Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SYMBIO (Shaping symbiosis in bio-based industrial ecosystems based on circular by-design supply chains)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30
SYMBIO addresses the urgent need to accelerate Europe’s transition towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy.
SYMBIO’s overall objective is to design and implement a methodology for shaping symbiotic bio-based industrial ecosystems across twelve European pilot regions. By combining big data, artificial intelligence, and multi-stakeholder co-creation, the project develops, tests, and validates ten replicable zero-waste business models. These models integrate industrial symbiosis practices into regional value chains, demonstrating measurable environmental impacts such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced resource efficiency, and valorisation of secondary raw materials, while also generating new business opportunities and employment.
Expected impacts include strengthening regional resilience, accelerating the uptake of bio-based products in European markets, and providing robust policy recommendations to align industrial practices with the European Green Deal and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. By involving stakeholders from the quadruple helix and embedding social sciences perspectives the project ensures inclusiveness, local empowerment, and societal acceptance. In this way, SYMBIO contributes directly to Europe’s green transition, promoting a systemic shift towards industrial ecosystems that are profitable, sustainable, and socially responsive.
SYMBIO’s overall objective is to design and implement a methodology for shaping symbiotic bio-based industrial ecosystems across twelve European pilot regions. By combining big data, artificial intelligence, and multi-stakeholder co-creation, the project develops, tests, and validates ten replicable zero-waste business models. These models integrate industrial symbiosis practices into regional value chains, demonstrating measurable environmental impacts such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced resource efficiency, and valorisation of secondary raw materials, while also generating new business opportunities and employment.
Expected impacts include strengthening regional resilience, accelerating the uptake of bio-based products in European markets, and providing robust policy recommendations to align industrial practices with the European Green Deal and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. By involving stakeholders from the quadruple helix and embedding social sciences perspectives the project ensures inclusiveness, local empowerment, and societal acceptance. In this way, SYMBIO contributes directly to Europe’s green transition, promoting a systemic shift towards industrial ecosystems that are profitable, sustainable, and socially responsive.
During the first reporting period, SYMBIO concentrated its efforts on the scientific and technical foundations needed to operationalise industrial symbiosis across twelve European pilot regions.
The project began with the systematic mapping and assessment of biological resources, technologies, and infrastructures. Partners created a harmonised Regional Data Hub covering nearly 70% of European bioresources. This process enabled the selection of 12 promising bio-based products through SWOT analyses and the identification of critical gaps in supply chains. Stakeholder engagement played a central role in testing and validating the methodologies. Twelve regional meetings were organised, involving 226 participants and supported by “Two-Day Workshop Guides” available in eight languages. These workshops combined technical training with co-design sessions, ensuring that the proposed solutions reflected real regional needs and strengthening the robustness of the scientific outcomes.
Building on this foundation, the VCG.AI® digital platform was enhanced and applied to map 579 companies and 202 clusters—far exceeding initial targets. Through this, 47 circular value chains (BioLinks®) were modelled, linking regional biomass flows, technological processes, and market opportunities. These BioLinks® represent concrete pathways for zero-waste solutions and were validated in regional workshops, where stakeholders engaged directly with the platform to design and refine potential value chains. Approximately ten of these models emerged as the most promising and replicable at the European scale, laying the ground for further environmental and economic assessments.
In parallel, a methodological framework was developed under WP3 to evaluate the performance and replicability of symbiotic business models. This framework is based on Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Analysis (MCDMA), integrating nine key indicators across economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Complementary policy mapping at EU, national, and regional levels provided an overview of enabling conditions and barriers, particularly in relation to the European Green Deal and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. Together, these scientific activities ensured that SYMBIO’s technical outputs are not only grounded in solid data but also aligned with regulatory and market contexts.
At this stage, the project’s main scientific achievements include the creation of a harmonised regional bioresource inventory, the design and validation of 47 BioLinks®, the prioritisation of ten replicable business models, and the establishment of an integrated evaluation methodology. These outcomes provide actionable knowledge and tested models that demonstrate how industrial symbiosis can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve resource efficiency, and stimulate resilient regional bio-based economies. They also set the stage for the upcoming demonstration of environmental, social, and economic impacts in the next project phases
The project began with the systematic mapping and assessment of biological resources, technologies, and infrastructures. Partners created a harmonised Regional Data Hub covering nearly 70% of European bioresources. This process enabled the selection of 12 promising bio-based products through SWOT analyses and the identification of critical gaps in supply chains. Stakeholder engagement played a central role in testing and validating the methodologies. Twelve regional meetings were organised, involving 226 participants and supported by “Two-Day Workshop Guides” available in eight languages. These workshops combined technical training with co-design sessions, ensuring that the proposed solutions reflected real regional needs and strengthening the robustness of the scientific outcomes.
Building on this foundation, the VCG.AI® digital platform was enhanced and applied to map 579 companies and 202 clusters—far exceeding initial targets. Through this, 47 circular value chains (BioLinks®) were modelled, linking regional biomass flows, technological processes, and market opportunities. These BioLinks® represent concrete pathways for zero-waste solutions and were validated in regional workshops, where stakeholders engaged directly with the platform to design and refine potential value chains. Approximately ten of these models emerged as the most promising and replicable at the European scale, laying the ground for further environmental and economic assessments.
In parallel, a methodological framework was developed under WP3 to evaluate the performance and replicability of symbiotic business models. This framework is based on Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Analysis (MCDMA), integrating nine key indicators across economic, ecological, and social dimensions. Complementary policy mapping at EU, national, and regional levels provided an overview of enabling conditions and barriers, particularly in relation to the European Green Deal and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. Together, these scientific activities ensured that SYMBIO’s technical outputs are not only grounded in solid data but also aligned with regulatory and market contexts.
At this stage, the project’s main scientific achievements include the creation of a harmonised regional bioresource inventory, the design and validation of 47 BioLinks®, the prioritisation of ten replicable business models, and the establishment of an integrated evaluation methodology. These outcomes provide actionable knowledge and tested models that demonstrate how industrial symbiosis can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve resource efficiency, and stimulate resilient regional bio-based economies. They also set the stage for the upcoming demonstration of environmental, social, and economic impacts in the next project phases
SYMBIO has generated results in RP1 with strong potential impacts for the European circular bioeconomy. The mapping of biological resources, infrastructures, and technologies across twelve pilot regions resulted in a harmonised data hub covering most of Europe’s bioresources. This evidence base enabled the identification of twelve promising bio-based products and forty-seven circular value chains (BioLinks®), from which ten high-potential business models were prioritised. The development of the VCG.AI® digital platform proved essential in transforming large-scale data into actionable pathways for industrial symbiosis, linking biomass flows, technologies, and market opportunities. These achievements demonstrate the feasibility of creating replicable, zero-waste value chains that combine economic competitiveness with environmental benefits such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased resource efficiency.
The expected impacts are both regional and European. At regional level, the outcomes strengthen local ecosystems by empowering stakeholders, reducing biomass waste, and creating opportunities for SMEs and clusters to engage in new bio-based markets. At European level, the replicability of the business models positions SYMBIO to support the Green Deal and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy by promoting sustainable industrial practices, reducing dependency on fossil-based resources, and enhancing resilience through diversified bio-based supply chains.
The expected impacts are both regional and European. At regional level, the outcomes strengthen local ecosystems by empowering stakeholders, reducing biomass waste, and creating opportunities for SMEs and clusters to engage in new bio-based markets. At European level, the replicability of the business models positions SYMBIO to support the Green Deal and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy by promoting sustainable industrial practices, reducing dependency on fossil-based resources, and enhancing resilience through diversified bio-based supply chains.