, home and personal care products, and diversifying sources of nutritional food ingredients to strengthen EU resilience and strategic autonomy.
A further €70 million will support five Innovation Actions at TRL 6–7, including biotech routes for valorising residual biomass, biobased additives to improve recyclability and biodegradability, chemicals and materials from woody residues, high-performance biobased thermosets, and films and coatings for circular packaging.
In addition, €19.5 million is allocated to three Research and Innovation Actions at TRL 5, addressing separation and purification challenges in biorefineries, safe and sustainable biobased polymers from alternative sources, and breakthrough biobased textile fibres. One Coordination and Support Action (€1.2 million) will help industry transition towards sustainable and circular biobased products and processes.
According to CBE JU Executive Director Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore, the programme “fits perfectly within the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy” and will help bring biobased innovation “from lab to fab” at a critical moment for Europe’s green and industrial transitions.
The call for proposals will open on 23 April 2026 and close on 22 September 2026. Ahead of this, the CBE JU Info Day will take place online on 12 March 2026, followed by a dedicated networking event in Brussels on 21 April.
For more information, see the CBE JU website and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Image: Wanan Wanan/Shutterstock
