Skip to main content

CBE JU funds 31 more projects

31st May 2024

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a €2 billion partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe, has signed 31 grant agreements with project teams selected in the 2023 calls. As a result, 396 beneficiaries from 34 countries across the EU and beyond will receive nearly €215 million in funding to develop circular and sustainable bio-based consumer products and industrial systems to replace fossil-based ones.

These, CBE JU said, will support the objective of its Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda, “with the ultimate goal of boosting the competitiveness and increasing the resilience of Europe’s bio-based economy”. The projects are split into four types of actions, which encompass activities tasks ranging from the establishment of production facilities to the development of education, coordination and support systems.

Four ‘flagship innovation actions’ will receive €60.5 million to build first-of-their-kind industrial-scale facilities. They are

* Circle: €17 million to boost bio-based chemical production in Europe by making use of food waste streams. The team will upgrade an existing biogas plant to transform locally sourced food waste and other biological residues into biobased chemicals like lactic acid for applications including cosmetics

* Terrific: €16.8 million to help de-fossilise the packaging sector and make it circular with biobased materials for recyclable, compostable, high performance packaging

* Woodcell: €16.6 million develop viable bio-based alternatives to fossil-based materials in the chemical and material industries. The project will turn hardwood residues into micro-scale microcrystalline cellulose for a wide range of applications

* Proteus: €9.6 million to optimise its harvesting and extraction techniques for brown algae for uses including personal care products

In addition, 15 ‘innovation actions’ will receive over €104 million to establish demonstration-scale production systems and business models. These include projects that will develop:

* Low-cost, sustainably sourced bio-based platform chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass for the personal care and coating sectors

* Biobased composites for applications including water treatment *

3MdVL from second-generation feedstock hardwood sugars

* Biobased surfactants wood and food processing waste

Nine ‘research and innovation actions’ will receive more than €45 million to develop new materials, products and ingredients from renewable and biological resources. These include a biotechnological platform for fatty amine production growing industrial crops for the production of biobased products on degraded, contaminated and saline land.

Finally, three ‘coordination and support actions, have been granted nearly €5.5 million. This will be used for training, promoting circular biobased products in Southern Europe and creating a database of open-access bioeconomy infrastructures across the continent. With these, the CBE JU’s portfolio will reach 192 projects, with over €1 billion total investments made and attracting more than three times the amount in private investments.

A new €213 million call is now open for project proposals across 18 topics. The deadline is 18 September.

UPL to split out specialities

Indian agrochemicals giant UPL has announced plans to transfer its speciality chemicals business, including agrochemical

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

AI for SAPs

Together with Algo Artis, Japan’s Nippon Shokubai has developed an algorithm-based means for the production

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Nippon Shokubai's API Facility in Japan

Nucleic acid API boost

Nippon Shokubai is to expand its GMP capacity for nucleic APIs tenfold It will install

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Flamma's facility in Dalian

Flamma opens in China

Italian CDMO Flamma Group has officially opened its new cGMP plant at Dalian, China, where

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

GL Chemtec has opened a new kilo lab

GL Chemtec completes kilo lab

CDMO GL Chemtec has announced the completion of a cGMP kilo lab at Oakville, Ontario

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Sterling's facility at Deeside, UK

CDMOs in ADC investments

Five CDMOs across the world have separately announced investments in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Piramal Pharma is

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Halozyme has dropped its approach to buy Evotec

Halozyme abandons Evotec bid

San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company Halozyme Therapeutics has withdrawn the offer it made for Evotec after

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Afyren Neoxy plant

Milestones for two greentech firms

Afyren has achieved continuous production at its Afyren Neoxy plant at Clermont-Ferrand (pictured)

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Origin by Ocean derives its materials from sargassum

CABB in algae biorefinery deal

CABB has agreed a strategic partnership to establish a first-in-kind algae biorefinery at its site at Kokkola

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

First waste-based biosurfactants

Belgian start-up AmphiStar has launched what it claims are the first fully upcycled biobased surfactants

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Aether to supply Seqens

Indian firm Aether Industries has entered into a manufacturing agreement with Chemoxy International, a UK-based

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

New model for biocatalysts

BASF, the Austrian Research Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB) and the University of Graz in

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

CBE JU funds 31 more projects

The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a €2 billion partnership between the EU

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Ribbon cutting ceremony at Lubrizol's new office

Lubrizol opens London office

Lubrizol has opened a new office in Hammersmith, London. This will be home to a

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Sudarshan to buy Heubach

India’s Sudarshan Chemical Industries (SCIL) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Heubach

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Alliance in natural fragrances

Sensegen, a US-based specialist in biotech-enabled fragrances, notably a new class of natural musk raw

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Croda breaks ground in China

Croda International has broken ground for a low-carbon, multi-purpose production facility on a greenfield site

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

CCT collaboration for Givaudan

Flavours and fragrances giant Givaudan has agreed a research collaboration for the development of sustainable

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

REACH Authorisation

Candidate List ‘reaches’ 250

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added three more substances to the Candidate List of

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington

Staff at Brenntag's newly acquired Czech site

CO2-free distribution site first

Brenntag has officially inaugurated what it claims to be the first CO2-emission-free chemical distribution site

Submitted by:

Andrew Warmington