Bridging research and innovation efforts for a sustainable bioeconomy

Specific challenge: The bioeconomy encompasses the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy[1]. It cuts across many different sectors and research and innovation fields, and has a wide range of socio-economic implications. Addressing comprehensively inter-connected societal challenges related to the bioeconomy requires: 1. Ensuring a responsible and participative governance, by overcoming the current lack of information and public debate on the bioeconomy, while responding to citizens' needs and concerns,  by providing adequate support to new promising markets, and by reconciling conflicting policies and ethical concerns; and  2. Integrating efforts undertaken throughout all steps of the research and innovation chain, to facilitate the flow from discovery to market applications and to speed up the innovation process.

Scope:Proposals should addres