Summary
Bioeconomy and biotechnology are key drivers for EU competitiveness and the achievement of net-zero goals, however they continue to face significant challenges such as competition, a fragmented R&I ecosystem, and non-harmonised regulatory frameworks.
To address these challenges, among other recommendations, Cefic puts forward a proposal to evolve the CBE-JU (Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking) into a more focused instrument (CBE-JU 2.0), supporting only high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) projects (TRL 6 and above) and expanding its scope to include the conversion of existing industrial assets.
Key takeways
- Enhanced coordination: Greater alignment and coordination among EU institutions and Directorates-General to avoid competing solutions and ensure coherent policy implementation.
- Focused support for industrialisation and evolution of the CBE-JU, towards a CBE-JU 2.0: Cefic supports CBE-JU as a successful example of public-private cooperation, driving the industrialisation of the bioeconomy. Targeted updates and increased resources are essential to ensure Europe remains at the forefront of sustainable innovation. The future CBE-JU should exclusively support high-TRL projects (≥ TRL 6), with a broader scope that includes the conversion of existing industrial assets.
- Increased Funding: Allocate additional funding to enable a higher number of projects and cover a greater share of project costs, particularly for scale-up and demonstration phases.
- Dedicated commercialisation instrument: Establish a new funding instrument tailored to the commercialisation and replication of scaled-up facilities (TRL 9), bridging the gap between innovation and market deployment.