Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BIObec (Preparing the creation of Bio-Based Education Centres to meet industry needs and boost the contribution of the bioeconomy to societal challenges)
Período documentado: 2021-09-01 hasta 2024-02-29
The development of a circular Bioeconomy can contribute to answering to some of the major challenges of our society, such as world food needs, climate change and resource scarcity. Unlocking the full potential of the bioeconomy and its value chains requires a systematic and collaborative perspective for the development of new skills, educational approaches and organisational solutions to provide education and training services. While a lot of work has been done in this direction, the current system is particularly weak in terms of organisational solutions able to bring the right expertise to industry in the context of the current ecological transition.
The overall aim of the BIOBEC project is to create a holistic framework for developing and establishing multi-level Bio-Based Education Centres (BBECs) that are flexible enough to answer the present and future needs of the industry and of the surrounding ecosystem at local, regional and/or national levels.
Specific objectives are the following:
Objective 1 - To provide a comprehensive understanding of needs and define criteria and conditions for Bio-Based Education Centres (BBECs) to create dynamic ecosystems
Objective 2 . To define the most effective design and business models for developing and establishing a BBEC and their educational activities
Objective 3 - To provide governance plans, learning programs and feasibility assessment of proposed BBECs
Objective 4 - To provide a roll-out strategy and a roadmap for coordinating the replication of BBEC at European and international level, fostering the outcomes exploitation and collaborations
Objective 5 - To ensure motivated co-creation, stakeholder involvement, dissemination and communication
The overall aim of the BIOBEC project is to create a holistic framework for developing and establishing multi-level Bio-Based Education Centres (BBECs) that are flexible enough to answer the present and future needs of the industry and of the surrounding ecosystem at local, regional and/or national levels.
Specific objectives are the following:
Objective 1 - To provide a comprehensive understanding of needs and define criteria and conditions for Bio-Based Education Centres (BBECs) to create dynamic ecosystems
Objective 2 . To define the most effective design and business models for developing and establishing a BBEC and their educational activities
Objective 3 - To provide governance plans, learning programs and feasibility assessment of proposed BBECs
Objective 4 - To provide a roll-out strategy and a roadmap for coordinating the replication of BBEC at European and international level, fostering the outcomes exploitation and collaborations
Objective 5 - To ensure motivated co-creation, stakeholder involvement, dissemination and communication
All of the above objectives were achieved by the end of the of the project.
In particular, objective 1 (WP1) included surveys and workshops, and delivered:
• A list of appropriate indicators identified for assessment of ecosystem needs
• A comprehensive report collecting contributions from stakeholders providing inputs for the definition of BBECs in terms of regional needs and preliminary design options
• A list of criteria and conditions identified for BBEC setting up
Objective 2 (WP2) included internal surveys and co-creation workshops and delivered:
• Framework model for the selection and designation of BBECs to cover different regional conditions and topics
• Assessment report of state of the art in education centre design and implementation
• Business models of existing education centres
• Business model and preliminary design of the 6 Education centres to be designed during BIOBEC.
Objective 3 (WP3) including an assessment of the centres under the lens of economic and financial sustainability, governance models and education programs. and delivered:
• detailed governance models for the six BBEC
• detailed programs for education and other activities of the six BBEC
• ex-ante economic and financial analysis and identification of sources of funding for the six centres
• overall sustainability analysis of the six centres
• cross-centre comparison and analysis of lessons learned for the implementation of bioeconomy education centres in different contexts
Objective 4 (WP4) delivered:
• A replication roadmap, including suggested strategies, procedures and tools for the involvement of relevant players
• Capacity building materials
Objective 5 (WP5) included a number of activities for the mobilisation and engagement of stakeholders and ensure visibility of the project. This in particular delivered:
• Establishment of a Project website, Newsletter, Press releases, Videos and Project Flyers
• Social media visibility on Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube
• Establishment of the Implementation and Replication Working Group (IRWG), a network of motivated actors supporting the design of the centres and potentially active in their implementation
• A wider network of stakeholders informed about the project activities.
The results show that there are great differences in conditions, opportunities, and visions for BBECs depending on their regional contexts. Each centre needed to design its very specific set-up in order to fulfil its very specific objectives. As a result, there are differences in the BBECs’ business models and governance structures.
The six regional BBECs’ business models are focused on the quintuple helix model and involve key partners from education, industry, research, government and society. Key activities include e.g. providing education and related material, connecting actors and maintaining online platform.
The BBECs’ value propositions include providing bioeconomy education and materials, improving students’ and employees’ competences to support industry’s needs, and connecting actors together through versatile networks. Customer relationships range from personal meetings to open collaboration through networks. Education organisations, students, companies and their employees, research organisations, public organisations, and policy makers are their customers. Cost structures are based on costs derived from administration, employment activities and platform maintenance. Revenues are gained from the detailed services provided by the BBECs, different subscription or advertisement fees and public and private funding.
The commonalities and differences between the BBECs suggest that a close exchange of knowledge and experiences between the pilot cases should be facilitated and opportunities for collaborative action and peer learning created to support the development of thriving BBECs, as well as a certification strategy allowing to give vi recognition to the centres. The same applies for potential replicators and for those willing to learn how to design a centre.
In particular, objective 1 (WP1) included surveys and workshops, and delivered:
• A list of appropriate indicators identified for assessment of ecosystem needs
• A comprehensive report collecting contributions from stakeholders providing inputs for the definition of BBECs in terms of regional needs and preliminary design options
• A list of criteria and conditions identified for BBEC setting up
Objective 2 (WP2) included internal surveys and co-creation workshops and delivered:
• Framework model for the selection and designation of BBECs to cover different regional conditions and topics
• Assessment report of state of the art in education centre design and implementation
• Business models of existing education centres
• Business model and preliminary design of the 6 Education centres to be designed during BIOBEC.
Objective 3 (WP3) including an assessment of the centres under the lens of economic and financial sustainability, governance models and education programs. and delivered:
• detailed governance models for the six BBEC
• detailed programs for education and other activities of the six BBEC
• ex-ante economic and financial analysis and identification of sources of funding for the six centres
• overall sustainability analysis of the six centres
• cross-centre comparison and analysis of lessons learned for the implementation of bioeconomy education centres in different contexts
Objective 4 (WP4) delivered:
• A replication roadmap, including suggested strategies, procedures and tools for the involvement of relevant players
• Capacity building materials
Objective 5 (WP5) included a number of activities for the mobilisation and engagement of stakeholders and ensure visibility of the project. This in particular delivered:
• Establishment of a Project website, Newsletter, Press releases, Videos and Project Flyers
• Social media visibility on Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube
• Establishment of the Implementation and Replication Working Group (IRWG), a network of motivated actors supporting the design of the centres and potentially active in their implementation
• A wider network of stakeholders informed about the project activities.
The results show that there are great differences in conditions, opportunities, and visions for BBECs depending on their regional contexts. Each centre needed to design its very specific set-up in order to fulfil its very specific objectives. As a result, there are differences in the BBECs’ business models and governance structures.
The six regional BBECs’ business models are focused on the quintuple helix model and involve key partners from education, industry, research, government and society. Key activities include e.g. providing education and related material, connecting actors and maintaining online platform.
The BBECs’ value propositions include providing bioeconomy education and materials, improving students’ and employees’ competences to support industry’s needs, and connecting actors together through versatile networks. Customer relationships range from personal meetings to open collaboration through networks. Education organisations, students, companies and their employees, research organisations, public organisations, and policy makers are their customers. Cost structures are based on costs derived from administration, employment activities and platform maintenance. Revenues are gained from the detailed services provided by the BBECs, different subscription or advertisement fees and public and private funding.
The commonalities and differences between the BBECs suggest that a close exchange of knowledge and experiences between the pilot cases should be facilitated and opportunities for collaborative action and peer learning created to support the development of thriving BBECs, as well as a certification strategy allowing to give vi recognition to the centres. The same applies for potential replicators and for those willing to learn how to design a centre.
The project designed 6 BBEC pilots ensuring wide geographical coverage in Europe and addressing different topics linked to the variety of value chains and institutional contexts (vocational to university level, primary producers, processors, SMEs to MNCs).
BIObec clarified the needs of the different regional ecosystems and provided detailed design, economic and financial assessment, governance plans for the educational training centres, as well as plans for lifelong learning programmes. It also developed collaborative approaches to maximize the synergies between them at the European and international level.
Through these outputs, BIOBEC represents a major asset for future bioeconomy education actions at country, EU and international level.
BIObec clarified the needs of the different regional ecosystems and provided detailed design, economic and financial assessment, governance plans for the educational training centres, as well as plans for lifelong learning programmes. It also developed collaborative approaches to maximize the synergies between them at the European and international level.
Through these outputs, BIOBEC represents a major asset for future bioeconomy education actions at country, EU and international level.