Towards a Europe of Bioeconomy Places

This destination will support the EU Commission priorities ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’ and ‘A new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness’.

The destination supports the EU Green Deal^[1] and contributes to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable prosperity by supporting the development of a more resilient circular economy in line with the EU Competitiveness Compass^[2], the announced EU Clean Industrial Deal^[3] and the EU Circular Economy Act.

It aims to increase market demand for secondary materials and establish a single market for waste, whilst enhancing Europe’s efforts to develop a single market for sustainable products. It will also support the implementation of the framework conditions set by the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.

Furthermore, the destination aims to facilitate the emergence and uptake of innovative, circular and bio-based materials, products, processes and value chains that play a key role for the defossilisation (reduction of feedstocks of fossil origin), climate neutrality and strategic autonomy of our economy, in line with the new EU bioeconomy strategy as well as with the New European Bauhaus.

In addition, this destination supports several key EU policies including the industrial strategy, the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan^[4] and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation^[5] and its working plan.

It also contributes to the EU Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, the SME strategy, the communication on safe and sustainable by design framework, the sustainable blue economy, the European Ocean Pact^[6], the European Water Resilience Strategy^[7], the European Life Sciences Strategy, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and the Nature Restoration Regulation.

Further support extends to the CAP, the EU forest strategy for 2030, the proposal for a Regulation on a forest monitoring framework, the EU proposal for a directive on soil monitoring and resilience, and the Vision for Agriculture and Food.

The destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions^[8].

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.

Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to “achieving healthy soils and forests, as well as clean air, fresh and marine water, whilst ensuring water resilience and the transition to a clean, competitive and circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy”, and more specifically to one or more of the following expected impacts:

• Improved climate change adaptation and mitigation through the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy and bioeconomy, underpinned by biotechnologies and sustainable industrial solutions, such as carbon capture and utilisation and recovery of materials, water and energy.
• Industrial competitiveness, sustainability and strategic autonomy are improved through the development of safe, sustainable, circular and/or bio-based value chains. This is done by promoting the efficient and circular use of secondary materials and water, fostering the multi-functionality of forests, and ensuring the sustainable supply of critical resources from land and sea.
• Living conditions for individuals and communities are improved through innovative, affordable and sustainable safe and sustainable by design products and services based on circular and/or bio-based solutions while demonstrating a reduction of environmental and climate pressures.
• Advanced societal transformation based on a systemic approach, as well as people’s involvement and integration of social sciences and humanities for fair, safe, sustainable and circular value chains, sustainable consumption patterns, environmental justice, gender equality and social inclusion.

[1] The European Green Deal - European Commission

[2] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/competitiveness-compass_en

[3] Clean Industrial Deal - European Commission

[4] European Chemicals Industry Action Plan – European Commission

[5] Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation – European Commission

[6] The European Ocean Pact - European Commission

[7] Water resilience strategy - European Commission

[8] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.

Expected Outcome:

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

• improved attractiveness of places through a systemic transition to “Bioeconomy Places”^[1], leading to increased investment in the bio-based sectors, job creation and overall well-being of the population, while reducing environmental and climate impacts and promoting sustainable development;
• sustainable and qualified Bioeconomy Places based on environmental, social and economic indicators, including awareness and skills development, capacity building, food systems sustainability, and contribution to climate action and biodiversity goals, are developed, allowing for comparison (in terms of the elements outlined in this paragraph) and knowledge-sharing between different bioeconomy places.

Scope:

The local character of biomass and other biological resources and the high number of micro-companies and SMEs involved in sectors that deal with biological resources explain why research and innovations are best developed in line with the local and regional context. “Places” (geographical defined areas as defined in the previous footnote) play an important role in the transition to a sustainable and circular EU bioeconomy and have proven to act as a good platform for matching EU top-level policies and best practices with bottom-up entrepreneurship and innovation that is mobilised to meet an ambition and vision for the bioeconomy. Bioeconomy places are expected to lead the transition to a sustainable and circular bioeconomy by building their capacity to develop and deploy innovative bioeconomy solutions within a clearly defined local/regional governance framework and vision that is aligned to EU priorities and policies.

Proposals should:

• develop definitions of and benchmarks that can allow to qualify a “Place” as “Bioeconomy Place” (i.e. a label to be awarded to “Places” that meet the definitions and benchmarks developed as part of the project), linked to and built upon the groundwork laid by the Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) for Bioeconomy and Food Systems, the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI)^[2] and other relevant projects. They should relate to the ability of the place to fulfil environmental (including biodiversity), social and economic sustainability criteria using bioeconomy solutions (e.g. including Nature-based Solutions), with particular attention to the sustainability of sourced biomass, climate mitigation, biodiversity protection circularity, food systems, social fairness and competitiveness.
• set up at least three “Bioeconomy Place” pilot sites, which are expected to be located in at least three different EU Member States/Associated Countries. At least one of the pilot sites should be located fully or partially in Ukraine. In these sites, proposals should:
  • carry out an analysis on needs, strengths and opportunities that should include but is not limited to infrastructure (analysing physical and digital conditions for bioeconomy industrial clusters to be established), value chains (e.g. biomass sourcing mapping and industrial capacity mapping, with particular attention to SMEs and start-ups), consumer and civil society needs and awareness, skill readiness and
  • devise, for each pilot site, a plan with commitments to transform the “Place” into a “Bioeconomy Place”, based on the analysis and benchmarks developed. These plans should:
    • foster multi-stakeholder partnerships with local actors, taking into account a gender-sensitive and inclusive approach and the specific needs of groups in vulnerable situations;
    • establish synergies between urban, rural (where relevant, coastal) areas to optimise resource flows and promote the creation of new business models, value chains and jobs;
    • develop training programmes that enhance technical and entrepreneurial skills, including biotechnology and digital skills relevant to the bioeconomy;
    • provide capacity-building for bioeconomy stakeholders on access to funding and capital and on how to prepare bankable projects and attract private capital; and
    • provide policy recommendations on how to progress in the deployment of bioeconomy solutions ensuring circularity.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach, involving educational and employment institutions, industrial actors, unions and local and regional authorities in order to co-create the knowledge and adapted solutions to foster the establishment of Bioeconomy Places across Europe. Collaboration among all the pilot sites set up under the projects of this topic should be fostered. Proposals are encouraged to incorporate and advance the knowledge and findings from previously funded EU projects^[3] and work with projects from topics under this WP. All projects under this topic need to closely collaborate.

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[1] For the purposes of this topic, Bioeconomy Places are understood as geographically-defined areas (such as regions, their sub-entities, groups of municipalities, rural or urban, including cross-border) where bioeconomy solutions are used for sustainable prosperity and community well-being considering the specific needs, strengths and potential of each place.

[2] Both the RIV and CCRI initiatives have already tested place-based circular bioeconomy solutions, fostering local innovation ecosystems and stakeholder collaboration. "Bioeconomy places" can leverage these established networks and lessons learned to scale up successful models, tailor solutions to regional strengths, and ensure coherence across EU territories in delivering a resilient and sustainable bioeconomy.

[3] For example, projects funded under H2020-RUR-09-2018, HORIZON-CL6-2021-CIRCBIO-01-08, HORIZON-CL6-2023-CIRCBIO-01-7, HORIZON-CL6-2023-CIRCBIO-01-10 and H2020_RUR-09-2018.