BIObec, a project to promote education in the bio-based industry, kicks off

14/09/2021

The European project BIObec was officially launched in an online event which took place on 14 September. This initiative, which aims to promote training in the field of bioeconomics, has received funding from the public-private initiative Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU), under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS, Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucia (CTA) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona are the three Spanish partners of a consortium formed by 19 entities from 12 European countries, which has received 1.5 million euros in funding. During the next 30 months, the entities will be working together to reduce the gap between bio-based industries and the education system, through a connection of universities, innovation laboratories and research and development centres in different European regions.

BIObec proposes a framework encompassing the traditional idea of an education centre with that of a knowledge node. The project will set up different levels of bio-based education centres (BBEC) that will act as knowledge nodes and shorten the gap between academic institutions, students, innovation entities and policy-makers. At the same time, the BBEC's will be flexible enough to respond to current and future industrial needs and those of the ecosystem, at local, regional and national levels.

Collaborations aimed at shortening the education gap in bioeconomics

The main responsibilities of SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS in this project are to define and implement the project's communication strategy (development of the corporative brand, website, social networks, etc.), coordinate the dissemination of BIObec-related news, create online education and continuous training material, as well as contribute to the analysis of the economic viability of the BBECs by searching for possible financial sources and models.

“We are thrilled to continue working on ending the existing gap between educational needs and those of the bio-based industry”, said Jesús Serrano, Deputy General Manager at SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS. “It is a pleasure to continue improving the training, comprehension and skills of workers in an emerging sector as is bioeconomics, and particularly to be able to do it with partners such as the CTA and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, with whom we already collaborate in the implementation of the UrBIOfuture, a previous project financed by the European Union which was a prelude to what today has become BIObec".

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, through its Centre for Research and Studies of Organisational Development (CRiEDO), will contribute by giving support to the theoretical framework of the project by being in charge of the analysis of European and regional needs, opportunities and expectations of the BBECs.

Finally, the CTA will be in charge of BIObec and BBECs replications, designing a roadmap in which the project's results can be displayed and knopwledge transfer methodologies which can help set up BBECs in places that are not participating in the project.

Development of the potential of bioeconomics

The need to reduce carbon emissions and the growing importance of bioeconomics represent a great potential for local development and offer a new perspective on traditional productions, as well as on the creation of new businesses, workplaces and opportunities. Nevertheless, education must also play a key role in satisfying the needs of the industry of having a strong, well-prepared labour force capable of unclocking all of its potential.

BIObec aims to maximise the opportunities offered by bioeconomics and to contribute to the creation of an educational innovation ecosystem, making use of the previous work done in other European projects, connecting different stakeholders, and increasing collaborations between the bio-based industry and the education system with the objective of bridging any gaps in skills and competences.

About BIObec

BIObec is coordinated by the University of Bologna and formed by a multi-disciplinary consortium of 19 partners from 12 different countries. The partners’ profiles include:

• 11 educational institutions: University of Bologna, University of Hohenheim, University of Eastern Finland, Munster Technological University, National Institute Of Technology For Life, Food And Environmental Sciences – AgroParisTech, Autonomous University of Barcelona, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Wageningen University, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Trakia University, and the Educational Research Institute (IBE);
• A national research body: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche;
• Three industrial clusters from the bio-based industry: Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía, Food and Cluster Bio Denmark, and Irish Bioeconomy Foundation;
• Two SMEs: FVA and Sustainable Innovations;
• A non-profit foundation for Education and Social Dialogue: Pro Civis;
• And a private research institute: Research Institute for Fodder Crops, Ltd. Troubsko

The project has received nearly 1.5 million euros in funding by the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.