The BIOMODEL4REGIONS project aims to support the establishment of the innovative governance models at local/regional level to achieve better-informed decision-making processes, social engagement and innovation to support and strengthen EU and international science-policy interfaces to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by: - Supporting the development of regional/local strategies, aiming at exploiting the local potentials and innovations by integrating the opportunities created by the local bio-based economy thus contributing to the broader bioeconomy transition - Developing novel business models to enable consumers, industry/producers and public bodies to a societal switch towards environmentally responsible behaviour by means of biobased products and services - Developing best practice guidelines for local operators and innovation developers, supporting climate-neutrality and low environmental footprint improvements of bio-based products and services The methodology is based on the set-up of a governance structure among bioeconomy clusters that will leverage on previous successful projects, initiatives and best practices to capitalise on work performed through several years of research and studies in the field of bioeconomy. These results will be demonstrated within the project to support 6 pilot regions chosen in clusters’ network. The pilot regions , taking into account different model regions (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central-Western EU), their conditions and assets and different primary sectors (forestry, agri-food, aquatic biomass and organic fraction of municipal solid waste- OFMSW) will be demonstrated under a fully transferable case-study approach, that can be replicated throughout Europe to demonstrate the replicability of the approach after the end of the project.

Primary production in agriculture and forestry represents an essential part of the European circular bioeconomy. However, the involvement of primary producers in circular bio-based economy is still limited, and the benefits are in most cases not fairly distributed along the value chain, to the disadvantage of primary producers. Fair and sustainable business models that create opportunities for rural entrepreneurship and develop new forms of successful rural business are therefore needed. The purpose of C4B is to accelerate the development of rural communities and their economic viability by developing new fair and sustainable business models for different agricultural and forestry value chains. C4B business models will be designed to balance the share of power and profits across novel bio-based value chains and to enhance the cooperation among farmers, foresters and industry. This project will advance the understanding of bio-based value chains by carrying out a holistic analysis of different case studies in EU that considers technology, business environment, primary producers’ behaviour, contractual agreements and ownership, and sustainability. By providing financial support to third parties via Open Call, C4B will demonstrate the applicability, scalability and replicability of the new business models in different business settings and geographical areas, eventually stimulating the uptake of the new business models. Joining forces with complementary and trans-disciplinary stakeholders from agriculture, forestry and industrial sector, the C4B consortium will define key R&I priorities to be implemented by means of the coming EU funding programmes to support the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, as well policy recommendations to advise Member States for implementing realistic and effective national CAP Strategic Plans that entail bioeconomy interventions.

The overall goal of SCALE-UP is to support regional multi-actor partnerships, consisting of private businesses, governments and policymakers, civil society organisations, and researchers in identifying and scaling-up innovative and sustainable bio-based value chains that build on regional resources. Through its approach, SCALE-UP will adapt, implement and evaluate tools to help regional actors to overcome the apparent bottlenecks towards fully exploiting bioeconomy potentials in their region. A four phase methodology will: i) establish existing knowledge and set the stage for further research, as well as creating six regional platforms with local stakeholders; ii) facilitate cross-regional transfer of knowledge and demand-driven capacity building, and provide support to multi-actor partnerships to carry out market assessments and business model designs; iii) create a pan-European ‘Community of Practice’ to facilitate sharing good practices and lessons learned across European regions; and iv) disseminate and exploit project results in collaboration with key stakeholders. In addition to the focus on increasing capacity and knowledge on the bioeconomy among relevant actors in the regions, a key feature of SCALE-UP is the business development programme to be applied by the local communities. With an emphasis on the principles of co-creation, transparency and open innovation, the project will provide advisory support to innovators and regional stakeholders to assess market conditions, elaborate business plans and identify compatible funding sources for 12 bio-based solutions.

Bioeconomy projects are crucial for meeting the European Green Deal and EU's 2030 and 2050 climate goals, offering sustainable solutions for rural and coastal areas. Yet, the challenge of fragmented funding demands a mechanism to understand existing progress and guide stakeholders towards realising the full bioeconomy potential. ToBeReaL is set as a strategic 5-year European partnership designed to assist bioeconomy projects across diverse bio-based value chains. ToBeReaL is committed to adopting a comprehensive strategy to empower the bioeconomy sector. It offers specialized expertise and strategic support across four key pillars: Technical, Business & Financial, Regulatory & Legal, and Social Innovation. This initiative targets all EU regions, with a special emphasis on areas where the bioeconomy is less developed, ensuring a broad and inclusive approach. ToBeReaL leverages an extensive experience and expertise of its consortium, including 6 leading bioeconomy clusters, 3 recognised technological centres, and 4 SMEs specialised in areas critical for bioeconomy growth, such as funding, exploitation management, and policy development. This collective expertise underpins ToBeReaL's ambitious goal to foster a multi-actor approach, facilitating engagement among a wide range of stakeholders. By forging connections with related projects and initiatives, ToBeReaL aims to deepen the understanding of the bioeconomy's challenges and opportunities, raising awareness among policymakers, businesses, sector agencies, and investors alike. Through this effort, ToBeReaL seeks to amplify its impact by fostering collaborations across research, innovation, funding sources, and private investments, aiming to elevate competitiveness in the bio-based and bioeconomy sectors. By strategically aligning these elements, ToBeReaL compromises to catalyse bioeconomy projects at different levels, thereby significantly expanding the scope and influence of EU sustainable bioeconomy ventures.

Intermediate bioenergy carriers (IBC) are formed when biomass is processed to energetically denser, storable and transportable intermediary products analogous to coal, oil and gaseous fossil energy carriers. IBCs can be used directly for heat or power generation or further refined to final bioenergy or bio-based products. MUSIC aims to facilitate further market uptake of three types of IBC (pyrolysis oil, torrefied biomass and microbial oil) by developing feedstock mobilisation strategies, improving logistics and development of IBC trade centres. First an evaluation is made of framework conditions to identify barriers and enablers. This will constitute the basis for core project actions i.e. development of (a) regional feedstock mobilisation strategies (b) tools for mobilising biomass and optimising size and location of trade centres, (c) industry-driven advanced and strategic case studies (one each per region; eight in total) yielding (d) optimised, cost-effective solutions for logistics along the entire IBC value chain. Two dedicated work packages targeting (i) regional stakeholders and (ii) industrial market actors, from the primary sector, industry and beyond, will build platforms for regional discourse and industry dialogue in the four target regions (Greece, Italy, Sweden/Finland and International). Project results are to include – besides direct market uptake due to the case studies, practical guidance to market actors and advice to policy makers serving as input for more informed policy, market support and financial frameworks, . The MUSIC consortium is characterised by strong industrial involvement, broad coverage across Europe, and top-level experience developing logistics for IBC. It comprises Europe’s leading technology developers for the three IBC types targeted. MUSIC consortium partners have wide networks in industry and industry platforms, ensuring relevance and transferability of all results.