The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has announced €170.7 million in funding through its 2026 Annual Work Programme, aiming to accelerate the development of sustainable and competitive bio-based solutions across Europe. The programme supports the creation of new circular value chains, strengthens Europe’s industrial resilience, and contributes to reducing dependence on fossil-based resources.
The 2026 Work Programme includes 13 targeted topics, ranging from large-scale industrial flagship biorefineries to research and innovation projects. Key priorities focus on Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) bio-based solutions, diversification of nutritional ingredient sources, improved valorisation of residual biomass, and enhanced efficiency of biorefineries. These actions address important challenges related to resource efficiency, biotechnology scale-up and the market deployment of bio-based products.
The calls for proposals are expected to open on 23 April 2026 and close on 22 September 2026. A series of information sessions and networking events will accompany the calls to help potential applicants better understand the funding opportunities and build strong project consortia.
In parallel with the funding activities, CBE JU will also implement additional strategic initiatives, including stronger stakeholder engagement and improved monitoring of project outcomes, with the aim of increasing the long-term impact of funded projects across the European bioeconomy landscape.
For initiatives such as RUNFASTER4EU, the new work programme highlights the strong policy momentum supporting circular and bio-based innovation in Europe. The project contributes to this transition by demonstrating sustainable bio-based value chains based on the cultivation of low-ILUC-risk oil crops on marginal lands and their conversion into high-value bio-based products through advanced biorefinery processes.
Further information on the CBE JU 2026 Work Programme, funding topics and upcoming calls is available on the official CBE JU website.