CBE JU funds 31 more projects

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a €2 billion partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe, has signed 31 grant agreements with project teams selected in the 2023 calls. As a result, 396 beneficiaries from 34 countries across the EU and beyond will receive nearly €215 million in funding to develop circular and sustainable bio-based consumer products and industrial systems to replace fossil-based ones.

These, CBE JU said, will support the objective of its Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda, “with the ultimate goal of boosting the competitiveness and increasing the resilience of Europe’s bio-based economy”. The projects are split into four types of actions, which encompass activities tasks ranging from the establishment of production facilities to the development of education, coordination and support systems.

Four ‘flagship innovation actions’ will receive €60.5 million to build first-of-their-kind industrial-scale facilities. They are

* Circle: €17 million to boost bio-based chemical production in Europe by making use of food waste streams. The team will upgrade an existing biogas plant to transform locally sourced food waste and other biological residues into biobased chemicals like lactic acid for applications including cosmetics

* Terrific: €16.8 million to help de-fossilise the packaging sector and make it circular with biobased materials for recyclable, compostable, high performance packaging

* Woodcell: €16.6 million develop viable bio-based alternatives to fossil-based materials in the chemical and material industries. The project will turn hardwood residues into micro-scale microcrystalline cellulose for a wide range of applications

* Proteus: €9.6 million to optimise its harvesting and extraction techniques for brown algae for uses including personal care products

In addition, 15 ‘innovation actions’ will receive over €104 million to establish demonstration-scale production systems and business models. These include projects that will develop:

* Low-cost, sustainably sourced bio-based platform chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass for the personal care and coating sectors

* Biobased composites for applications including water treatment *

3MdVL from second-generation feedstock hardwood sugars

* Biobased surfactants wood and food processing waste

Nine ‘research and innovation actions’ will receive more than €45 million to develop new materials, products and ingredients from renewable and biological resources. These include a biotechnological platform for fatty amine production growing industrial crops for the production of biobased products on degraded, contaminated and saline land.

Finally, three ‘coordination and support actions, have been granted nearly €5.5 million. This will be used for training, promoting circular biobased products in Southern Europe and creating a database of open-access bioeconomy infrastructures across the continent. With these, the CBE JU’s portfolio will reach 192 projects, with over €1 billion total investments made and attracting more than three times the amount in private investments.

A new €213 million call is now open for project proposals across 18 topics. The deadline is 18 September.