Post Term: Policy Brief

STAR4BBI Policy paper on strategy for development of an RCS framework

Posted on by LIFT-Team

Standards play a crucial role in supporting the growth of the bio-based products market. They can help to increase market transparency by providing common reference methods and requirements that enable the verification of claims and certification regarding the bio-based content, biodegradability or environmental sustainability of different products. However, inadequate standards can also act as barriers for certain products. So, what are the current EU standards or other related issues that hamper the growth of bio-based products? STAR4BBI (“Developing standards for bio-based industries”) analysed these barriers and proposed actions towards overcoming these.

The STAR4BBI policy paper on strategy for development of an Regulations, Codes and Standards (RCS) framework presents the main topics regarding policy and standardisation of bio-based products as well as various measures to support enabling environment for bio-based industries. The measures covered include: Introduction of a fossil carbon tax for all products; Development of a Sustainability Certification for all products; Establish a favourable regulatory framework for genome editing techniques in the EU; Update the existing Waste Framework Directive – WFD. The report represents the basis for developing a strategy for updating and further developing a supportive and investment-friendly regulatory and standardisation framework.

 

PROBIO Report on Policy Lessons

Posted on by LIFT-Team

PROBIO provided projects in the bioeconomy area with an opportunity to reach the market more effectively, through a number of actions: coaching projects to market uptake; facilitating links with industrial and financial investors; providing guidance on how to exploit Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) research; fostering networking and knowledge exchange between European bioeconomy initiatives and the most important sector players thus raising awareness towards policy makers and engaging the general public).

The PROBIO Report on Policy Lessons summarises lessons learnt, outlining policy issues, standards and regulations, and provides an overview of the final policy dinner debate event at the European Parliament.

BioLinX policy recommendations

Posted on by LIFT-Team

BioLinX supported participants in FP7 and H2020 bioeconomy related projects in commercializing their innovative ideas and connects them to markets and regional networks.

In order to support the further development of the bio-economy as well as an input to the forthcoming Horizon Europe research programme the project produced this leaflet with policy recommendations which reveals in an easily accessible and understandable way the learnings of BioLinX. These learnings are translated into ‘active’ policy recommendations.

S2Biom Policy options to mobilize sustainable non-food biomass resources for the bio-based economy

Posted on by LIFT-Team

The S2Biom project supported the sustainable delivery of non-food biomass feedstock at local, regional and pan European level through developing harmonised data sets, strategies, and roadmaps at local, regional, national and pan European level for EU28, Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Turkey. The project improved scientific evidence on the availability, cost supply, technologies and framework conditions (policy, financing, sustainability) for lignocellulosic non-food biomass by 2030.

This S2Biom report describes policy guidelines and exemplary policy options allowing policy makers from the respective levels to quickly appreciate potential support frameworks that exist and efficient ways to apply them to mobilize sustainable biomass resources for different market sectors of the bio-based economy.

RUBIZMO – Replicable business models for modern rural economies – Policy brief

Posted on by LIFT-Team

RUBIZMO will identify innovative business models with a significant potential to support modernisation and sustainable growth in rural economies, and relevant to the food sector, bio-based value chains and ecosystem services. Business models with the potential to contribute to the modernisation and sustainable growth of rural economies will be selected, packaged and classified according to their nature, comprising technologies, services, business support structures, financing mechanisms, etc.

The RUBIZMO Policy brief Anticipated Futures for Modern Rural Economies builds on a review of literature and EU policies for rural development, innovation, entrepreneurship and the bio-based economy. It provides a basis for conceptualizing modern rural economies. It outlines emerging opportunities to promote diversification, shared values, innovation, and resource conservation, and to reach a common understanding of the solutions to set up a “Modern Rural Economy” in different conditions.

BIO-TIC Pragmatic recommendations for action

Posted on by LIFT-Team

The BIO-TIC project comprehensively examined the innovation hurdles in industrial biotechnology (IB) across Europe and formulated action plans and recommendations to overcome them. The projects is built on three pillars: an online industrial biotech community, an assessment of biomass and sustainability in industrial biotech, and an action plan for industrial biotech in Europe.  As part of the action plan for industrial biotech three roadmaps to overcome barriers were developed: Market roadmap, R&D roadmap and Non-Technological roadmap.

Principal barrier to European industrial biotechnology development was cost-competitiveness, both compared to fossil alternatives and compared to other regions of the world. This was affected by many factors including the cost of feedstock, technology readiness levels, and the market support for bio-based products. The cost competitiveness issue was compounded by difficulties in accessing finance for large scale projects, an often low end user awareness of IB derived products and by a lack of skills and operational alliances to drive the sector forward.

This press release discusses ten pragmatic recommendations for action to tackle identified barriers and hurdles, and to ensure that most of the market potential is realised in Europe. These cover feedstock issues (improve the opportunities for feedstock producers within the bioeconomy, investigate the scope for using novel biomass), processing issues (promote the use of co-products from processing, improve the bioconversion and downstream processing steps, identify, leverage and build upon EU capabilities for pilot and demonstration facilities), investment challenges (introduce a long-term, stable and transparent policy and incentive framework to promote the bioeconomy, and improve access to finance for large-scale projects) and support for innovation more generally (develop the skills needed now and in the future for the IB industry, assess and improve public perception and awareness of IB and bio-based products, develop stronger relationships between conventional and non-conventional players).

The EU BioEconomy Contribution to Sustainable Development – Measuring the Impact

Posted on by LIFT Team

Developing a bioeconomy can make a significant contribution averting the ongoing climate crisis and to achieve sustainable development. The BioMonitor project develops and tests a monitoring and measuring framework for the EU bioeconomy. This policy brief outlines a framework for measuring the size and development of the bioeconomy. This framework considers drivers, impacts and results that depict the development of the bioeconomy. Moreover, it presents the sectors that cover the bioeconomy and includes the indicators for monitoring and measuring development. The development of new indicators concentrates on a) those describing sectors that are part of the bio-based economy and b) those describing public and private initiatives to advance the sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

Proposal for Alignment of National & EU Funding Schemes

Posted on by LIFT Team

This report was produced within the frame of the DanuBioValNet project (Deliverable 4.1.2 Policy Benchmarking Report), co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA) through INTERREG Danube Transnational Programme. It was prepared by Gregor Švajger (MIZS) and Michael Keller.

Insights on the Road to Innovation – Maximising researcher impact through communications and business support

Posted on by LIFT Team

The focus of the CommBeBiz H2020 project and its actions has been the researcher working within the Bioeconomy. This is because the ‘Big Idea’ that is the Bioeconomy needs confident and capable ambassadors who can speak with conviction and passion to society and interested stakeholders, backed up by the ‘evidence’ and experience that only the researcher and their authentic voice can bring.

CommBeBiz’s key conclusion is that the organisations that surround the research community – the ‘Ecosystem’ – must consider how best to support and ‘future-proof’ this central resource in order to bring the Bioeconomy to fruition. Researchers themselves must also arm themselves with the skills required to deliver the research impact that is now required of them.

CommBeBiz’s BeBizBlueprint presents the project’s key messages for the ‘Ecosystem’ together with the key learnings accumulated throughout the three years of its funded period.

THE EUROPEAN BIOECONOMY IN 2030

Posted on by LIFT Team

This White Paper is the result of discussions between the European Technology Platforms (ETPs) that cover different segments
of the European Knowledge-Based-Bioeconomy (KBBE) and a series of open meetings with their array of stakeholders. The
primary focus of this document is to elaborate on common themes and joint priorities across the widely diverse sectors relevant
for the European Bioeconomy. Naturally through the different roles of the sectors and the different stakeholders, each ETP will
put specific emphasis on the common goals while following their own specific objectives. Consequently this White Paper does
not replace, but complements, the Strategic Research Agendas (SRAs) of each individual ETP.

Acknowledgment:
This White Paper is the result of a successful collaboration between the following European Technology Platforms which have
been working together for two years in a project funded by the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)
(Contract KBBE-2008-226526: BECOTEPS – Bio-Economy Technology Platforms). The stakeholders represented in all the ETPs are
industry and academia. In addition, farmers, forest owners, consumers and civil society organisations are represented in the
relevant ETPs.