The Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking has recently published new calls for proposals. Operating under Horizon 2020, the BBI JU is a new €3.7 billion Public-Private Partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC). The public-private partnership aims at increasing and spreading investment in the development of a sustainable bio-based industry sector in Europe, since bio-industry can make a significant contribution to achieving the objective of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by 2020.

In view of moving towards a post-petroleum society, BBI JU implements a programme of research and innovation activities in Europe, which will contribute to a more resource efficient and sustainable low-carbon economy and to increase economic growth and employment, in particular in rural areas, by developing sustainable and competitive bio-based industries in Europe, based on advanced biorefineries that source their biomass sustainably, in particular:

• Demonstrating new technologies to fill the gap in value chains
• Developing business models integrating all economic actors along the value chain
• Set-up flagship biorefinery plants deploying business models & technologies to keep investment in EU

Scientific priorities and impacts have been identified in 2017 Work Plan.

The strategic orientations for 2017 are:

• Feedstock: foster a sustainable biomass supply with increased productivity and building new supply chains

Valorisation of gaseous side streams from bio-based operations into chemical building blocks (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Valorisation of liquid and solid side streams from bio-based operations into high added-value products to create new feedstock for bio-based products (indicative funding: maximally EUR 7 million)

Integrated multi-valorisation of algae into advanced materials and high added-value additives (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 7 million)

• Biorefineries: optimise efficient processing through R&D and demonstrate their efficiency and economic viability at large-scale demo/flagship biorefineries.

Innovative technologies for the pre-treatment and separation of lignocellulosic feedstock and complex composition streams into valuable fractions while maintaining key characteristics (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Exploiting extremophiles and extremozymes to broaden the processing conditions to convert biomass into high-value building blocks (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Integrated ‘zero waste’ biorefinery utilising all fractions of the feedstock for production of chemicals and materials (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 21 million)

Products  – Developing innovative bio-based products for specific market applications;

Proteins and other bioactive ingredients from side streams and residues (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Novel bio-based chemical precursors to improve the performance of mass consumption products (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Competitive biodegradable, compostable and/or recyclable bio-based plastics for a sustainable end-of-life phase (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Novel secondary bio-based chemicals without significant fossil-based counterparts but with high application potential (Indicative funding: EUR 2 million to maximally EUR 5 million)

Breakthrough primary bio-based chemicals without significant fossil-based counterparts but with high marketability (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 7 million)

Innovative bio-based fertilising products to increase the sustainability of fertilising practices in agriculture (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 7 million)

Advanced bio-based fibres and materials for large-volume applications (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 7 million)

Large-scale production of proteins for food and feed applications from alternative, sustainable sources (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 21 million)

Market uptake – develop markets for bio-based products and optimise policy frameworks

Establish cooperation and partnership with brand owners and consumer representatives to improve the market access of sustainable bio-based products (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 1 million)

Identify opportunities for ICT to increase the efficiency of biomass supply chains for the bio-based industry (Indicative funding: maximally EUR 1 million)

Indicative deadline: 7 September 2017, 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)

All BBI JU Call information and documents are available on the Participant Portal.