Funding for Bio-based Business Models

Neli Georgieva; Stefan Kah

Funding for Bio-based Business Models

Policy Brief

Publication: Policy Brief
Citation: Georgieva, N., Kah, S. (Eds) 2021: Funding for bio-based business models. Policy Brief. Ecologic Institute.

How can small-scale bio-based businesses secure the support they need to thrive? This BE-Rural policy brief highlights the main barriers to financing and outlines key recommendations for policymakers.

The brief calls for stronger governance to align sectoral and territorial policies, and for investments in place-based strategies that build on local knowledge and resources. Cooperation across value chains is identified as essential, as are financial mechanisms that provide support at every stage, from research and development to commercialisation. Alongside funding, the brief stresses the importance of "soft" measures such as simplified regulations and advisory services to guide entrepreneurs.

Taken together, these actions can unlock the potential of local bio-based businesses, enabling them to create economic, social, and ecological value for rural regions across Europe.

This policy brief, including its template design, was produced by Ecologic Institute within the BE-Rural project.

Strong governance, place-based strategies, and tailored financial and regulatory support are essential to unlock the potential of small-scale bio-based businesses in Europe's rural regions.

Contact

Holger Gerdes

Coordinator Bioeconomy

Senior Fellow

Analysing Market Conditions and Designing Business Models within BE-Rural's OIPs

Deliverable 5.1 H2020 research project BE-Rural

Year 2020

Event:Conference

After 40 months of collaboration, the BE-Rural project concluded with its Final Conference, held in Frombork, Poland, from 11 to 14 July 2022. Approximately 40 project members and regional bioeconomy stakeholders – representing research organisations, universities, cluster associations, local action groups and regional authorities from eight EU Member States and candidate countries – gathered to reflect on BE-Rural's achievements.

Inspiring Regional Agendas for Inclusive Bioeconomies

BE-RURAL Final Conference

11 - 14 July 2022
Frombork, Poland

Event:Workshop

Within the framework of the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2020, Holger Gerdes and Zoritza Kiresiewa, together with the POWER4BIO project, organized a breakout session on "Local-Level Bioeconomy" on 18 November 2020. This session formed part of the workshop "Rebooting the economy – sustainability, growth, and climate action delivered by the bioeconomy," which the European Commission's DG RTD hosted in collaboration with BE-Rural, POWER4BIO, and other partners. Holger and Zoritza took charge of the program design: they introduced BE-Rural, implemented participatory methods, and coordinated the flow via digital platforms so that more than 30 participants engaged interactively.

Benefits of Participatory Development of Regional Bioeconomy Strategies

18 November 2020
online

Publication:Book Section

Cover of the book "Zukünfte nachhaltiger Bioökonomie. Kommunikation und Partizipation in neuen Wirtschaftsformen"

A democratic dialogue with a broad spectrum of stakeholders and the society is considered necessary for the transformation to a sustainable bio-based economy. As such, several dedicated bioeconomy strategies across Europe and beyond outline objectives towards broader stakeholder and public engagement. In this book chapter Zoritza Kiresiewa, Laurens Duin and Holger Gerdes address the degree of participation and the role of the individual actor groups and society in strategy development processes and recommend concrete actions for more inclusive and effective stakeholder and public engagement.

Limitations of Stakeholder and Public Engagement in Bioeconomy Strategy Development Processes

Year 2022

Publication:Policy Brief

First page of the BE-Rural Policy Brief "Enabling rural regions to recognise the ecological boundaries framing the bioeconomy"

BE Rural developed and piloted a new framework to help decision makers consider ecological limits when drafting regional bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps, and with this to contribute to Priority 3 of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy: "Understand the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy".

Enabling Rural Regions to Recognize the Ecological Boundaries Framing the Bioeconomy

Year 2022

Publication:Report

This report provides the context and justification for the development of BE-Rural's Sustainability Screening, a description of its methodological procedure, and the syntheses of results from the two experimental implementations of the approach in the Stara Zagora and Vidzeme regions, which are included in full as annexes to this report. The last chapters present the main lessons learned from these two pilots and the overall conclusions of the task.

Note on the Development of a Sustainability Screening for Regional Bioeconomy Strategies

Deliverable 5.4 H2020 Research project BE-Rural

Year 2022

Publication:Document

Rural regions in Southeastern and Eastern Europe are facing multiple challenges such as a rural exodus, aging populations, a declining industrial base and low innovation performance. As such, they are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. In response to this, stakeholders in the five BE-Rural regions developed bioeconomy strategies and roadmaps for enhanced rural development. This publication presents short summaries of the regional strategies and roadmaps focusing on the regional context in terms of available natural resources, the social, economic and political context, the strategy development process and the priorities outlined in the strategies.

Regional Strategy and Roadmap Documents

Deliverable 5.3 H2020 research project BE-Rural

Year 2021

Event:Conference

The objective of the online event is to explore the extent to which the implementation of a bioeconomy concept can leverage the reactivation of regional economies across Europe.

Exploring the Bioeconomy as a Central Pillar of Regional Recovery Plans during and after COVID-19 – BE-Rural Mid-Term Conference

8 September 2020
online

Publication:Document

The guidance for policy makers included in the brief is intended to help orient decision-makers in navigating the various project outputs by comparing and contrasting the BE-Rural and POWER4BIO deliverables, with the aim of guiding the reader towards the most relevant project outputs for their given context. Based on this guidance, the final section of the document provides detailed summaries of the six deliverables for further reference.

Small-Scale Technologies and Business Models for Regional Bioeconomies

Joint Guidance Document for Stakeholders

Year 2020

Language

English

Authorship

Neli Georgieva (European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde)

Stefan Kah (European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde)

Credits

Production: Ecologic Institute

Design Template: Beáta Welk Vargová

Funding

European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International

Year

2022

Dimension

5 pp.

Project

Bio-based Strategies and Roadmaps for Enhanced Rural and Regional Development in the EU (BE-Rural)

Project ID

2815

Keywords

Bioeconomy

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

bio-based business models, funding bioeconomy, rural development Europe, small-scale bioeconomy, sustainable finance, EU bioeconomy strategy, place-based strategies, rural innovation, value chain cooperation, governance bioeconomy, financing biobased enterprises, bioeconomy policy brief, rural entrepreneurship, bioeconomy funding gaps, commercialisation support, sustainable rural business, bioeconomy investment, local bioeconomy strategies, EU rural policy, bioeconomy advisory services

Bulgaria, Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania

literature review, expert consultations, case study analysis, stakeholder engagement, policy recommendations

Attachments

2815-BE-Rural_Policy-Brief_Funding-biobased-business-models_final.pdf (439.51 KB)

Further Links

ProjectSupport to Research and Innovation Policy for Bio-based Products (BIO-SPRI)

Focus on: Environmental Impact (LCA), EU Commercial and Financial Success Stories and Top 20 Novel Products in Development The overall objective of this project is to provide a range of new information and analyses that will enable policy-makers, the scientific... Read more

Support to Research and Innovation Policy for Bio-based Products (BIO-SPRI)

Duration: Apr 2017 - Jun 2018
Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International

ProjectHorizon EuropeConcise Consumer Communication through Robust Labels for Bio-based Systems (3-CO)

The EU Bioeconomy Strategy accelerates the deployment of a sustainable European bioeconomy by managing natural resources sustainably, reducing dependence on fossil resources, ensuring food security, mitigation and adapting to climate change, and creating jobs and... Read more

Concise Consumer Communication through Robust Labels for Bio-based Systems (3-CO)

Duration: Feb 2023 - Jan 2026
Funding: European Commission, Directorate-General Research & Innovation (DG Research & Innovation), International

PublicationPolicy BriefCreating Networks for the Transition to a Bio-based and Circular Economy

BioSTEP-Politikpapier

After two years of research and stakeholder consultation, the BioSTEP consortium, led by Ecologic Institute, finalized the BioSTEP policy paper. This paper concludes five recommendations, aiming to support the revision of the European Bioeconomy Strategy. These... Read more

BioSTEP consortium (2017): Creating Networks for the Transition to a Bio-based and Circular Economy. BioSTEP Policy Paper.

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