The call is relevant for cities and regions that are looking to develop a Circular Solution around SSbD bio-based solutions to replace hazardous conventional chemicals for textiles production. The call asks proejcts to contribute to the availability of SSbD bio-based solutions for the textile industry, meeting technical and market performance requirements. Projects should consider the full value chain including textiles manufacturers, especially SMEs and brand owners, raw materials suppliers, process industries, regional/local authorities and workers’ organisations (HS&E).

All stakeholders of the bio-based industries ecosystem including public authorities can apply for CBE JU funding. CBE JU calls for project proposals are open to any legal entity, be it private or public, for-profit or not-for-profit organisation, including:

• Large companies
• Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs)
• Research and technology organisations (RTOs)
• Universities
• Associations

Proposals should upscale SSbD bio-based alternatives to hazardous conventional chemicals used in the production of textiles. Bio-based solutions applicable to bio-based and/or fossil-based textiles production are both in scope. Chemicals in scope for replacement include both those that are currently only used in production processes and those that are present in the end-product(s). SSbD bio-based solutions in scope are: chemicals (organic and/or inorganic compounds) AND/OR processing routes, removing the need for chemical-to-chemical substitution.

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 14 million. It is estimated that a contribution of EUR 7 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting different amounts

Cities and regions can apply for funding through the following steps. Cities and regions have to select the relevant call and draft a proposal with the required details. With the CBE JU networking platform, cities and regions can find partners to build a consortium. The proposal can be submitted using the Funding and tender opportunities portal using an EU login. All the members of the consortium must have a 9-digit Participant Identification Code (PIC) to apply for funding. Draft your project proposal in the submission service section of your topic page. This link becomes available when the call opens. Fill in all the required information and submit the proposal before the call deadline.

Call launch: 3 April 2025

Call deadline: 18 September 2025 17:00 CET