Bioeconomy policy support hub for Member States, regions and sectors

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• most Member States and regions^[1] have established the bioeconomy as an important policy field. Effective bioeconomy policies and strategies are developed and implemented with specific impact targets in mind;
• policies and action plans and roadmaps are coordinated across parts of government (e.g. Ministries) and across the quadruple helix (government, sectors, research & innovation, society) to take into account the cross-sectoral and place-based character of the bioeconomy, and the need for a whole of government approach. Platforms are established to facilitate dialogue, experimentation, learning and coordination;
• all actors of the quadruple helix (e.g. policy makers, NGOs, economic sectors) are aware of the bioeconomy, as well as of the potential and challenges that are specific for their perspective and context. The bioeconomy concept, its principles and its solutions and innovations are mainstreamed by sectors (e.g. food, textiles, chemicals, energy, agriculture, forestry).

Scope:

Proposals should:

• establish a European Bioeconomy Policy Support Hub to provide innovative approaches, hands-on support, learning and advise to Member States and regions on plans, roadmaps, policies and collaborations to deploy their bioeconomies;
• provide innovative tools to assess, on an ongoing basis, the stage of development of bioeconomy policies and strategies in Member States and regions, and to assess the quality of their implementation;
• provide relevant support, new approaches and recommendations to improve and/or take next steps. Take into account the learnings of the Report “Deploying the bioeconomy in the EU” (2021, European Commission), as well as the results of relevant Horizon Europe projects (e.g. ShapingBio, CEE2ACT, SCALE-UP);
• provide an overview of the uptake of new bioeconomy solutions based on biomass and biological resources (including ecosystems) in European value chains and sectors (including service sectors);
• provide innovative approaches, hands-on support, learning and advise to Member States and regions to deploy their bioeconomies. This can include activities that aim help to:
  • inform and engage political leadership on the potential of the bioeconomy;
  • establish or improve platforms facilitate policy dialogue, experimentation, learning and coordination (e.g. policy labs);
  • map the bioeconomy’s potential across sectors and society at regional and Member State level, and increase awareness;
  • advance skills of policy makers, and learn from best practices in bioeconomy policy and implementation;
  • set-up or improve local bioeconomy councils, i.e. platforms for dialogue between government, sectors, academia and society (quadruple helix) on bioeconomy policies, plans, roadmaps and their implementation;
  • put in place collaborations that facilitate the scaling-up of bioeconomy solutions in value chains and sectors that are relevant for the Member State or region;
  • monitor the bioeconomy as well as the change process it brings;
• ensure innovative approaches, hands-on support, learning and advise that is both generic (targeting all Member States and regions; or groups of Member States and regions) and tailormade (in response to questions from specific Member States and regions that express clear need and commitment to collaborate);
• carry out activities to maximize the geographical spread of its support and advice;
• enable structural dialogue with European Commission services, and collaborate with relevant initiatives such as the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) Joint Undertaking, European University Alliances, the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform or the BIOEAST initiative
• collaborate with such partners on a roadmap to ensure that key results, tools and approaches can be sustained after the end of the project;
• collaborate with relevant Horizon Europe projects (e.g. ShapingBio) and/or build on their results.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding since results could contribute to the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy’s monitoring of bioeconomy policy developments in EU countries and regions.

[1] Including Associated Countries and EEA Member States.