The European Commission has opened applications to join a new European Bioeconomy Investment Deployment Group to help channel more funding into bio-based industries.
Expressions of interest must be submitted by 17 May, the Commission announced on Friday.
The platform is intended to bring together public and private finance bodies to address what it described as financing gaps for bioeconomy projects, including large-scale demonstration and first-of-a-kind industrial facilities.
The group is expected to include representatives from the European Commission, the European Investment Bank Group, national promotional banks, commercial banks, private financial institutions and selected investors.
The Commission said the work will focus on building a pipeline of “bankable” projects — proposals that lenders and investors can finance — and developing funding approaches such as blended finance, which combines public and private money.
Who can apply, and what happens next
Public and private organisations involved in investment promotion and financing for bio-based industries and related supply chains are invited to register their interest by emailing ENV-BIOECONOMY-STRATEGY@ec.europa.eu and DEPLOYMENT.GROUP@cbe.europa.eu, the Commission said.
Submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place, with invitations to follow after a review process, it added.
The call follows the EU’s Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy and references an European Investment Bank report that identified investment potential in the sector alongside a continuing funding gap for demonstration and first-of-a-kind projects.
