Vol. 15 No. 2 (2026)
Short Communications

Circular Biobased Europe Joint Undertaking: driving innovations towards sustainable agriculture and growth in rural areas

PDF
  • Simone Maccaferri,
  • Ana Ruiz Sierra,
  • Paola Paiano,
  • Chloe Johnson,
  • Elina Zicmane,
  • Virginia Puzzolo,
  • Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore
Simone Maccaferri
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Ana Ruiz Sierra
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Paola Paiano
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Chloe Johnson
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Elina Zicmane
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Virginia Puzzolo
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
Nicoló Giacomuzzi-Moore
Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, White Atrium, Av de la Toison d’Or 56-60, 1060 Brussels, Belgium
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/bae-17237

Published 2025-07-24

Keywords

  • bioeconomy,
  • primary sector,
  • biorefineries,
  • bio-based industries,
  • public-private partnership

How to Cite

Maccaferri, S., Ruiz Sierra, A., Paiano, P., Johnson, C., Zicmane, E., Puzzolo, V., & Giacomuzzi-Moore, N. (2025). Circular Biobased Europe Joint Undertaking: driving innovations towards sustainable agriculture and growth in rural areas. Bio-Based and Applied Economics, 15(2), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.36253/bae-17237

Copyright (c) 2026 Simone Maccaferri, Ana Ruiz-Sierra, Paola Paiano, Chloe Johnson, Elina Zicmane, Virginia Puzzolo, Nicolo Giacomuzzi-Moore

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a public-private partnership that supports research and innovation fostering the transition towards a competitive, sustainable, and low-carbon economy in Europe. CBE JU and its projects represent a significant business opportunity for the primary sector, and in particular for farmers. The deployment of circular bio-based innovations can help diversify farmers’ activities and generate new sources of income. Since 2022, about 130 million euros have been made available by CBE JU to develop bio-based solutions with the potential to support sustainable agricultural practices and boost rural economies. In addition, 84 entities from the primary sector are participating in CBE JU projects. The manuscript aims at analysing the major findings associated with primary producer involvement in the CBE JU programme and elaborate on the specific actions undertaken to ensure that the primary sector can benefit from participating in innovative bio-based value chains.

PDF

References

  1. Bio-Based Industries Consortium (2022). Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda of CBE JU. Brussels.
  2. Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (2019). Proposal of actions to increase/improve the participation of the agricultural sector in BBI JU and ultimately in the bio-based sector. Available at: https://innovarum.es/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2019.BBIJU-Study.pdf
  3. Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (2024). Report of the workshop engagement with primary producers in circular bio-based value chains. Available at: https://www.cbe.europa.eu/system/files/2024-04/Report-primary-producers-workshop-2024-02-28.pdf
  4. Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (2025). Available at: https://www.cbe.europa.eu/system/files/2025-01/CBE-JU-WG-PP-concept-note.pdf
  5. European Commission (2019). The European Green Deal. COM (219)640 final. Brussels.
  6. European Commission (2021). Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 establishing the Joint Undertakings under Horizon Europe. Official Journal of the European Union 427/17. Brussels.
  7. European Commission (2024). Communication Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU. COM (2024) 137 final. Brussels.
  8. European Commission (2025). Communication A Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy. COM(2025) 895 final. Brussels
  9. General Secretariat of the Council, Special Committee on Agriculture/Council (2023). Council Conclusions on the opportunities of the bioeconomy in the light of current challenges with special emphasis on rural areas. Brussels.
  10. INNOVARUM (2019). Study on the participation of the agricultural sector in the BBI JU: Business Models, Challenges and Recommendations to enhance the impact on rural development. Available at: https://innovarum.es/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2019.BBIJU-Study.pdf
  11. Johnson, C., Ruiz Sierra, A., Dettmer, J., Sidiropoulou, K., Zicmane, E., Canalis, A., Llorente, P., Paiano, P., Mengal, P., and Puzzolo, V. (2021). The Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking as a catalyst for a green transition in Europe under the European Green Deal. EFB Bioeconomy Journal, 1: 100014.
  12. Members of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture (2024). Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture. A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe. Brussels.
  13. Mengal, P., Wubbolts, M., Zika, E., Ruiz, A., Brigitta, D., Pieniadz, A., and Black, S. (2018). Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking: The catalyst for sustainable bio-based economic growth in Europe. New Biotechnology, 40(A): 31–9.
  14. Ruiz Sierra, A., Zika, E., Lange, L., Ruiz de Azúa, P., Canalis, A,, Mallorquín Esteban, P., Paiano, P., and Mengal, P. (2021). The bio-based industries joint undertaking: A high impact initiative that is transforming the bio-based industries in Europe. New Biotechnology, 60: 105–12.