Post Term: Public administration/Policy makers

Guidebook on engagement and co-creation methodologies.

Posted on by LIFT-Team

This guidebook starts with an introduction on the concept of outreach and engagement methodologies and activities. Besides, giving this general overview it presents three exemplary engagement models, outlines how BLOOM’s engagement activities can be aligned to the Grand Societal Challenge of Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, or marine and maritime and inland water research, and highlights activities that are considered to be both engaging and relevant to BLOOM’s approach of empowering citizens and raising awareness for bioeconomy.

Co-creation processes will be at the heart of BLOOM’s five regional hub activities because co-creation follows an approach of involving different perspectives and collaboratively designing tools, materials, processes, activities or strategies. A variety of targeted creative methods and creative tools feed into this guideline support the hub leaders designing the most appropriate suitable workshops and to choose most fitting methodologies to reach their goals. Therefore, besides background information on co-creation, its potential and general information about organising such workshops, this section provides also as practical support a selection of co-creation methods and an example of a co-creation workshop moderation sheet, to be adapted and used by the BLOOM hubs.

All in all this guidebook is set up to encourage the BLOOM partners and hubs to structure, plan, and implement an engagement model tailored to the specific needs, drivers and barriers of each hub and thus should serve as a pool of engagement methods, activities and background information and offers assistance with planning the BLOOM co-creation workshops.

The Macro-environment Surrounding BE-Rural’s Open Innovation Platforms

Posted on by LIFT-Team

With the recent update of its Bioeconomy Strategy, the guidance of its advisory bodies and the engagement of regional groups and representatives, Europe has found a new track towards a sustainable bioeconomy, building on the notion that regions are the most appropriate territorial level at which to implement bioeconomy strategies. The BE-Rural project incorporates this regional focus into its core vision, putting its regional Open Innovation Platforms (OIPs) front and centre in the process of studying the potential for regional bioeconomies, and articulating and implementing strategies to make them a reality.

In providing an outline of the macro-environment at each of the OIP regions, this task has also served to shed light on key points of collaboration between them, confirming previous notions of potential synergies and revealing new areas where the regional bioeconomies of BE-Rural could complement each other and contribute to the vision of a sustainable EU-wide bioeconomy.

BERST series of posters on project outcomes

Posted on by LIFT-Team

The aim of the BERST project was to gain understanding of the possibilities and challenges related to the enhancement of bio-based economies. BERST outcomes are accessible through two catalogues, hosted by VITO and by WUR respectively. The catalogues can be useful for a wide variety of stakeholders, from regional policy makers over local entrepreneurs to profit and non-profit organisations.

Major project findings are summarised in a series of posters, presented at the BERST final conference, that describe the various BERST outcomes: 

  • Conceptual framework;
  • Criteria and indicators describing (the readiness of) the regional bioeconomy;
  • Catalogue of Instruments & Measures to encourage regional bioeconomy development;
  • Activities targeting the development of a network of bio-regions;
  • Regional bioeconomy cluster profiles in seven regions across Europe, describing: their current state, regional structure/readiness, barriers as well as recommendations for bioeconomy cluster development; and
  • Guidelines for further research on bioeconomy clusters in EU regions.

Bioeconomy Research & Innovation Policy Landscape in Europe: A Review

Posted on by LIFT-Team

The overall objective of CASA was to help set a consolidated common agricultural and wider bioeconomy research agenda within the European Research Area. CASA achieved this by bringing the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) to the next level of performance as a research policy think tank.  It collaborated with the SCAR ) Bioeconomy Strategic Working Group (BSW), and supported a series of workshops aiming to facilitate development of national bioeconomy strategies in 11 Central European countries, Greece and Portugal.

Bioeconomy Research & Innovation Policy Landscape in Europe: A Review aims to review some of the principal research and innovation (R&I) policy frameworks existing and adopted at the EU level to support the bioeconomy, and in particular across the Directorate-General (DG) network including DG Research and Innovation (DG R&I), DG Agriculture and Rural Development (DG Agri) and DG for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Grow). These three DGs were chosen given their high relevance and close connection to bioeconomy development from perspectives of securing biomass inputs, improving processing technologies, creating industries and appropriate business models and forming and informing market demand. While the policies and supports of many other DGs inevitably also contribute to the European bioeconomy (e.g. DG Environment, DG Climate Action, DG Competition and DG Energy), the aim of this focused assessment is to review principal R&I policy interactions and identify any gaps in the system.

Overview of studies commissioned by CASA

Posted on by LIFT-Team

The overall objective of CASA was to help set a consolidated common agricultural and wider bioeconomy research agenda within the European Research Area. CASA achieved this by bringing the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) to the next level of performance as a research policy think tank.  It collaborated with the SCAR Bioeconomy Strategic Working Group (BSW), and supported a series of workshops aiming to facilitate development of national bioeconomy strategies in 11 Central European countries, Greece and Portugal.

This report briefly introduces the scope and main outcomes and outputs of 17  external studies that were commissioned by the CASA project.

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.