BioLinX supported participants in FP7 and H2020 bioeconomy related projects in commercializing their innovative ideas and connects them to markets and regional networks.
BioLinX longread: Project positioning, execution & outcome is the publishable final report of the BioLinX project. It tells the story of the BioLinx project and contains brief/simplified BioLinX project overview and introduction.
This document summarises the results obtained from 5 focus groups (27 participants in total) and 11 interviews to relevant agents of the Bio Industry sector carried out during the first week of May 2019 in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Poland, Spain and The Netherlands.
The development of the focus groups and the interviews have been guided considering, on the one hand, the current scenario of the bio-economic sector and, on the other hand, the desired scenario for the year 2030, thus allowing to obtain reliable information for the design of the subsequent tools for the collection of data as foreseen in the project.
The seeds of the CommNet network were sown in 2005 when a number of those involved in the dissemination of Framework 6-funded projects in food-related areas formed an informal network to discuss their activities and share best practice. The network tried to deal with many of the challenges faced by those aiming to get the results of EU research out to relevant stakeholders.
As the value of such a network in helping to support communicators was recognised, the CommFABnet project began in 2012 to continue the CommNet network, broadening the reach to cover projects funded under framework programmes 6 and 7 in the KBBE (Knowledge-Based Bioeconomy) areas of food, fisheries, forestry, agriculture and biotechnology. The aim of the project was to facilitate the communication
of EU Bioeconomy research to the general public and to key target groups including: media, young people, industry and policy makers.
The CommNet network, as part of the CommFABnet project, included project members, individual members from EU-funded projects and subscribers, who received updates and newsletters after signing up on the project website www.commnet.eu.
The CommNet networks have been key to the success of the CommFABnet project.
Projects in the network were offered a range of services when they joined: free communications training courses; support with communicating to the general public, to industry and policy makers and to children and young people. Further details of the activities and achievements in these areas are provided later in this report.
The Open-Bio project aims at increasing the uptake speed of standards, certification systems, labels and data sheets for bio-based products. Public acceptance of bio-based products is increased through ensuring, verifying and visualizing the sustainable sourcing of raw materials, the effective bio-content, the end-of-life options and clear indication of their (comparative) functionality in relation to the regular products. These positive effects will indirectly result in faster growth of the bio-based product industry and increased share of bio-based in the total use of final (consumer) products and intermediates. The Open-bio project promotes these positive effects by facilitating the development and optimization of standards, (ecological) labels and product information databases.
This Seventh Framework Programme project commenced in November 2013. It is partially a follow-up on a pending pre-normative project (KBBPPS), which had initiated the development of standardised methods to test bio-based products for various properties. The current project took these proposed standards forward and elaborated a number of new ones, considering aspects as diverse as the determination of the total bio-based content of a product, its likely biodegradation in sea water, its compostability and the extent to which it can be recycled. Standardised methods help manufacturers to substantiate their claims about the biobased content and related properties of their products. Several of those proposed by the two successive projects have been submitted to the European Committee for Standardization
(CEN) and the International Standardization Organisation (ISO). Four have been adopted, and several more are being finalised in cooperation with these bodies.
In addition to that, it is important that all properties and applications are clearly communicated to the users of bio-based products. Open-Bio has established guidelines for ecological labelling of and for the product information supplied together with bio-based products. A socio-economical investigation towards bio-based products acceptance in six EU Member States complements the work. In the end, the result is intended to lead to standards and policy rules at European level.
The report outlines recommendations and best practices for future dissemination and communication initiatives at both European (e.g. projects within H2020) or national/regional level aiming to promote bio-based products and support bioeconomy in general. Moreover, the report highlights the actions needed for the better implementation of the BBI-JU programme in terms of increasing consumers’ awareness and trust of bio-based products and industries which will lead to enhanced public acceptance of the socio-economic and environmental benefits of bio-based products
