Develop and deploy new curricula and knowledge exchange practices relevant to bio-based systems
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Develop and deploy new curricula and knowledge exchange practices relevant to bio-based systems offering max €172.1M funding💰 Funding Details
Funding Description – HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-CSA-01
What is Funded
* Design, validation and pilot deployment of new or updated curricula, training modules and knowledge-exchange practices for sustainable and circular bio-based systems (higher-education, VET, post-graduate and executive levels).
* Creation/animation of an EU-wide university–industry–RTO network, including actors from Widening countries, rural and coastal/blue bioeconomies.
* Activities eligible under a Coordination & Support Action (CSA):
* Stakeholder engagement, co-creation workshops, living-labs, mutual-learning exercises.
* Development of digital/physical learning materials, MOOCs, serious games, simulation tools, case studies.
* Short-term pilots with students & professionals (internships, field work, problem-based learning, etc.).
* Dissemination, communication, exploitation and policy-feedback activities.
* Mapping & alignment with existing initiatives (European Bioeconomy University Alliance, Pact for Skills, BIOEAST, NEBA, etc.).
Budget & Funding Rate
* Indicative maximum grant (subject to ranking & available call budget): €172.14 million. Typical CSA envelopes under CBE JU range from €3-7 million; request what is demonstrably needed.
* Funding rate: 100 % of eligible direct costs + 25 % flat-rate for indirect costs, according to the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (HORIZON-AG).
Eligibility Snapshot
* Consortium: Minimum 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. For competitiveness you should include:
* ≥1 university/higher-education institution
* ≥1 industry/cluster/SME representing bio-based value chains
* ≥1 research & technology organisation (RTO) or competence centre
* Geographical balance: Active partners from Widening countries are strongly encouraged and will be scrutinised under impact.
* Participant types: Public or private entities, including regional authorities, clusters, NGOs and training providers. International partners may participate if they finance their own costs or are from automatically funded countries.
* Admissibility & page limits: 45 pages (Part B) for CSA, single-stage submission via the European Funding & Tenders Portal.
Key Dates
* Call opening: 03 April 2025
* Single-stage deadline: 18 September 2025 – 17:00 Brussels time
* Expected GA signature: ~Q2 2026
Compliance Must-Haves
* Alignment with EU Bioeconomy Strategy, Zero-Pollution Action Plan, Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy, CBE JU Widening Strategy.
* Consideration of safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD), ecodesign, LCA, circularity, digital skills, biotech/biomanufacturing, social sciences & humanities (SSH) elements.
* Gender equality plan for public bodies, RPOs and HEIs ≥ 50 employees.
* Open Science practices, data-management plan, and exploitation strategy.
🎯 Objectives
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025-CSA-01
1. Single Market Access (450+ million consumers)
• Harmonised curricula give graduates portable qualifications, enabling labour mobility across 27 Member States and boosting employability.
• Industry partners co-designing the courses can immediately tap an EU-wide talent pool with skills aligned to bio-based value-chains, accelerating market uptake of new bioproducts.
• By integrating requirements of CE-marking, REACH, SSbD and other EU-level regulations into training, companies reduce time-to-market in multiple countries simultaneously.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
• Mandatory multi-country consortium fosters exchanges between advanced bioeconomy hubs (e.g. NL, DE, FI) and Widening countries (e.g. RO, BG, HR), closing capacity gaps while creating new business pipelines.
• The networked approach enables joint pilot facilities, shared digital learning platforms and mutual recognition of ECTS credits, drastically lowering duplication costs.
• Mobility schemes (internships, research visits, Erasmus+ synergies) strengthen interpersonal networks essential for future R&I proposals.
3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies
• Direct contribution to the Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, Zero Pollution, EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the new Biotechnology & Biomanufacturing Initiative ensures political visibility and boosts chances of long-term policy support.
• Incorporating Blue Economy modules responds to the EU Ocean Mission, unlocking maritime funds and coastal regional development tools.
• Digital Europe synergies: integrating AI/DT technologies into biomanufacturing curricula aligns with the EU Digital Skills & Jobs Coalition, enabling additional digital capacity funding.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
• Pan-EU curriculum development embeds unified interpretations of SSbD, ESG reporting and Taxonomy Regulation, reducing compliance uncertainty for future graduates and employers.
• Early engagement with European Standardisation Bodies (CEN/CENELEC) can translate training outputs into pre-normative documents, smoothing EU-wide certification pathways.
5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem
• Links with European Bioeconomy University Alliance, Advanced Materials Academy, Regional Innovation Valleys and EIT-Climate/Manufacturing/Bio-KICs provide direct entry to >300 HEIs and RTOs.
• Participation in EU open science infrastructures (e.g. ESFRI bio-foundries, LifeWatch) gives students hands-on experience with cutting-edge equipment otherwise unaffordable nationally.
6. Funding Synergies & Leverage Potential
• Complementary EU instruments: Erasmus+ (mobility & micro-credentials), Digital Europe Centres of Excellence, Cohesion Policy funds (ESF+, ERDF), LIFE Programme (pilot actions on zero-pollution), InvestEU (scale-up loans for training facilities).
• Alignment with BIOEAST, NEBA Alliance and BBI/CBE JU legacy projects allows reuse of training materials and case studies, saving resources and speeding delivery.
• Successful pilots can be mainstreamed through Pact for Skills partnerships, securing post-grant sustainability.
7. Scale & Impact Advantages
• EU-level accreditation mechanisms (European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes) enable rapid replication of curricula in new languages and regions.
• A unified skills framework supports the creation of an EU talent observatory for bio-based systems, guiding investors and policymakers.
• Aggregated demand from multiple Member States justifies large-scale virtual labs and simulators, achieving economies of scale impossible at national level.
8. Strategic Value of Operating at EU Scale
1. Critical Mass: Consolidates fragmented national initiatives into a single, high-visibility flagship, attracting global partners and FDI.
2. Policy Influence: The consortium becomes a recognised stakeholder for future Green Deal legislation, shaping norms in favour of bio-based sectors.
3. Resilience & Sovereignty: Developing EU-home-grown biomanufacturing skills mitigates supply-chain risks and strengthens strategic autonomy in key materials and chemicals.
9. Actionable Recommendations for Applicants
• Engage at least 3 Widening countries and 2 coastal regions to maximise evaluation scores on inclusiveness and blue bioeconomy.
• Map and integrate existing MOOCs from previous H2020 projects to demonstrate efficiency and synergy.
• Include a work-package on ECTS/ECVET alignment and micro-credential issuance to ensure EU-wide recognition.
• Allocate budget for a ‘Skills Foresight Observatory’ linked to Eurostat and CEDEFOP, showcasing scalability and policy relevance.
• Plan for post-project sustainability via subscription-based e-learning platform co-funded by industry clusters and regional ESF+ programs.
🏷️ Keywords
Ready to Apply?
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Develop and deploy new curricula and knowledge exchange practices relevant to bio-based systems offering max €172.1M funding