An analysis of bioeconomy governance in six European pilot regions was performed: the North Swedish Region, Sweden; Nitra, Slovakia; the Delta Region, Netherlands, Normandy, France; Tuscany, Italy; and Western Macedonia, Greece. For each region, it provides insights into the effectiveness of current policies and initiatives, and identifies opportunities for improvement, by applying a standardized quantitative assessment framework for bioeconomy-related governance across three key areas: implementation and financing, rule-setting, and information sharing.
Moreover, the study of bio-based business models in the six regions highlight both regional commonalities as well as distinct challenges. Some of the key external adoption drivers include supportive government policies, growing consumer demand for sustainable products and advancements in technological innovation. Yet several external barriers remain such as regulatory complexity, high production costs, fragmented supply chains and limited access to funding.
Building on previous findings and their understanding of regional conditions and assets, participants were invited to define a long-term vision for the bio-based economy in their respective regions, this led to the development of Six Regional Bio-Based Economy Strategy Blueprints, one by each Pilot Region.
Policy recommendations were also developed to provide structured and actionable guidance to the policymakers to foster the development of innovative governance structures at the regional and local levels. These structures aim to enable better-informed policy decisions, enhance social engagement, and stimulate innovation within the evolving landscape of the bio-based economy in Europe.
To demonstrate the project results the following events were organised:
- six webinars in local languages
- 1 webinar in the English language
- 3 workshops
Best Practice Guidelines for local operators and innovation developers were elaborated in 24 official languages across three key dimensions: (1) blueprint development processes (co-creation, capacity building, implementation roadmaps), (2) business model design (local anchoring, innovation, market alignment, sustainability), and (3) governance mechanisms (coordination, policy alignment, transparency).
A Replication Guide has been developed, which provides a practical roadmap, helping users identify the most suitable tools and approaches for their specific needs. It provides an overview of the intended users and the value each tool offers, step-by-step guidance for implementation, and best practice examples drawn from our six pilot regions.
