As demonstrated by a number of studies, awareness, knowledge and education on sustainable production and consumption, are important factors determining behavioural changes towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Despite the important investments, strategies and action plans implemented at Regional, National and European level, the 2018 revision of the European Bioeconomy Strategy states that “increasing public awareness and knowledge about all areas of the bioeconomy remains one a major challenge, which the European Commission aims to address by supporting communication initiatives to raise awareness of the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the bioeconomy and bio-based products, and its benefits, such as more green jobs”.
Additionally several EU funded projects and initiatives have been developed across Europe, over the last decade, to raise awareness, communicate and educate on the Circular Bioeconomy and its environmental and socio-economic impacts, addressing a wide range of target audiences, through tailored communication and education activities implemented at local, regional and national level.
Transition2Bio has built upon the most relevant communication and education EU funded projects and initiatives integrated packages of activities addressing a wide range of target stakeholders in order to:
● Valorize and exploit sectoral communication tools and activities developed at national, regional and local level by EU funded bioeconomy projects and other relevant initiatives
● Raise awareness on bioeconomy at large and the related environmental and socio-economic impacts for European citizens through communication activities
● Contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable production, consumption and lifestyles through engagement and education activities
● Contribute to the deployment of the regional bioeconomy strategies by providing Member States and Regions with methodologies, mentoring, capacity building, tools and materials to raise awareness and communicate bioeconomy (contributing to action 2.3 of updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy)
● Facilitate the identification of the educational and training needs towards the creation of an innovation ecosystem for bioeconomy (contributing to action 2.4 of updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy)
● Strengthen the European Bioeconomy Network to maximize the collaboration among and impacts of EU-funded projects in bioeconomy (contributing to action 2.3 of updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy) Transition2BIO is promoted by the founders of the European Bioeconomy Network, an alliance of projects and initiatives promoting Bioeconomy. The project partners are involved in the most relevant communication and education EU funded projects (BIOVOICES, BLOOM, SHERPA, BE-Rural, Biobridges, LIFT, NEXTFOOD, BoostEdu, etc) and initiatives like the European Bioeconomy University.
