Funding Available

• Indicative topic budget: EUR 20 million
• Indicative EU contribution: EUR 20 million for the project
• Indicative number of projects: 1
• End Technology Readiness Level: TRL 8. 

The EUR 20 million is the indicative EU contribution, not necessarily a guaranteed amount that every application can request. The work programme states that proposals may request a different amount where justified.

Funding Rate

For CBE JU Innovation Actions, the standard funding rate is:

• 60% of eligible costs for for-profit companies
• Up to 100% for non-profit legal entities. 

This means companies should not interpret the EUR 20 million figure as 100% reimbursement of their project costs.

Implementing Body

Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) under Horizon Europe.

The CBE JU is a public-private partnership supporting the development, scale-up and deployment of sustainable and circular bio-based solutions. Its 2026 programme is focused strongly on moving mature bio-based innovations towards industrial deployment.

OVERVIEW

The Boosting Biorefinery Competitiveness Through Biotech flagship call is aimed at taking biotechnology-enabled biorefinery processes to full industrial scale.

The opportunity addresses the gap between successful research and actual market deployment, particularly where scaling requires further work around:

• Large-scale process and reactor design
• Cell productivity
• Efficient feedstock use
• Stability of operating conditions
• Reactor sterility
• Integration of downstream operations. 

The objective is to demonstrate a sustainable and robust biomanufacturing route and connect it to an end product and a viable business case.

This is therefore a late-stage industrial demonstration and market-deployment opportunity, rather than an early-stage research grant.

WHAT THE PROJECT MUST ACHIEVE

Proposals should demonstrate, at TRL 8:

1. A Sustainable Biomanufacturing Route

A robust industrial-scale route for producing bio-based products, with biotechnology as the key enabling technology.

Supporting upstream and downstream unit operations based on non-biotechnology technologies can also be incorporated.

2. Eligible Bio-Based Products

Products within scope include:

• Chemicals
• Intermediates
• Polymers
• Ingredients
• Enzymes

However, food and feed ingredients as the main application are out of scope.

3. Cell / Enzyme / Microorganism Optimisation

Optimisation of selected:

• Cells
• Enzymes
• Microorganisms

is allowed where the starting TRL is at least 6.

4. Conversion into an End Product

The project must demonstrate the further conversion or use of the biorefinery product into at least one end product that drives the business case.

That end product must be validated at TRL 6 or higher in relevant market applications.

Additional end products with strong market potential can also be targeted and should reach at least TRL 6.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Successful projects are expected to contribute to:

• A full industrial-scale biorefinery and associated value chains.
• Sustainable production of bio-based products using biotechnology.
• Bio-based products that meet relevant market and technical performance requirements.
• Improved sustainability, circularity and resource efficiency compared with relevant benchmarks.
• Increased EU strategic autonomy, resilience and competitiveness. 

The topic is aligned with major EU policy initiatives including the EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing initiative, EU Life Sciences Strategy, updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy, EU Biotechnology Act, Clean Industrial Deal, European Chemical Industry Action Plan and upcoming Circular Economy Act.

KEY VALUE-CHAIN ACTORS

A Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) is required.

The proposal should involve the relevant actors across the sustainable circular bio-based system, including:

• Bio-based feedstock providers
• Policymakers
• End users
• Other relevant value-chain actors. 

The purpose is to make the R&I process more demand-driven and increase the likelihood that the resulting products and processes are actually adopted at scale.

BIO-BASED FEEDSTOCK REQUIREMENT

This is an important requirement that applicants need to consider early.

The proposal must describe:

• The bio-based feedstock to be used.
• Its geographical origin.
• How it is sustainably produced or generated.
• How the feedstock contributes to EU resilience and strategic autonomy. 

For the CBE JU 2026 call, proposals are expected to use feedstock that is:

Produced or generated and processed in an EU Member State and/or a country associated with Horizon Europe.

There is an exception for limited samples of bio-based feedstock used for testing purposes.

This is particularly important for organisations proposing to bring African biomass/feedstock into an EU biorefinery value chain: the standard project feedstock expectation is not simply “any sustainable biomass from anywhere.” The specific CBE JU requirement favours EU/Associated Country production, generation and processing.

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND CIRCULARITY

The proposal must address environmental sustainability and circularity from the beginning.

Applicants should include an ex-ante assessment covering issues such as:

• Climate neutrality
• Resource efficiency
• Zero pollution
• Air, water and soil impacts
• Circularity
• Environmental performance against justified benchmarks. 

For Flagship projects, a dedicated work package or task must conduct an ex-post assessment of the environmental impacts and circularity of the developed products and processes, including biomass logistics, using Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methodologies.

SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE BY DESIGN

The project must include a task applying the European Commission's Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework to:

• The production process of the targeted biorefinery product(s).
• The selected derived end product(s). 

REGULATORY AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Projects must:

• Address relevant EU regulatory frameworks for the targeted products and applications.
• Identify potential regulatory gaps.
• Recommend ways to overcome regulatory bottlenecks.
• Conduct risk assessment relating to biotechnology impacts on human and ecosystem safety.
• Identify appropriate mitigation measures.
• Assess whether existing policy and regulatory approaches adequately manage these risks. 

BUSINESS CASE REQUIREMENT

This is a flagship Innovation Action, so the commercial case is a major part of the proposal.

The project must include:

Executive Summary of the Business Plan

Including:

• The underlying business case.
• The business model.

Detailed Business Plan

A separate annex must include the detailed business plan and appropriate financial indicators, including Net Present Value (NPV).

Critical assumptions should include:

• Accessible market size and growth.
• Target applications.
• Market penetration.
• Revenues.
• Capital costs.
• Operating costs.
• Personnel requirements.
• Funding sources. 

The business case therefore needs to demonstrate that the proposed technology is not only technically viable but can become a commercially viable industrial opportunity.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT

Innovation Action proposals must explain how they will create and distribute socio-economic value across the whole value chain, including where bio-based feedstock is produced or generated.

Applicants should address potential contributions to:

• Job creation
• Economic growth
• Territorial development
• Value creation across the bio-based value chain. 

CONSORTIUM / PARTNERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Under the standard Horizon Europe consortium rules, unless the specific topic provides otherwise, a consortium must include at least:

• One independent legal entity established in an EU Member State
• At least two other independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country. 

International / third-country organisations can participate where the Horizon Europe eligibility conditions permit it.

What This Means for African Organisations

African organisations from countries eligible for Horizon Europe funding can participate, but an African organisation cannot by itself satisfy the core three-beneficiary consortium requirement where the remaining partners do not meet the EU/Associated Country structure.

This opportunity is therefore particularly suitable for African organisations that can bring:

• Feedstock or value-chain expertise
• Technology capability
• Research expertise
• Industrial partnerships
• Market access
• Demonstration capabilities

into a broader EU-led or EU-anchored consortium.

BIC / IKOP REQUIREMENT

The CBE JU 2026 call introduces an important additional consideration for Innovation Actions.

For Flagship Innovation Actions, the proposal must demonstrate the ability to provide an in-kind contribution to operational activities (IKOP) equivalent to at least 20% of total eligible project costs.

Only the relevant contributions from Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) members count toward this specific threshold.

This should therefore be considered when building the consortium and project financing structure.

ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS

The broader Horizon Europe rules allow legal entities from:

• EU Member States
• Horizon Europe Associated Countries
• Certain eligible low- and middle-income countries listed under the programme
• Other third countries where the specific conditions allow participation or where participation is considered essential. 

For the countries listed in the General Annexes, South Africa is explicitly included among the eligible low- and middle-income countries for funding.

However, eligibility to participate does not remove the consortium-composition requirement described above.

APPLICATION PROCESS

This is a single-stage call.

Applicants submit the complete proposal electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not allowed.

The application must include the required proposal components and supporting information.

For the CBE JU 2026 call:

• Innovation Action / Flagship Part B page limit: 70 pages.
• A dissemination and exploitation plan must be included.
• Flagship proposals must include a detailed business plan as an annex.
• BIC-member participants must provide certification confirming their BIC membership. 

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

CBE JU proposals are assessed against the standard Horizon Europe criteria:

Excellence

Evaluators consider:

• Clarity and relevance of the objectives.
• Ambition.
• Whether the project goes beyond the state of the art.
• Quality of the methodology.
• Interdisciplinary approach.
• Appropriate consideration of the gender dimension.
• Open-science practices. 

Impact

Evaluators consider:

• Credibility of the pathway towards the expected outcomes and impacts.
• Scale and significance of the contribution.
• Measures to maximise impact.
• Dissemination, exploitation and communication.
• For CBE JU Innovation Actions, the proposal's ability to deliver the required IKOP contribution. 

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Assessment includes:

• Quality of the work plan.
• Risk management.
• Appropriateness of resources.
• Capacity and role of each participant.
• Whether the consortium collectively has the required expertise. 

For CBE JU, the Impact criterion has a threshold of 4/5, while the overall threshold is 11/15. For Innovation Actions including Flagships, Impact is weighted 1.5 when determining the ranking.

TECHNOLOGY READINESS

The project must reach:

TRL 8 – System complete and qualified

by the end of the project.

The specific topic starts from a mature technology position, with optimisation of cells, enzymes or microorganisms allowed only where their starting TRL is at least 6.

WHAT IS OUT OF SCOPE?

Applicants should avoid proposals centred on:

• Food or feed ingredients as the main application
• Early-stage biotechnology that is below the required maturity.
• Projects that do not demonstrate the pathway to TRL 8.
• Proposals without a credible end-product and business case.
• Projects that do not involve the relevant value-chain actors.
• Projects that ignore EU regulatory and safety requirements.
• Proposals that fail to address SSbD and environmental sustainability requirements.

The food/feed exclusion and TRL requirements are specifically stated in the topic conditions.

DEADLINE

Opening date: 23 April 2026

Application deadline: 22 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission model: Single-stage.

COUNTRY / GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

Primary geographic focus: European bio-based industrial value chains.

International participation is possible under Horizon Europe eligibility rules, including eligible third-country organisations. CBE JU itself states that international participation from third countries is welcome as an important element in advancing a sustainable bioeconomy globally.

INDUSTRY / SECTORS

Biotechnology; Industrial Biotechnology; Biomanufacturing; Biorefineries; Bioeconomy; Chemicals; Polymers; Enzymes; Bio-based Materials; Sustainable Manufacturing; Circular Economy; Green Industry

THEMATIC AREAS

Bio-based Products; Sustainable Biomanufacturing; Biorefinery Scale-up; Circular Bioeconomy; Biotechnology; Sustainable Feedstock; Industrial Biotechnology; Resource Efficiency; Climate Neutrality; Zero Pollution; Market Deployment

TARGET APPLICANTS

Companies; SMEs; Large Enterprises; Universities; Research Organisations; Technology Centres; Biomanufacturers; Feedstock Providers; Industrial Partners; End Users; Policymakers and other relevant value-chain actors

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• South Africa
• Egypt
• Tunisia
• Ghana
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Senegal
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Botswana
• Namibia
• Mozambique