The project organised two high-level European conferences addressing key aspects of the bioeconomy and transformative governance for food systems and biodiversity. These events served as the core activities of the project and brought together policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and other stakeholders from across Europe.
The first conference focused on boosting and mainstreaming the bioeconomy in Europe. It provided a platform for discussing the development and implementation of the upcoming EU Bioeconomy Strategy, with particular attention to circularity, sustainable resource use and cross-sector collaboration. The second conference addressed transformative governance and explored how policies related to food systems, biodiversity, climate and health can be better aligned and implemented in a coordinated way.
The development of both conferences involved close collaboration between national authorities, research institutions and European Commission services. The programmes were co-designed with input from a wide range of stakeholders to ensure relevance, scientific quality and policy alignment. Sessions included keynote presentations, panel discussions and interactive formats that encouraged dialogue and knowledge exchange.
A key achievement of the project was the successful mobilisation of a broad and diverse group of participants, including representatives from European partnerships, Horizon Europe projects and policy networks. This ensured that discussions were informed by the latest research and innovation activities and reflected a wide range of perspectives across sectors and countries.
The conferences generated several important outcomes. A conference output paper on the bioeconomy was produced, summarising key conclusions on the need for a clear strategy, policy coherence, strong communication and sustainable use of biomass. In addition, policy-oriented materials related to transformative governance for food systems and biodiversity were developed, including recommendations and contributions to ongoing EU-level discussions.
The project also contributed to strengthening the evidence base for integrated and systemic approaches to sustainability. Discussions highlighted the importance of linking research, policy and practice, and of adopting whole-systems perspectives that consider interactions across sectors and value chains.
Overall, the main achievements of the project include the successful delivery of two coordinated European conferences, the generation of policy-relevant outputs, and the strengthening of collaboration and knowledge exchange among key actors working on bioeconomy, food systems and biodiversity. These outcomes contribute to advancing the understanding and implementation of more coherent and effective approaches to sustainability in Europe.
