The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has its 2026 call for proposals open for projects aimed at advancing innovative and sustainable bio-based solutions in Europe.
| Deadline | Category | Source |
| 22 Sep 2026 | Bioeconomy | Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking |
The call has a budget of €170.7 million and will remain open until 22 September 2026 at 17:00 CET. It includes Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions and Flagship Innovation Actions designed to scale solutions in the European market.
Where could your solution fit?
The call may be particularly relevant for startups, SMEs, technology centres and industrial companies developing solutions in biomaterials, waste valorisation, packaging, foodtech, biotechnology, novel ingredients, polymers, coatings or bio-based industrial processes.
Among this year’s open topics, there are opportunities to:
- Valorise residual biomass through biotechnology
- Develop films and coatings for circular packaging
- Create bio-based additives that improve recyclability or biodegradability
- Produce new chemicals and materials from woody residues
- Develop bio-based, circular-by-design thermoset materials
- Diversify sources of food ingredients
- Develop new bio-based polymers and textile fibres
From research to industrial scale
Not all topics target projects at the same stage of development.
Research and Innovation Actions are aimed at developing and validating new technologies and solutions.
Innovation Actions seek to move from prototypes towards validation, demonstration and market replication.
Flagship Innovation Actions go one step further: they aim to deploy first-of-a-kind innovations at industrial scale.
Can a startup participate?
Yes. CBE JU projects bring together SMEs and startups alongside industry, technology centres, universities, raw material producers and other actors across the value chain.
However, this is not an acceleration programme or an individual grant scheme. For most of these funding lines, the natural fit for a startup will be as part of a European consortium capable of covering the value chain and demonstrating the solution at the required scale.
It can be particularly interesting if your company already has proprietary technology and is looking for industrial partners, demonstration sites, larger-scale validation opportunities, or a pathway to bring a bio-based innovation to the European market.