BioINSouth project aims to support decision-makers in incorporating ecological considerations into regional bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps, focusing on circular bio-based activities. BioINSouth will develop guidelines and digital tools, considering the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) assessment framework, to support the adoption of innovative methodologies to assess environmental impacts in multiple industrial bio-based systems, increasing regional competitiveness and innovation capacity, and contributing to the EU fair & green transition. BioINSouth applies a multi-actor approach to provide regional solutions that can be replicated throughout Europe, for meaningfully incorporating environmental and socioeconomic aspects in bio-based industrial systems. Intense interaction among all players in the bioeconomy value chain, through fora, workshops, and clustering activities strengthens the impact of BioINSouth in local and EU level. BioINSouth will build up its methodology in eight European regions (Campania – Italy, Peloponnese – Greece, Andalusia and Asturias – Spain, Centro Region – Portugal, Nouvelle-Aquitaine – France, Slovenia and, Cyprus) by establishing an equal number of use cases, to achieve the following 8 specific objectives:
- Setting up the Multi-Actor Regional Groups (MARGs) by involving at least eight stakeholders of the Quadruple Helix, per region
- Establishing the BioINSouth HUBs in each of the eight regions by providing guidelines for the action plan and mobilisation of the HUBs
- Developing new, or improve existing methodologies and digital tools for the assessment of environmental impacts and circularity of bio-based systems (market growth of bio-based chemicals, ingredients, and materials, biomass availability, impact assessment of biobased value chains)
- Assessment of impacts on food security, land use, land use change, forestry, biodiversity and ecosystems integrity
- Constructing an integrated toolkit to include digital tools, methodologies and guidelines to support decision – makers to incorporate considerations of ecological limits into regional bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps
- Designing an effective regional monitoring system applicable to various bioeconomy sectors in the context of Southern Europe, to ensure a wider geographical impact of project results
- Demonstrating the use of the integrated toolkit in HUBs level, while performing analyses of regional policies
- Co-developing policy recommendations for sustainability and circularity in industrial bio-based systems for strengthening integration into regional bioeconomy strategies
- Ensuring wide visibility and replication of the BioINSouth experience and results
