THE BIOTECHNOLOGY IPCEI IDENTIFICATION PROCESS – THE NATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS’ INTERVIEWS
SUMMER 2025
June 25th, 2025
Joint European Forum for IPCEI
Biotechnology IPCEI Work Group
Joint European Forum for IPCEI
Biotechnology IPCEI Work Group
1 What is an IPCEI?
Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) are large, cross-border initiatives that Member States jointly pre-assess and endorse when a technology area is so strategic that normal market forces and traditional EU funding tools are not enough. A pre-assessment fiche tests whether the proposed field:
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tackles a clearly defined market or systemic failure,
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aligns with EU policy objectives,
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will generate significant economic and societal spill-overs across at least four countries, and
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is better served by the IPCEI State-aid framework than by any existing programme.
Only after this scrutiny—and a positive “common-interest” finding and endorsement by Member States—can the design phase start.
For more information, please refer to:
1. Factsheets – simplified explainers of IPCEIs: LINK
2. For more detailed information – technical guidance on IPCEI conditions and the process: LINK
For more information, please refer to:
1. Factsheets – simplified explainers of IPCEIs: LINK
2. For more detailed information – technical guidance on IPCEI conditions and the process: LINK
2 Why a Biotechnology IPCEI?
Europe’s climate-neutral, circular-economy ambition cannot be met by renewable energy and green hydrogen alone: carbon-based molecules remain indispensable in the production of critical chemicals, materials, components for food and feed. Today, that carbon is overwhelmingly fossil. The potential future biotechnology IPCEI addresses research and development and innovation projects of major innovative nature and projects of first industrial deployment aiming to:
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replace fossil carbon with renewable carbon from biomass, recycling and CO₂ capture, addressing strategic dependencies and climate targets;
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scale first industrial deployment of bio-processes and bio-refineries whose capital needs and “valley-of-death” risks are too high for a single enterprise or one nation to bear;
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respond to mounting pressures on land, water and nutrition by delivering sustainable proteins, functional ingredients and other food and feed components for a fast-growing global population; and
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leverage Europe’s bioeconomy strengths to contribute to the subsequent creation of high-value manufacturing and jobs in the EU.
3 Scoping papers at a glance
The three scoping papers are drafted by the Biotechnology-IPCEI working group (15 Member States, co-led by Germany, Finland and Estonia), in consultation with EU-level industry and research bodies. Their purpose is to identify, at this early IPCEI identification phase, which focus areas on Biotechnology could be the best fit for an IPCEI candidate.
Focus
Bio-based chemicals
Bio-based materials
Key components for food & feed
Essence of the opportunity
Use renewable carbon to make drop-in or novel platform chemicals (e.g., ethylene, FDCA) that feed multiple value chains—from polymers to agrochemicals—cutting fossil dependence and CO₂ while opening a €21 bn global market.
Convert sustainably sourced biomass, wastes and biogenic CO₂ into high-value materials for packaging, textiles, construction, automotive and more. Projects focus on first industrial deployment of breakthrough processing that boosts resource efficiency and EU resilience by substituting imported, fossil-based materials.
Deploy advanced fermentation, cellular agriculture and novel bioprocessing to produce alternative proteins, vitamins, enzymes and functional ingredients for food (for human consumption) and feed (for animal consumption). Address climate, food-security and health challenges while tapping a projected $100–150 bn protein market; needs cross-border pilot-to-demo capacity, shared safety-testing datasets and demand-aggregation mechanisms.
Synergy: all three streams can co-exist in integrated biorefineries, valorising every biomass fraction and creating circular, low-carbon feedstocks for chemicals, materials and nutrition.
4 Biotechnology IPCEI – written questionnaire for national consultation
Purpose. Your answers will feed the pre-assessment fiche that EU Member States that belong to Biotechnology IPCEI working group prepare before proposing an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) for design. Please complete all sections, distinguishing between the three focus areas (chemicals, materials, food/feed), that apply to your organisation. Where questions / focus areas are not relevant for you, indicate “N/A”.
How to respond: For each open question use up to 300 words unless otherwise noted. Numeric answers (e.g. investment size) may be ranges. Deadline for submission: 15.08.2025. The questionnaire can be filled in independently by the respondent or filled in by an interviewer during a 1:1 interview. (Here you can download the questionnaire as a PDF: DOWNLOAD.)
How to respond: For each open question use up to 300 words unless otherwise noted. Numeric answers (e.g. investment size) may be ranges. Deadline for submission: 15.08.2025. The questionnaire can be filled in independently by the respondent or filled in by an interviewer during a 1:1 interview. (Here you can download the questionnaire as a PDF: DOWNLOAD.)