Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ROBIN (Deploying circular BIOecoNomies at Regional level with a territorial approach)
Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-08-31
Europe’s regional authorities play a crucial role as agents of just, inclusive and resilient economic development. ROBIN has empowered them with tailored support to co-shape governance structures and models that accelerate the deployment of their circular bioeconomy targets, while promoting social innovation and accounting for diverse territorial contexts. Through its activities, ROBIN has established and demonstrated the potential of innovative circular bioeconomy governance structures and models across five European regions — Ireland, Germany, Spain, Slovakia and Greece. Multi-Actor Regional Constellations (MARCs) were successfully set up in each region, engaging key quadruple helix stakeholders to co-create and implement novel governance structures mandated to coordinate and execute circular bioeconomy strategies with and for the entire actor ecosystem. A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework has measured the performance and impact of ROBIN’s actions and tools, delivering quantified evidence of their economic, social and environmental benefits. Moreover, more than 10 additional European regional authorities have tested ROBIN’s tools, confirming their transferability and added value, while also benefiting from mutual learning and capacity-building opportunities.
ROBIN has successfully established and mobilized five Multi-Actor Regional Constellations (MARCs) across its five participating regions. A baseline analysis of the bioeconomy policy mix, as well as the barriers and opportunities for the uptake of regional bioeconomy governance models, was conducted in each region and enriched through in-depth semi-structured interviews. To co-create and refine new and improved regional governance models and practices, five stakeholder workshops were organized with a total of 69 participants. These workshops resulted in the formulation of a value proposition and a new or improved regional governance model for each region. In parallel, ROBIN developed its three core tools, the Circular Bioeconomy Governance Model Canvas (CBGMC), the Bioeconomy Policy Monitoring Tool (PMT) and the Environmental Protection Planning (EPP). These tools were integrated into the ROBIN Toolbox, a user-friendly online platform providing guidance, knowledge, and practical tools for regional authorities developing circular bioeconomy governance models and strategies.
Building on the development of the ROBIN Toolbox, the project successfully completed two full rounds of testing and validation—Alpha and Beta testing—across all partner regions and beyond. Throughout these phases, regional nodes implemented a wide range of support and validation actions, engaging hundreds of stakeholders representing local governments, businesses, academia, and civil society. Each partner region carried out at least ten tailored support actions addressing local priorities such as policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning, while also conducting hands-on testing of Toolbox components and collecting structured feedback through standardized questionnaires. The evaluation and validation processes collected and analysed over 120 responses from partners and external stakeholders, resulting in the refinement and finalisation of all ROBIN tools and the delivery of the validated, user-ready ROBIN Toolbox. PED further applied the Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation (MAE) framework to assess changes in stakeholder capacities, governance practices, and perceptions, capturing measurable progress and producing evidence-based recommendations for future circular bioeconomy governance. The project also fostered extensive exchange of best practices and lessons learned through multi-level workshops, peer-learning events, and the signing of a Memorandum of Collaboration among the ROBIN regions, ensuring long-term cooperation. These insights were synthesised into the ROBIN Replication Guide, Toolkit and Policy Recommendations, aligned with complementary EU initiatives and co-developed with other Horizon Europe projects.
Building on the development of the ROBIN Toolbox, the project successfully completed two full rounds of testing and validation—Alpha and Beta testing—across all partner regions and beyond. Throughout these phases, regional nodes implemented a wide range of support and validation actions, engaging hundreds of stakeholders representing local governments, businesses, academia, and civil society. Each partner region carried out at least ten tailored support actions addressing local priorities such as policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning, while also conducting hands-on testing of Toolbox components and collecting structured feedback through standardized questionnaires. The evaluation and validation processes collected and analysed over 120 responses from partners and external stakeholders, resulting in the refinement and finalisation of all ROBIN tools and the delivery of the validated, user-ready ROBIN Toolbox. PED further applied the Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation (MAE) framework to assess changes in stakeholder capacities, governance practices, and perceptions, capturing measurable progress and producing evidence-based recommendations for future circular bioeconomy governance. The project also fostered extensive exchange of best practices and lessons learned through multi-level workshops, peer-learning events, and the signing of a Memorandum of Collaboration among the ROBIN regions, ensuring long-term cooperation. These insights were synthesised into the ROBIN Replication Guide, Toolkit and Policy Recommendations, aligned with complementary EU initiatives and co-developed with other Horizon Europe projects.
ROBIN developed an easy-to-use, practical digital Toolbox to support the operation of successful governance models at the regional level. The Knowledge Platform comprised a diverse collection of 20 circular bioeconomy governance models suitable for EU-wide regional implementation. Its good governance practices section provided 10 practical, ready-to-use examples to streamline the development of bioeconomy strategies. Among the ROBIN tools, the Circular Bioeconomy Governance Model Canvas enabled regional policymakers to explore governance models and structures; the Bioeconomy Policy Monitoring Tool supported the assessment of governance models across environmental, social, and governance factors; and the Environmental Protection Planning Tool focused on improving regional environmental management and promoting eco-friendly practices. The Support Actions Portfolio (SAP) offered 49 inspirational examples of capacity-building actions to strengthen regional implementation. Furthermore, ROBIN laid the foundations for enhanced local and regional collaboration among all stakeholders involved in the circular bioeconomy through the establishment and active engagement of its five Multi-Actor Regional Constellations (MARCs). Regional teams delivered Toolbox validation activities, including workshops, stakeholder events, hands-on testing, and online surveys, while also implementing ten selected Support Actions per region. Overall, regional social measures and business practices with strong potential to generate realistic, actionable, and sustainable results for promoting the bio-based economy were implemented, and the participating regional authorities were supported in advancing a shared vision for the future of the circular bioeconomy and in designing or refining their regional bioeconomy strategies.