Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)

Overview

• Role: funding projects that advance competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.  
• Executive Director: Philippe Mengal
• Members or partners: EU (represented by the European Commission) and the Bio-based Industries Consortium
• Established in: 2021
• Number of staff: 29
• Location: Brussels (Belgium)
• Website: Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE Joint Undertaking) is a €2 billion public-private partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC).

What it does

The main goals of CBE JU are to:

• accelerate the innovation process, developing novel bio-based solutions
• accelerate market deployment of existing mature and novel bio-based solutions
• ensure a high level of environmental performance by bio-based industrial systems

Concretely, the partnership is funding projects across Europe that aim to:

• support research and innovation in sustainable bio-based solutions
• reduce the risks of investing in circular bio-based production plants
• address the technological, regulatory & market challenges facing the bioeconomy
• strengthen collaboration among all groups in the bioeconomy sector
• engage with more stakeholders along the value chains

CBE JU is building on the success of its predecessor, the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU):

• achievements & impacts of BBI JU
• successful BBI JU-funded projects.

Who benefits?

Shifting from non-renewable fossil raw materials and minerals is essential if the EU is to reach its climate targets as set out in the European Green Deal. CBE aims to do this through research into circular production processes based on raw materials such as plants and other renewable agricultural, marine and forestry materials.

Strong, resource-efficient and competitive bio-based industries are important players in this respect. By producing renewable products and materials from waste and biomass in an innovative, sustainable and circular way, they can contribute significantly to the climate neutrality (net zero emissions) target by 2050 while creating jobs and economic growth in regions across Europe.

The role of Circular Bio-based Europe is to bring together various groups from bio-based industries, ranging from farmers to scientists, to solve the technological, regulatory and market challenges facing the sector. Its public-private funding scheme boosts innovation and market deployment and paves the way for future investment.