Expected outcomes

In line with the objectives of the Circular Economy188 and Zero Pollution Action Plan189, the Longterm vision for the EU rural areas190, as well as the Biodiversity Strategy191, the successful proposals will facilitate creation and uptake of innovative forms of cooperation among primary producers and bio-based industries. Successful proposals will also contribute to the implementation of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy192 and the updated EU Industrial Strategy193. Enhanced synergies and complementarities with actions under the R&I mission ‘A soil deal for Europe’.

Project results should contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Identification of new forms of cooperation among primary producers and other rural actors, and between them and bio-based industries, in circular bio-based businesses.
• Increased potential of innovative cooperative and circular bio-based business models for primary producers and other rural actors in different regions and pedo-climatic zones in Europe.
• Better awareness on the added-value bio-based products (including e.g. food ingredients or food supplements) and products with improved sustainability characteristics (e.g. resource efficiency, environmental impact, circularity, social sustainability, etc.) and their scaling up potential.
• Creation of ‘green’, fair and skilled jobs and new and local business opportunities with potential for replication across the EU.
• Identification of new forms of cooperation of primary producers and other rural actors in circular, biobased businesses.
• Improved circularity and resource efficiency of bio-based value chains via practical application of circular bioeconomy, encompassing the resource- and energy-efficient, cascading use of sustainably sourced biomass.
• Significantly improved sustainability, strategic autonomy, resilience and competitiveness of the European primary sectors while reducing the fossil feedstock dependence.

Scope

The circular use of waste, by-products and residues from agriculture, forestry, and the agri-food industry can lead to the creation of new economic opportunities in rural areas. However, primary producers are often not fully integrated in bio-based value chains, and thus, benefits are not sufficiently distributed among value chain actors. In addition, actors in the bio-based economy need a specific understanding on processes optimisation and high degree of investments in innovation and technologies.

This topic addresses diverse forms of cooperation among primary producers and beyond in wider value networks as well as suitable business models to create high-value bio-based products in vertically integrated value chains via advanced biorefineries. A more efficient collaboration poses several opportunities for primary producers: a significant bargaining power as a consequence of higher production volumes, economies of scales, stronger competitiveness and better access to market, portfolio diversification in production while reducing risks and creating new economic
benefits, better investment capacity due to pooling resources and control over the whole production, facilitated access to information and to new knowledge.

Proposals under this topic should:

• Assess the feasibility and suitability of new forms of cooperation among primary producers (e.g. cooperatives) to optimise harvesting, logistics and processing of particularly secondary or underutilised biomass for the manufacturing of innovative products in the scope of the CBE JU (including the management and recycling of waste produced during the transformation process).
• Develop wider value networks, clusters, and other forms of collaboration in the bio-based sectors and stimulate the interactions between the key actors to reduce the limiting factors such as seasonality of biomass, initial costs or high market competition.
• Use of technologies and logistics in a symbiotic and resource-efficient way to further accelerate the deployment of a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.
• Identify and develop solutions to overcome the barriers for the valorisation of underutilised biomass, taking into account the regional conditions as well as the perspective of primary producers and the industry.
• Demonstrate the economic and sustainable feasibility of the production of high addedvalue bio-based products with tangible market applications, thereby following the food first and the cascading use principles.
• Develop economic viable long-term business plans and marketing strategies as well as other non-financial benefits (e.g. education training, technical assistance, access to new technologies and innovations, market information, etc.). Identify new skilled job opportunities in primary production and investments in underrepresented rural areas
• Develop environmental impacts assessment models as well as social benefits to constantly optimising the production along the entire value chain.
• Identify bottlenecks and opportunities in existing EU level policy frameworks in order to facilitate creation and uptake of innovative forms of cooperation among primary producers and bio-based industries. On this basis, provide recommendations for a cross-sectoral EU level policy framework and suggestions for concrete actions supporting the development of the European bio-based economy.
• Support the piloting and scaling up of the production of new high-added-value products including under the innovative regional clusters. Proposals may involve financial support to third parties to provide direct support (e.g., in the form of cascading grants) to actions related to teaming supporting the development of local value chains). Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60 000. A maximum EUR 300 000 of the EU funding can be allocated to this purpose.
• Develop suitable governance models to ensure the practical feasibility of implementing such cooperations in specific and varying institutional contexts across European countries. Such models need to consider existing regulatory environments, governance structures as well as stakeholder views and preferences.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach and demonstrate the involvement of all concerned key actors, such as primary producers, landowners, researchers, regional authorities, environmental organisations, and consumers).

Proposals should seek for links and complementarities and avoid overlaps with past, ongoing and upcoming EU funded projects194, including those funded under H2020, HEU and the BBI JU.

Proposals should also describe their contribution to the Specific CBE JU requirements, presented in section 2.2.3.1.